Are Sex Drive and Hypersexuality Associated with Pedophilic Interest and Child Sexual Abuse in a Male Community Sample?

Verena Klein,Daniel Turner,Peer Briken,Alexander F Schmidt,Ulrich S Tran

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0129730

Verena Klein, Daniel Turner + Show 3 more

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https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0129730

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Abstract

Although much is currently known about hypersexuality (in the form of excessive sexual behavior) among sexual offenders, the degree to which hypersexual behavior is linked to paraphilic and especially pedophilic interests in non-forensic populations has not been established. The purpose of the present study was to elucidate the associations between total sexual outlets (TSO) and other sex drive indicators, antisocial behavior, pedophilic interests, and sexual offending behavior in a large population-based community sample of males. The sample included 8,718 German men who participated in an online study. Hypersexual behavior as measured by self-reported TSO, self-reported sex drive, criminal history, and pedophilic interests were assessed. In moderated hierarchical logistic regression analyses self-reported contact sexual offending against children was linked to sexual fantasizing about children and antisociality. There was no association between aggregated sex drive, and sexual abusive behaviour in the multivariate analyses. In contrast, self-reported child pornography consumption was associated with sex drive, sexual fantasies involving children, and antisociality. Nevertheless, in clinical practice an assessment of criminal history and pedophilic interests in hypersexual individuals and vice versa hypersexuality in antisocial or pedophilic men should be considered as particularly antisociality and pedophilic interest are important predictors of sexual offending against prepubescent children.

Highlights

In recent years, there has been an increasing amount of literature providing empirical evidence for a link between hypersexuality and paraphilic interests in sexual offenders [1, 2]
The present study provides clinically relevant insight into the actual paraphilic and criminological correlates of hypersexual behavior in a large non-clinical male community sample
The significant interaction between antisociality and sexual fantasies involving children in logistic regression analyses may indicate that the probability of contact sexual abuse markedly increases in men with high rates of self-reported amount of sexual fantasies involving children and antisocial behavior in the past

Summary

Introduction

There has been an increasing amount of literature providing empirical evidence for a link between hypersexuality and paraphilic interests in sexual offenders [1, 2]. Hypersexuality is used as an umbrella term to describe excessive sexual behavioral pattern in research and clinical practice. Kinsey et al [3] coined the term “total sexual outlets/week” (TSO) in order to assess the frequency of sexual behavior. TSO was defined as “the sum of the orgasms derived from the various types of sexual activity in which that individual had engaged”. 510–511) during a week including sexual behaviors such as sexual intercourse and masturbation. Kafka [5] proposed seven orgasms per week over a period of six months as a criterion for hypersexual behavior. Further part of the definition was spending at least 1–2 hours per day with sexual behavior

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