How Common is Men's Self-Reported Sexual Interest in Prepubescent Children?

Abstract

Consistent evidence exists for sexual interest in children in nonclinical/nonforensic male populations. However, prevalences for community men's self-reported sexual interest in children have been based on indiscriminate definitions including postpubescent individuals, age-restricted samples, and/or small convenience samples. The present research assessed men's self-reported sexual interest in children (including child prostitution and child sex tourism) on the community level and examined the link between strictly defined sexual fantasies and behaviors involving prepubescent children. In an online survey of 8,718 German men, 4.1% reported sexual fantasies involving prepubescent children, 3.2% reported sexual offending against prepubescent children, and 0.1% reported a pedophilic sexual preference. Sexual fantasies involving prepubescent children were positively related to sexual offending against prepubescent children. Sexual interest in children was associated with subjectively perceived need for therapeutic help. In contrast to findings from forensic samples, men who reported child pornography use exclusively were identified as a subgroup differing from contact sexual offenders against prepubescent children and men who reported both child pornography use and contact sexual offenses against prepubescent children. The empirical link between child-related sexual fantasies and sexual victimization of prepubescent children and high levels of subjective distress from this inclination underscore the importance of evidence-based child sexual abuse prevention approaches in the community. Findings are discussed in terms of their relation to pedophilic disorder.

Risk Factors for Sexual Offending in Men Working With Children: A Community-Based Survey

“…However, in line with the literature, more than 60% of CSA-W and CSA reported having had fantasies of this nature as compared to less than 4% of the non-CSA-W (Dombert et al, 2016;Turner et al 2014a ;Wurtele, Simons, & Moreno, 2014). This shows the importance of this risk factor in relation to the perpetration of sexual offenses against children regardless of child-related work activities.…”

“…Altogether, 10,538 men from Germany participated in the present study (Dombert et al 2016). Of these, 493 men (4.7%) withdrew their informed consent at the end of the investigation and another 1,396 (13.2%) men did not answer the items that were critical for being allocated to one of the study groups (i.e.…”

“…For the purpose of the present study, a shortened 24-item version of the ESIQ was used. All subscales of the ESIQ have demonstrated acceptable to good reliabilities (.71 < α < .94; Dombert et al, 2016). Life-time sexual behaviors with children ≤ 12 years of age after the respondents were ≥ 18 years of age were assessed with the following statements: "I have sexually caressed a boy/girl", "I have tongue kissed a boy/girl", "I have enjoyed getting my private parts touched by a boy/girl".…”

“…An extensive online survey assessing pedophilic sexual interests and different associated risk factors was used in the present study (Dombert et al, 2016;see Osterheider et al, 2011 for a description of the broader research initiative of which the present study was a part). Participants were recruited via a market research institute and were offered 20€ for participating.…”

“…In the present study we analyzed data from a large community sample of German men, which was collected in an online study on child sexual abuse (Dombert et al, 2016). Our first goal was to examine the impact of working with children as a single risk factor for sexual offending against children.…”