Abstract
The fierce stigma associated with pedophilia may interfere with attempts to prevent sexual offending. Prior research on the effects of media reports about pedophilia mostly focused on their role in perpetuating stigma in the general population. In order to better understand potential benefits and risks of the media coverage on people with pedophilia and specialized prevention and treatment efforts, we conducted semi-structured qualitative interviews with 11 healthcare practitioners of the German Prevention Network “Don’t offend”. Healthcare practitioners described positive (e.g., raising awareness for prevention offers) as well as negative (e.g., perpetuating the existing public stigma) effects of the media coverage and estimated that only about one-third of media coverage portrays pedophilia realistically. To destigmatize pedophilia and benefit the prevention of child sexual abuse, a fact box for journalists was developed based on practitioners’ expert knowledge.
Highlights
1 to 5% of the male population is estimated to have pedophilia [1,2,3], that is, a sexual interest in children [4]
Against this background, having a public that is informed about the difference between pedophilia as a sexual preference versus child sexual abuse as a sexual offense most likely represents an important precondition for the success of preventive measures against child sexual abuse
The present study aims to get a deeper understanding of the consequences of the media coverage of pedophilia with respect to stigma, well-being, mental health, treatment, and offense prevention
Summary
1 to 5% of the male population is estimated to have pedophilia [1,2,3], that is, a sexual interest in children [4]. People with pedophilia have to fear being shamed, threatened, and cut off from sources of social support, if their sexual interests are discovered [6], which may in turn increase the risk of sexual offending and barriers to seeking therapy. Against this background, having a public that is informed about the difference between pedophilia as a sexual preference versus child sexual abuse as a sexual offense most likely represents an important precondition for the success of preventive measures against child sexual abuse. The collected data are only used for scientific purposes and will be analyzed anonymously, so that no conclusion to your person will be possible.
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