Preventing Sexual Abuse: Perspectives of Minor-Attracted Persons About Seeking Help

Levenson, Jill S.; Grady, Melissa D.

doi:10.1177/1079063218797713

Cited by 68 publications

(132 citation statements)

References 38 publications

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“…It is also unclear if some of the same participants participated in our current study. However, our findings are also consistent with another online study that was not associated with B4U-ACT and which found a 30% incidence of suicidal ideation (Levenson & Grady, 2018).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 93%

“…Moreover, a large fraction of these individuals may never sexually molest a child. Given the high emotional burden carried by MAPs, as evidenced by the present findings as well as others (Cohen, McGeoch, Gans, Acker, et al, 2002; Jahnke, Schmidt, et al, 2015; Levenson & Grady, 2018), it is of great clinical significance to identify the factors that most contribute to MAPs’ emotional distress and suicidal risk. The relationship between MAPs’ emotional distress and their likelihood of sexually engaging with a child is not known, but there is evidence that impulse control is compromised by negative affect (Bechara, 2005) and that child molestation often co-occurs with negative affect states (Ward, Louden, Hudson, & Marshall, 1995).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 57%

“…Nonetheless, older MAPs have had more time to adjust to their sexual orientation and may have developed better coping skills over time. For example, younger participants were more likely to endorse several barriers to seeking mental health care than were their older counterparts, including fear of being reported to the authorities, concerns about confidentiality, and being unsure how to find a therapist (Levenson & Grady, 2018). It is also possible that older male MAPs have less intense sexual urges, due to age-related reductions in testosterone (Sternbach, 1998).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Correlates of Chronic Suicidal Ideation Among Community-Based Minor-Attracted Persons

et al. 2019

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Elevated suicidal risk has been documented in adults who are sexually attracted to minors but the topic has not been adequately investigated, particularly outside the context of the criminal justice system. In this study, risk factors for chronic suicidal ideation were assessed in 333 community-based minor-attracted persons (95% male) via an online survey. Chronic suicidal ideation was endorsed by 38.1% of the participants but was associated neither to history of sexually engaging with a child nor to prior contact with the criminal justice system. In bivariate logistic regression analyses, significant unadjusted correlates included young age, less education, prior mental health treatment, weaker attraction to adult women, history of sexual abuse in the participants’ own childhood, and the psychosocial effect of perceived stigma against pedophilia. In multivariable analysis, all these factors except education were uniquely associated with suicidal ideation. These results identify meaningful clinical risk factors and treatment targets in this population.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 93%

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 57%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Correlates of Chronic Suicidal Ideation Among Community-Based Minor-Attracted Persons

et al. 2019

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“…These striking results are consistent with other recent studies of MAPs. Levenson and Grady (2018), for example, found 30% of their sample had suicidal thoughts, whilst Cohen et al (2019) found chronic suicidal ideation in 38.1% of their sample. Not only has research indicated the value of mental health treatment to help-seeking MAPs (Amelung et al, 2012;Beier et al, 2009a;Beier, Grundmann, Kuhle, Scherner, Konrad & Amelung, 2015;Grossman, Martis & Fichtner, 1999;Kim, Benekos & Merlo, 2016), at some point in their lives the majority of MAPs want to speak to a mental health professional (B4U-ACT, 2011b).…”

Section: The Importance Of Non-offending Maps Receiving Psychologicalmentioning

confidence: 96%

Non-Offending Minor-Attracted Persons: Professional Practitioners’ Views on the Barriers to Seeking and Receiving Their Help

Parr

Pearson

2019

Journal of Child Sexual Abuse

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He is a Fellow of the British Psychological Society (BPS) BARRIERS TO HELP-SEEKING OF NON-OFFENDING 'MAPs' 2 and is registered as a Forensic Psychologist by the Health and Care Professions Council. He has extensive experience of multidisciplinary working with probation, prisons, the police, and community agencies handling difficult and high-risk offenders under Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA). His research interests concern the assessment and management of offenders, particularly the role of behavioral monitoring in risk assessment, and the impact of structured programs and environments in reducing re-offending.

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“…Research also shows that many individuals who define themselves as sexually attracted to children will actively seek help (Grady et al, 2019;Levenson and Grady, 2019), such as by engaging in mentoring programmes (see Knack et al, 2019).…”

Section: Centre Of Expertise On Child Sexual Abusementioning

confidence: 99%

Key messages from research on child sexual abuse perpetrated by adults

Brown¹

2020

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Who sexually abuses children? We do not know how many adults sexually abuse children, but it is clear that there are more than official figures show, and that large numbers of individuals are engaging with CSA images. Most contact CSA is perpetrated by a person whom the child knows and trusts. Almost all individuals convicted of CSA are men, but perpetration by women may be more common than official data suggests. Perpetrators come from all walks of life, and ethnicity is not a predictor of CSA perpetration. What are the pathways to CSA offending? There are likely to be a number of different and complex pathways into CSA offending. Most adult perpetrators of CSA do not have extensive criminal histories or criminal lifestyles. The great majority of victims of CSA do not go on to commit CSA themselves; however, those who commit CSA are more likely than other adults to have experienced multiple forms of abuse as children, including physical, domestic or sexual abuse, and neglect. Social and cultural practices, as well as institutional and environmental settings, can provide a context for CSA to take place. Offences occur mostly in contexts of ordinary social interactions. Situations and locations can present individuals with opportunities to offend, and/or exert social pressure or weaken their moral restraints, leading to CSA. First offences often take place at times of depression, anxiety and stress for the perpetrator. What interventions are effective? Most individuals convicted of sexual offences, including CSA, are not reconvicted of further sexual offences. Few women and men convicted of online offences are reconvicted for sexual reoffences. It should be noted, however, that most CSA does not come to the attention of the authorities. Evidence is lacking regarding the effectiveness of programmes used in the UK to address sexual offending, particularly those specific to CSA; for example, current trauma-informed programmes used in the UK and based on the Good Lives Model have not yet been evaluated. The Core sex offender treatment programme in the UK was replaced after it was shown not to reduce sexual reoffending; however, individuals who completed similar programmes in other countries had lower rates of sexual reoffending than comparable individuals who did not. In the USA, Circles of Support and Accountability (CoSA) have been found to lead to fewer sexual reconvictions. Studies in other countries have shown that CoSA can help individuals released from prison to integrate into communities, which is associated with reducing reoffending. Providing interventions for individuals at risk of committing CSA is also important, as they may struggle with their sexual thoughts for some years before committing an offence, and many seek help prior to offending. Our 'Key messages from research' papers aim to provide succinct, relevant information for frontline practitioners and commissioners. They bring together the most up-to-date research into an accessible overview, supporting confident provision of the best possible resp...

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Preventing Sexual Abuse: Perspectives of Minor-Attracted Persons About Seeking Help

Cited by 68 publications

References 38 publications

Correlates of Chronic Suicidal Ideation Among Community-Based Minor-Attracted Persons

Correlates of Chronic Suicidal Ideation Among Community-Based Minor-Attracted Persons

Non-Offending Minor-Attracted Persons: Professional Practitioners’ Views on the Barriers to Seeking and Receiving Their Help

Key messages from research on child sexual abuse perpetrated by adults

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