Nothing Special   »   [go: up one dir, main page]
Skip to main content
Springer Nature Link
Log in

Pedophilia, Hebephilia, and the DSM-V

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Archives of Sexual Behavior Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The term pedophilia denotes the erotic preference for prepubescent children. The term hebephilia has been proposed to denote the erotic preference for pubescent children (roughly, ages 11 or 12–14), but it has not become widely used. The present study sought to validate the concept of hebephilia by examining the agreement between self-reported sexual interests and objectively recorded penile responses in the laboratory. The participants were 881 men who were referred for clinical assessment because of paraphilic, criminal, or otherwise problematic sexual behavior. Within-group comparisons showed that men who verbally reported maximum sexual attraction to pubescent children had greater penile responses to depictions of pubescent children than to depictions of younger or older persons. Between-groups comparisons showed that penile responding distinguished such men from those who reported maximum attraction to prepubescent children and from those who reported maximum attraction to fully grown persons. These results indicated that hebephilia exists as a discriminable erotic age-preference. The authors recommend various ways in which the DSM might be altered to accommodate the present findings. One possibility would be to replace the diagnosis of Pedophilia with Pedohebephilia and allow the clinician to specify one of three subtypes: Sexually Attracted to Children Younger than 11 (Pedophilic Type), Sexually Attracted to Children Age 11–14 (Hebephilic Type), or Sexually Attracted to Both (Pedohebephilic Type). We further recommend that the DSM-V encourage users to record the typical age of children who most attract the patient sexually as well as the gender of children who most attract the patient sexually.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Subscribe and save

Springer+ Basic
$34.99 /Month
  • Get 10 units per month
  • Download Article/Chapter or eBook
  • 1 Unit = 1 Article or 1 Chapter
  • Cancel anytime
Subscribe now

Buy Now

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • American Psychiatric Association. (2000). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (4th ed., text rev.). Washington, DC: Author.

  • Bernard, F. (1975). An enquiry among a group of pedophiles. Journal of Sex Research, 11, 242–255.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Blanchard, R. (2008). Review and theory of handedness, birth order, and homosexuality in men. Laterality: Asymmetries of Body, Brain and Cognition, 13, 51–70.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Blanchard, R., Barbaree, H. E., Bogaert, A. F., Dickey, R., Klassen, P., Kuban, M. E., et al. (2000). Fraternal birth order and sexual orientation in pedophiles. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 29, 463–478.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Blanchard, R., Christensen, B. K., Strong, S. M., Cantor, J. M., Kuban, M. E., Klassen, P., et al. (2002). Retrospective self-reports of childhood accidents causing unconsciousness in phallometrically diagnosed pedophiles. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 31, 511–526.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Blanchard, R., Klassen, P., Dickey, R., Kuban, M. E., & Blak, T. (2001). Sensitivity and specificity of the phallometric test for pedophilia in nonadmitting sex offenders. Psychological Assessment, 13, 118–126.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Blanchard, R., Kolla, N. J., Cantor, J. M., Klassen, P. E., Dickey, R., Kuban, M. E., et al. (2007). IQ, handedness, and pedophilia in adult male patients stratified by referral source. Sexual Abuse: A Journal of Research and Treatment, 19, 285–309.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Blanchard, R., Kuban, M. E., Blak, T., Cantor, J. M., Klassen, P., & Dickey, R. (2006). Phallometric comparison of pedophilic interest in nonadmitting sexual offenders against stepdaughters, biological daughters, other biologically related girls, and unrelated girls. Sexual Abuse: A Journal of Research and Treatment, 18, 1–14.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Blanchard, R., Kuban, M. E., Klassen, P., Dickey, R., Christensen, B. K., Cantor, J. M., et al. (2003). Self-reported head injuries before and after age 13 in pedophilic and nonpedophilic men referred for clinical assessment. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 32, 573–581.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Boney-McCoy, S., & Finkelhor, D. (1995). Prior victimization: A risk factor for child sexual abuse and for PTSD-related symptomatology among sexually abused youth. Child Abuse & Neglect, 19, 1401–1421.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Briere, J., & Elliott, D. M. (2003). Prevalence and psychological sequelae of self-reported childhood physical and sexual abuse in a general population sample of men and women. Child Abuse & Neglect, 27, 1205–1222.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cantor, J. M., Blanchard, R., Christensen, B. K., Dickey, R., Klassen, P. E., Beckstead, A. L., et al. (2004). Intelligence, memory, and handedness in pedophilia. Neuropsychology, 18, 3–14.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Cantor, J. M., Kabani, N., Christensen, B. K., Zipursky, R. B., Barbaree, H. E., Dickey, R., et al. (2008). Cerebral white matter deficiencies in pedophilic men. Journal of Psychiatric Research, 42, 167–183.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Cantor, J. M., Klassen, P. E., Dickey, R., Christensen, B. K., Kuban, M. E., Blak, T., et al. (2005). Handedness in pedophilia and hebephilia. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 34, 447–459.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Cantor, J. M., Kuban, M. E., Blak, T., Klassen, P. E., Dickey, R., & Blanchard, R. (2006). Grade failure and special education placement in sexual offenders’ educational histories. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 35, 743–751.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Cantor, J. M., Kuban, M. E., Blak, T., Klassen, P. E., Dickey, R., & Blanchard, R. (2007). Physical height in pedophilic and hebephilic sexual offenders. Sexual Abuse: A Journal of Research and Treatment, 19, 395–407.

    Google Scholar 

  • Earls, C. M., Quinsey, V. L., & Castonguay, L. G. (1987). A comparison of three methods of scoring penile circumference changes. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 16, 493–500.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Finkelhor, D., Ormrod, R., Turner, H., & Hamby, S. L. (2005). The victimization of children and youth: A comprehensive, national survey. Child Maltreatment, 10, 5–25.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Freund, K. (1967). Diagnosing homo- or heterosexuality and erotic age-preference by means of a psychophysiological test. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 5, 209–228.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Freund, K., & Blanchard, R. (1989). Phallometric diagnosis of pedophilia. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 57, 100–105.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Freund, K., Langevin, R., Cibiri, S., & Zajac, Y. (1973). Heterosexual aversion in homosexual males. British Journal of Psychiatry, 122, 163–169.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Freund, K., McKnight, C. K., Langevin, R., & Cibiri, S. (1972). The female child as a surrogate object. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 2, 119–133.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Freund, K., Scher, H., & Hucker, S. (1983). The courtship disorders. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 12, 369–379.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Freund, K., Sedlacek, F., & Knob, K. (1965). A simple transducer for mechanical plethysmography of the male genital. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 8, 169–170.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Freund, K., Seeley, H. R., Marshall, W. E., & Glinfort, E. K. (1972). Sexual offenders needing special assessment and/or therapy. Canadian Journal of Criminology and Corrections, 14, 3–23.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gebhard, P. H., Gagnon, J. H., Pomeroy, W. B., & Christenson, C. V. (1965). Sex offenders: An analysis of types. New York: Harper & Row.

    Google Scholar 

  • Glueck, B. C., Jr. (1955). Final report: Research project for the study and treatment of persons convicted of crimes involving sexual aberrations, June 1952 to June 1955. New York: New York State Department of Mental Hygiene.

  • Grumbach, M. M., & Styne, D. M. (1998). Puberty: Ontogeny, neuroendocrinology, physiology, and disorders. In J. D. Wilson, D. W. Foster, H. M. Kronenberg, & P. R. Larsen (Eds.), Williams textbook of endocrinology (9th ed., pp. 1509–1625). Philadelphia: W. B. Saunders.

    Google Scholar 

  • Harris, G. T., Rice, M. E., Quinsey, V. L., Chaplin, T. C., & Earls, C. (1992). Maximizing the discriminant validity of phallometric assessment data. Psychological Assessment, 4, 502–511.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Herman-Giddens, M. E., Slora, E. J., Wasserman, R. C., Bourdony, C. J., Bhapkar, M. V., Koch, G. G., et al. (1997). Secondary sexual characteristics and menses in young girls seen in office practice: A study from the Pediatric Research in Office Settings network. Pediatrics, 99, 505–512.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hirschfeld, M. (1920). Die Homosexualität des Mannes und des Weibes [Homosexuality in men and women] (2nd ed.). Berlin: Louis Marcus.

  • Krafft-Ebing, R., & Moll, A. (1924). Psychopathia sexualis. Stuttgart: Ferdinand Enke.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kuban, M., Barbaree, H. E., & Blanchard, R. (1999). A comparison of volume and circumference phallometry: Response magnitude and method agreement. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 28, 345–359.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Langevin, R. (1985). Introduction. In R. Langevin (Ed.), Erotic preference, gender identity, and aggression in men: New research studies (pp. 1–13). Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

    Google Scholar 

  • Marshall, V. A., & Tanner, J. M. (1969). Variations in the pattern of pubertal changes in girls. Archives of Disease in Childhood, 44, 291–303.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Marshall, V. A., & Tanner, J. M. (1970). Variation in the pattern of pubertal changes in boys. Archives of Disease in Childhood, 45, 13–23.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Regier, D. A. (2007). Dimensional approaches to psychiatric classification: Refining the research agenda for DSM-V: An introduction. International Journal of Methods in Psychiatric Research, 16(S1), S1–S5.

    Google Scholar 

  • Roche, A. F., Wellens, R., Attie, K. M., & Siervogel, R. M. (1995). The timing of sexual maturation in a group of US white youths. Journal of Pediatric Endocrinology & Metabolism, 8, 11–18.

    Google Scholar 

  • Seto, M. C. (2008). Pedophilia and sexual offending against children: Theory, assessment, and intervention. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

    Google Scholar 

  • Seto, M. C., Cantor, J. M., & Blanchard, R. (2006). Child pornography offenses are a valid diagnostic indicator of pedophilia. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 115, 610–615.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Snyder, H. N. (2000). Sexual assault of young children as reported to law enforcement: Victim, incident, and offender characteristics (Report No. NCJ 18399). Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice.

    Google Scholar 

  • Studer, L. H., Aylwin, A. S., Clelland, S. R., Reddon, J. R., & Frenzel, R. R. (2002). Primary erotic preference in a group of child molesters. International Journal of Law and Psychiatry, 25, 173–180.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Tanner, J. M. (1978). Foetus into man: Physical growth from conception to maturity. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Vuocolo, A. B. (1969). The repetitive sex offender: An analysis of the administration of the New Jersey sex offender program from 1949 to 1965. Menlo Park, NJ: New Jersey State Diagnostic Center.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wilson, G. D., & Cox, D. N. (1983). Personality of paedophile club members. Personality and Individual Differences, 4, 323–329.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wood, J. W. (1994). Dynamics of human reproduction: Biology, biometry, demography. New York: Aldine de Gruyter.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Law and Mental Health Program, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, 250 College Street, Toronto, ON, Canada, M5T 1R8

    Ray Blanchard, Amy D. Lykins, Michael E. Kuban, James M. Cantor, Thomas Blak, Robert Dickey & Philip E. Klassen

  2. Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada

    Ray Blanchard, James M. Cantor, Robert Dickey & Philip E. Klassen

  3. Department of Psychology, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, NV, USA

    Amy D. Lykins

  4. Division of Endocrinology, Department of Paediatrics, The Hospital for Sick Children, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada

    Diane Wherrett

Authors
  1. Ray Blanchard
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Amy D. Lykins
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Diane Wherrett
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Michael E. Kuban
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. James M. Cantor
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Thomas Blak
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. Robert Dickey
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  8. Philip E. Klassen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Ray Blanchard.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Blanchard, R., Lykins, A.D., Wherrett, D. et al. Pedophilia, Hebephilia, and the DSM-V . Arch Sex Behav 38, 335–350 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-008-9399-9

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-008-9399-9

Keywords

Search

Navigation