Abstract
Child sexual offending (CSO) places a serious burden on society and medicine and pedophilia (P) is considered a major risk factor for CSO. The androgen system is closely linked to sexual development and behavior. This study assessed markers of prenatal brain androgenization, genetic parameters of androgen receptor function, epigenetic regulation, and peripheral hormones in a 2 × 2 factorial design comprising the factors Offense (yes/no) and Pedophilia (yes/no) in analyzing blood samples from 194 subjects (57 P+CSO, 45 P−CSO, 20 CSO−P, and 72 controls) matched for age and intelligence. Subjects also received a comprehensive clinical screening. Independent of their sexual preference, child sexual offenders showed signs of elevated prenatal androgen exposure compared with non-offending pedophiles and controls. The methylation status of the androgen receptor gene was also higher in child sexual offenders, indicating lower functionality of the testosterone system, accompanied by lower peripheral testosterone levels. In addition, there was an interaction effect on methylation levels between offense status and androgen receptor functionality. Notably, markers of prenatal androgenization and the methylation status of the androgen receptor gene were correlated with the total number of sexual offenses committed. This study demonstrates alterations of the androgen system on a prenatal, epigenetic, and endocrine level. None of the major findings was specific for pedophilia, but they were for CSO. The findings support theories of testosterone-linked abnormalities in early brain development in delinquent behavior and suggest possible interactions of testosterone receptor gene methylation and plasma testosterone with environmental factors.
Highlights
Child sexual offending (CSO) has enormous effects on children’s mental well-being and their development into adulthood[1,2] and may affect as many as one in five children[3,4]
095/.495/.971 .072/.082/.607 .011*/.913/— .02*/.776/.052
029*/.739/.289 .087/.64/.737 .083/.145/.005* .88/.705/.705 .067/.747/.436 p Values are depicted in the following order: * denotes significant results of the ANOVA with p < 0.05 effect of offense status: F(1,172) = 4.84, p = .029, η2 = 0.027) and borderline effects for free testosterone (main effect of offense status: F(1,172) = 2.96, p = .087, η2 = 0.017; Table 1 and Fig. 1a)
Summary
Child sexual offending (CSO) has enormous effects on children’s mental well-being and their development into adulthood[1,2] and may affect as many as one in five children[3,4]. Neurobiological factors have been considered in multifactorial models of both sexual preference and delinquent behavior[6]. Androgens have been ascribed a crucial role in modulating sexual drive and function, as well as violent and aggressive behavior[7,8,9,10]. The relationship between androgens and behavior is complex and may depend on different external factors, as well as the age of Kruger et al Translational Psychiatry (2019)9:28 the organism. A number of theories have been developed to explain the role of androgens under different circumstances. A number of other theories are the subject of discussion, such as the reciprocal model/challenge hypothesis (testosterone levels depend on specific tasks and challenges, increasing after success and decreasing after failures), the basal model (testosterone as a trait marker influencing behavior), and status theory, according to which testosterone facilitates the perception of social status and, e.g., may cause fair bargaining behavior for personal reasons (status seeking)[9,15]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
