Sexual Preoccupation Research Articles

Trauma symptoms in a diverse population of sexually abused children.

The role of ethnicity, age, and gender in studies of sexually abused children has been overlooked. Yet, studies have found that African American and Latino sexually abused children suffer from more severe symptoms at treatment presentation and longer lasting effects than Caucasian children. Furthermore, evidence suggests that age and gender impact symptoms resulting from sexual abuse. This study focused on examining demographic differences in trauma symptoms and posttreatment data in an urban, ethnically diverse population of sexually abused children. The sample was selected from archival data of 176 children who ranged from the ages of 8 to 16. Therapists administered the Trauma Symptom Checklist for Children (TSCC) at pretreatment and posttreatment. Symptom scores were significantly lower for 41 children who completed 3 months of trauma-focused cognitive-behavioral therapy (TF-CBT) on all TSCC scales except Sexual Concerns, Dissociation, and Overt Dissociation. For the entire sample, mean symptom scores for Sexual Preoccupation were significantly higher for African American children compared to Latino and Caucasian children. Older children had significantly higher scores on scales for Anxiety, Depression, Anger, Posttraumatic Stress, Dissociation, and Sexual Distress. Sexual Distress scale scores were significantly higher among females. Findings indicate that trauma symptoms significantly improved after 3 months of TF-CBT. Trauma symptoms differed for children by ethnic group, age, and gender. Identifying factors that impact symptomatology is critical to providing effective, culturally competent treatment for ethnic minority children who are child sexual abuse victims. (PsycINFO Database Record

The Revised Screening Scale for Pedophilic Interests: Predictive and Concurrent Validity.

This study examined the predictive and concurrent validity of the Screening Scale for Pedophilic Interests (SSPI) and its recent revision (SSPI-2), using a large sample of 2,416 sex offenders deemed not to be in need of civil management in New York State. Both SSPI and SSPI-2 scores were significantly and positively related to sexual rearrest, but the SSPI-2 provided greater discrimination in rearrest within 5 years across possible scores. Neither measure significantly added to the prediction of sexual rearrest provided by the Static-99R. We also found evidence of concurrent validity, as both measures were positively and significantly correlated with clinician ratings of sexual preoccupation, emotional identification with children, and sexual offense-related cognitions (convergent validity), but were not significantly related to clinician ratings of self-regulation problems, noncompliance with supervision, or antisocial personality (divergent validity). Overall, the results suggest that the SSPI-2 is a specific and useful screening measure of pedophilic sexual interests among sex offenders with child victims.

Looking Beyond the Screen: A Critical Review of the Literature on the Online Child Pornography Offender.

This article reviews the current literature pertaining to those who engage in child pornography offending. The basic characteristics of online child pornography offenders (CPOs) and related typologies are briefly presented prior to reviewing the comparative literature pertaining to CPOs and child contact sexual offenders. In general, CPOs have been found to be relatively high functioning and generally pro-social individuals with less extensive and diverse offending histories than contact offenders. CPOs also display high levels of sexual pre-occupation, deviant sexual interests, and deficits in interpersonal and affective domains that surpass those of contact offenders. Although further research is required to replicate and clarify preliminary findings, the available evidence indicates that existing sexual offender risk assessment tools and treatment programs are not suitable for use with CPOs, and thus require revision and empirical evaluation prior to widespread use among this population. The article concludes with implications for clinical practice and directions for future research.

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

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.

Structural Congruence of the Sexual Dependency Inventory—4th Edition

The purpose of the current study was to establish the replicability of the component structure of the Sexual Dependency Inventory (SDI), a broadband, multidimensional measure of problematic sexual behaviors and preoccupations associated with sexual addiction or other sexual disorders, such as the paraphilias. The internal structure of the SDI was previously evaluated in a sexual addiction clinical sample of 626 men and 85 women, but the replicability of the component structure was not evaluated. The present study examined the internal structure of SDI responses in a very large (N > 1,000) clinical sample, and evaluated the replicability of the structure in a second sample of similar size. The structure of the SDI derived was consistent with the previous version (SDI-3.0), was coherent and psychometrically sound, and replicated well in a second sample. Based upon these results, recommendations were made for revisions to establish the Sexual Dependency Inventory—4th Edition (SDI-4.0) Behavior and Preoccupation scales to better match the component structure identified and improved psychometric performance of the measure. Psychometric properties of scores from the revised scales were reported, including estimates of internal consistency reliability from both samples. Clinical implications and suggestions for future research are discussed.

Anxious Attachment, Social Isolation, and Indicators of Sex Drive and Compulsivity: Predictors of Child Sexual Abuse Perpetration in Adolescent Males?

It has been suggested that child sexual abuse is related to poor attachment to parents, which is associated with an inability to form intimate relationships. Seto and Lalumière indicated that there were too few studies of adolescent males to determine whether poor attachment was associated with perpetration. This study was designed to follow up on a previous study and further explored the association between insecure attachment to parents, social isolation, and interpersonal adequacy to child sexual abuse perpetration in adolescents. We compared two samples of adolescent males who had committed sexual offenses, those who committed offenses against children (n = 140) and those who committed offenses against peer or adults (n = 92), with a sample of similarly aged males in treatment for mental health or substance use issues (n = 93). Data were collected using a semi-structured interview and computer-administered questionnaire. We found an indirect association between anxious attachment and sexual offenses against child victims, which was accounted for by measures of social involvement and social isolation. These involvement and isolation measures also did not have a direct association with sexual offenses against child victims, in that their contribution was accounted for by a measure of Masculine Adequacy. This Masculine Adequacy, combined with decreased levels of Sexual Preoccupation and Hypersexuality and increased Sexual Compulsivity, was associated with commission of child sexual abuse. The interpersonal variables did not enter a model predicting sexual offending against peers/adults, which seemed solely associated with the interaction between Sexual Compulsivity and Hypersexuality.

Understanding service users’ and therapists’ experiences of pharmacological treatment for sexual preoccupation and/or hypersexuality in incarcerated sex offenders

This research comprises two qualitative studies understanding the experiences of (1) convicted sex offenders voluntarily receiving pharmacological treatment to reduce sexual preoccupation and (2) therapists working with these offenders. The studies form part of a research programme evaluating the use of pharmacological treatment with sexual offenders. In study one, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 13 sexual offenders receiving selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors. In study two, interviews were conducted with eight intervention staff with varying levels of experience of working with offenders taking anti-libidinals. Thematic analysis was used and in study one, two main themes emerged: (i) the impact of the pharmacological treatment on prisoners’ daily functioning; (ii) barriers to compliance/engagement. In study two, three main themes emerged: (i) offenders’ reluctance to engage with pharmacological treatment; (ii) challenges for therapists; (iii) pharmacology: ‘just another piece of the puzzle’. Findings are discussed in relation to practice and future research.

Preliminary evaluation of the use of pharmacological treatment with convicted sexual offenders experiencing high levels of sexual preoccupation, hypersexuality and/or sexual compulsivity

The current study presents the preliminary evaluation of the impact of pharmacological treatment (Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors and anti-androgens) on hypersexuality, sexual preoccupation and sexual compulsivity. The participant pool comprised 64 convicted UK sexual offenders who had been voluntarily referred for pharmacological treatment to reduce their hypersexual arousal, 51 of whom agreed to take the medication (with a further five individuals on hold or under assessment at the time of data extraction). The preliminary findings were very encouraging; analysis on measures assessing sexual preoccupation, hypersexuality and sexual compulsivity indicated a significant reduction between pre- and post-medication, across both types of medication. Limitations of the current research are discussed.

De la prédiction à la compréhension : recension des dimensions psychologiques de la Statique-99

Although widely used in North America, actuarial risk assessment tools have been criticized for their inability to capture the causal dynamics leading to criminal recidivism. In this article, we present a conceptual framework for linking static, historical risk factors to the psychological vulnerabilities that are targeted in offender treatment. To illustrate this model, a literature review was conducted that identified the psychological dimensions that underlie the items of the Static-99, the most widely used actuarial scale for predicting sexual recidivism. Two key dimensions were identified: sexual criminality, indicative of sexual deviance and/or sexual preoccupation, and general criminality, indicative of antisocial traits and/or psychopathy.

EPA-1595 - Factors affecting negative emotions of depression, anxiety and stress in online social networking services

Internet addiction(IA) has been proposed to separate into three subtypes, gaming, sexual preoccupation and email/text messaging and since use for social networking has increased significantly it may represent a fourth subtype in this model. To examine the effect of more than two hours/day use of the social networking with facebook application, in relation to negative emotions of depression, anxiety and stress. To estimate the possibility of this use in leading to negative emotions. 257 adults(17-68 years old, Mean age=33.1±10.1; 76(29.6%) males and 181(70.4%) females) took part in the study. An online form of Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS) was used for measuring negative emotions as well as sociodemographic characteristics. Statistical analysis was performed with SPSS 21. Statistical significant differences were found between males(x=14.8±8.4) and females(x=18.5±9.9) in stress(t=2.886 p=0.004). Multivariate analysis revealed that age(beta=.143) and social activity(beta=.123), explained 18% of the variance in depression(adjusted R 2 =.188- p=0.028). In stress and anxiety, social activity(beta=.177 and .130) and education(beta=-.170 and -.216), explained 23% of the variance (adjusted R 2 =.231-p=0.004) and (adjusted R 2 =.239-p=0.037) respectively. Odds ratio of depression for those who used the Internet for more than two hours/day was: OR=1.0254(95% CI:0.5682-1.8504 p = 0.9337), for stress OR=0.7826(95% CI:0.4352-p= 0.4130) 1.4074 and for anxiety OR=1.1140(95% CI: 0.6200- 2.0018 p=0.7180). Results suggested that social networking users who are initially free of mental health problems but use the Internet pathologically do not develop negative emotions as a consequence especially when they have social activities as a protective factor.

Preventing sexual abusers of children from reoffending: systematic review of medical and psychological interventions

Objective To evaluate the effectiveness of current medical and psychological interventions for individuals at risk of sexually abusing children, both in known abusers and those at risk of abusing.Design Systematic...

Two Cases of Hypersexuality Probably Associated with Aripiprazole

Sexual dysfunction is a common side effect in patients treated with antipsychotics but significant differences exist across different compounds. We report hypersexuality symptoms in two female patients with schizophrenia who were receiving treatment with aripiprazole. The patients experienced more frequent sexual desire and greater sexual preoccupation after taking aripiprazole. We discuss the potential neuro-chemical mechanisms for this and argue that aripiprazole's unique pharmacological profile, partial agonism with high affinity at dopamine D2-receptor, may have contributed to the development of these symptoms.

Cognition, Empathy, and Sexual Offending

Most empathy research in the forensic context has assumed that empathy has two components. In this two-component model, the cognitive component involves perspective taking, and the affective component involves experiencing appropriate emotion. In this review, we identify how this assumption has both dominated and limited empathy research with offenders, nearly all of which has been conducted with sexual offenders. We propose instead that five components are involved in the experience of empathy: perspective taking, the ability to experience emotion, a belief that others are worthy of compassion and respect, situational factors, and an ability to manage personal distress. We suggest that the non-situational factors that blocked empathy for the victim at the time of a sexual offense are probably other dispositions known to be related to sexual offending, such as sexual preoccupation, generalized hostility to others, implicit theories about children and sex, and/or poor coping with negative emotions. We conclude with directions for practice and research, and urge greater caution in correctional policies on victim empathy programs.

Wagner and the Erotic Impulse (review)

Reviewed by: Wagner and the Erotic Impulse Ruth V. Gross Wagner and the Erotic Impulse. By Laurence Dreyfus. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2010. Pp. xvi + 266. Paper $27.95. ISBN 978-0674064294. “It is surely for the best that the world knows only the lovely work, and not also its origins, not the conditions under which it came into being; for knowledge of the origins from which flowed the artist’s inspiration would surely often confuse the world, repel it, and thus vitiate the effects of excellence.” This statement by the narrator of Thomas Mann’s Death in Venice, made in reference to his disapproval of the protagonist Aschenbach’s homoerotic obsession with the young boy Tadzio, came to mind as I read Dreyfus’s study of Wagner. Like those “unsettling” productions that often make audiences uncomfortable because of the violence or sexuality directors use to reveal new insights in old plots, Dreyfus’s book on Wagner is also unsettling, especially when he chronicles, at great length, the composer’s “unconventional relationship to femininity” (135), with his taste for silk underwear with pink ribbons and rose-scented perfume. But unlike the bully who outs a schoolmate for the purpose of making him a subject of mockery, Dreyfus gives us a probing view of Wagner not to disparage him, but rather to try to understand what it is about him and his music that continues to cast a spell, despite all we know about his distasteful and much-discussed antisemitism, politics, and philosophy. Lesser artists could not have survived the stigma of not only having Hitler’s endorsement but effectively being the Nazi composer of choice; yet Wagner is perhaps more beloved today, in an age of political correctness, than he ever was. For Dreyfus the answer is quite clear: much of what draws audiences to Wagner is the representation of erotic stimulation and sexual desire in his music. He was able to create a body of work that explored his own sexual penchants; he brought erotics to music; thus one might conclude that it is a kind of aural version of voyeurism on the part of Wagnerian audiences even to this day that keeps them involved in what is sometimes a love/hate relationship with the composer and his works. Not that Dreyfus is the first to have written about Wagner’s strange fetishes and sexual preoccupations, but he is the first to use this biographical information to try to explain how Wagner’s music does what it does to its listeners. As easy as it is to forget about the politics when steeped in the sound and sights of a Wagner opera, one cannot but sense a thrill and exhilaration that is fed on precisely that erotic element about which Dreyfus writes. He remarks that although most Wagner scholarship to [End Page 649] date has chosen not to deal with his musical language as a representation “of erotic stimulation, passionate ecstasy, and the torment of love” (2), that aspect has certainly not gone unnoticed by the broader public, as evidenced by record reviews, popular dictionary entries, or essays accompanying recordings. In comparison with earlier operas that deal with sexual themes, among them Poppea, Don Giovanni, or Le Comte Ory, Dreyfus proposes that Wagner’s operas prompt a more intense response in their listeners, and attributes this to either the intention of the older composers not to purposely arouse the audience, or possibly to changes of taste: that is, music that may have had an erotic allure in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries may no longer work on the modern ear in the same way it was intended. Indeed, there is a subjective element in stating that the music of Monteverdi’s Poppea hardly fuels an audience’s “libidinal drives” (2). Some listeners still find it extremely suggestive. But Dreyfus’s points that Wagner’s music exudes the erotic and that the composer’s preoccupation with sexual love was never far from the surface are certainly not unfounded. The book is divided into five chapters, which, as the author explains in his preface, began as a series of public lectures delivered in 2003–2004. The first, entitled “Echoes,” deals...

Female Youth Who Sexually Coerce: Prevalence, Risk, and Protective Factors in Two National High School Surveys

Sexual coercion is recognized as a serious societal problem. Correlates and risk factors of sexually abusive behavior in females are not well known. Etiological theory and empirical study of female perpetrators of sexual coercion are usually based on small or highly selected samples. Specifically, population-based data are needed to elucidate risk/protective factors. Main outcome measures include a self-report questionnaire containing 65 items tapping socio-demographic and health conditions, social relations, sexual victimization, conduct problems and a set of normative and deviant sexual cognitions, attitudes, and behaviors. We used a 2003-2004 survey of sexual attitudes and experiences among high school students in Norway and Sweden to identify risk factors and correlates to sexually coercive behavior (response rate 80%); 4,363 females participated (Mean = 18.1 years). Thirty-seven women (0.8%) reported sexual coercion (ever talked someone into, used pressure, or forced somebody to have sex). Sexually coercive compared with non-coercive women were similar on socio-demographic variables, but reported less parental care and more parental overprotection, aggression, depressive symptoms, and substance misuse. Also, sexually coercive females reported more sexual lust, sex partners, penetrative sexual victimization, rape myths, use of violent porn, and friends more likely to use porn. When using the Swedish subsample to differentiate risk factors specific for sexual coercion from those for antisocial behavior in general, we found less cannabis use, but more sexual preoccupation, pro-rape attitudes, and friends using violent porn in sexually coercive compared with non-sex conduct problem females. Sexually coercive behavior in high school women was associated with general risk/needs factors for antisocial behavior, but also with specific sexuality-related risk factors. This differential effect has previously been overlooked, agrees with similar findings in men, and should have substantial etiological importance.

Dynamic Risk Groups Among Adult Male Sexual Offenders

In the present study, the 16-item Stable-2000 was used to identify different dynamic risk groups among 419 adult male sexual offenders who were referred for assessments between 2000 and 2007. Using a two-stage cluster analysis, four dynamic risk groups were identified: (a) a low needs group who scored below the overall sample mean on all of the Stable-2000 items; (b) a typical group who had intermediate scores on many items; (c) a sexually deviant group who scored relatively high on deviant sexual interests, sexual preoccupation, emotional identification with children, and child molester attitudes; and (d) a pervasive high-needs group who scored relatively high on many Stable-2000 items, reflecting a variety of problems in both general and sexual self-regulation. These dynamic risk groups were not redundant with offender type based on victim age, relatedness, or gender, and did not differ in terms of age at time of assessment, marital status, number of sexual victims, or long-term risk, estimated using the Static-99. The implications for treating and supervising sexual offenders with different dynamic risk profiles are discussed.

Pedophilic Behavior from Brain Disease

Child molestation or other pedophilic behavior may result as a consequence of a brain disorder. To characterize the mechanisms of pedophilic behavior associated with neurological diseases. We report eight patients with pedophilic behavior as a manifestation of their brain disorder and review the literature. The sexual, neuropsychiatric, and neurological aspects of a series of patients. All eight developed sexual behavior toward prepubescent children in mid- to late-life coincident with the development of a neurological disorder. Five had limited insight, anxiety, or concern for their behavior and tended to have frontal lobe executive deficits. Most of this group had frontally predominant disorders. Two others retained insight and concern in the context of marked hypersexuality. This second group had treated Parkinson's disease and resembled reports of pedophilic behavior from subcortical lesions. The further presence of right temporal lobe-amygdala involvement may have predisposed to specific sexual preoccupation in some patients. Brain disorders may release a predisposition to sexual attraction for children through disinhibition with frontal disease, sexual preoccupation with right temporal disease, or hypersexuality with subcortical disease in non-motor basal ganglia, hypothalamus, or septal nuclei. Differentiating these mechanisms of pedophilic behavior from brain disease could facilitate targeted interventions.

Childhood Maltreatment, Psychological Dysregulation, and Risky Sexual Behaviors in Female Adolescents

Maltreated female adolescents are at risk for engaging in sexual behaviors consistent with HIV infection and teen pregnancy. The current study applied a model positing the key role of psychological dysregulation in the development of adolescent females' sexual behavior. The sample consisted of adolescent females aged 14-17 years who had experienced substantiated childhood maltreatment (n = 275) and a demographically matched, non-maltreated comparison group (n = 210). Multiple mediator analysis revealed that, when in company with a host of plausible mechanisms, sexual preoccupation mediated the relationship between psychological dysregulation and risky sexual behaviors. Maltreated females may have difficulty regulating emotions, cognitions, and behaviors, which, when coupled with a propensity to entertain sexual thoughts and consume sexually explicit materials, may increase the likelihood that they act on sexual impulses and engage in high-risk sexual behaviors.

Photomyogenic response in Niemann–Pick type C: a case report

Photomyogenic response in Niemann–Pick type C: a case report

MMPI-2 Correlates of Sexual Preoccupation as Measured by the Sexuality Scale in a College Setting

The current study explored associations between MMPI-2 scales and a measure of sexual preoccupation college students. Participants were 846 undergraduate students at a Midwestern university who completed the MMPI-2 and Sexuality Scale. Correlational analyses were conducted by gender to identify significant relations, which were then examined for potential gender differences. Results indicated significant correlations between sexual preoccupation scores and a wide variety of psychopathological symptoms measured by the MMPI-2, with especially strong associations demonstrated for externalizing dysfunction. There were no statistically significant gender differences in the pattern of correlations. Implications for the assessment and treatment of sexual preoccupation, as well as for future studies, are discussed.