A taxometric analysis of pedophilia

Abstract

Sexologists continue to lack understanding about a fundamental aspect of pedophilia: do men with pedophilia represent a unique group distinguished by their sexual interests, or are they high-scorers on a continuum of sexual interest in children? No existing evidence points conclusively to pedophilia having either a categorical or continuous latent structure, but each possibility has different implications for our understanding of the etiology of the disorder, which populations are appropriate for pedophilia research, and treatment development. This central question about the construct of pedophilia may be aided by taxometrics, the statistical procedures that provide evidence for whether particular disorders are categorical or continuous. The present research utilized three taxometric procedures to analyze the latent structure of pedophilia in a sample of 371 convicted child sex offenders who completed the Multiphasic Sex Inventory (MSI), a self-report measure designed specifically to assess sex offenders. Results across the three procedures converged to indicate that pedophilia (as measured by the MSI) is dimensional. Theoretical and clinical implications of such findings are discussed.