title: Undetected and detected child sexual abuse and child pornography offenders.
abstract: Current knowledge about risk factors for child sexual abuse and child pornography offenses is based on samples of convicted offenders, i.e., detected offenders. Only few studies focus on offenders not detected by the criminal justice system. In this study, a sample of 345 self-referred pedophiles and hebephiles was recruited from the community. All participants met DSM-IV-TR criteria for pedophilia or hebephilia (paraphilia not otherwise specified), were assured of confidentiality, and self-reported lifetime sexual offending against prepubescent and/or pubescent children. Two sets of group comparisons were conducted on self-report data of risk factors for sexual reoffending. Measures of risk factors address the following dimensions identified in samples of convicted offenders: sexual preferences (i.e. co-occurring paraphilias), sexual self-regulation problems, offense-supportive cognitions, diverse socio-affective deficits, and indicators of social functioning (e.g., education, employment). Men who admitted current or previous investigation or conviction by legal authorities (detected offenders) were compared with those who denied any detection for their sexual offenses against children (undetected offenders). Group comparisons (detected vs. undetected) were further conducted for each offense type separately (child pornography only offenders, child sexual abuse only offenders, mixed offenders). Although there were more similarities between undetected and detected offenders, selected measures of sexual-self regulation problems, socio-affective deficits, and social functioning data demonstrated group differences.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Sexology and Sexual Medicine, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Freie und Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany. janina.neutze@charite.de
authors.forename: Janina
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Neutze
authors.forename: Dorit
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Grundmann
authors.forename: Gerold
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Scherner
authors.forename: Klaus Michael
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Beier
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002648:Child; D002650:Child Abuse, Sexual / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000523:psychology*; D004882:Erotica / Q000523:psychology*; D005555:Forensic Psychiatry; D005858:Germany; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010262:Paraphilic Disorders / Q000523:psychology*; D010378:Pedophilia / Q000523:psychology; D011329:Prisoners / Q000523:psychology; D011581:Psychological Tests; D012307:Risk Factors; D012917:Social Adjustment; D012927:Social Control, Informal