Pedophilia

==Epidemiology==

===Pedophilia and child molestation===
The prevalence of pedophilia in the general population is not known,<ref name=SetoReview/><ref name="seto2004">{{cite journal | author = Seto MC | title = Pedophilia and sexual offenses against children | journal = Annu Rev Sex Res | volume = 15 | pages = 321–61 | year = 2004 | pmid = 16913283 }}</ref> but is estimated to be lower than 5% among adult men.<ref name=SetoReview/> Less is known about the prevalence of pedophilia in women, but there are case reports of women with strong sexual fantasies and urges towards children.{{r|seto|pages=72-74}} Male perpetrators account for the vast majority of sexual crimes committed against children. Among convicted offenders, 0.4% to 4% are female, and one literature review estimates that the ratio of male-to-female child molesters is 10 to 1.<ref name=psychiatrictimes.com/> The true number of female child molesters may be underrepresented by available estimates, for reasons including a "societal tendency to dismiss the negative impact of sexual relationships between young boys and adult women, as well as women's greater access to very young children who cannot report their abuse", among other explanations.<ref name=psychiatrictimes.com/>

The term ''pedophile'' is commonly used by the public to describe all child sexual abuse offenders.<ref name="ames"/><ref name="Edwards"/> This usage is considered problematic by researchers, because many child molesters do not have a strong sexual interest in prepubescent children, and are consequently not pedophiles.<ref name=Oxford/><ref name="Edwards"/><ref name=SetoReview/> There are motives for child sexual abuse that are unrelated to pedophilia,<ref name="barbaree-seto"/> such as stress, marital problems, the unavailability of an adult partner,<ref>Howells, K. (1981). "Adult sexual interest in children: Considerations relevant to theories of aetiology", ''Adult sexual interest in children.'' 55–94.</ref> general anti-social tendencies, high sex drive or alcohol use.{{r|seto|p=4}} As child sexual abuse is not automatically an indicator that its perpetrator is a pedophile, offenders can be separated into two types: pedophilic and non-pedophilic<ref name="suchyfacial">{{cite journal | author1 = Suchy, Y. | author2 = Whittaker, W.J. | author3 = Strassberg, D. | author4 = Eastvold, A. | title= Facial and Prosodic Affect Recognition Among Pedophilic and Nonpedophilic Criminal Child Molesters | journal= Sexual Abuse: A Journal of Research and Treatment | volume= 21 | issue= 1 | year= 2009 | pages= 93–110 | doi=10.1177/1079063208326930 | pmid= 19218480 | s2cid= 25360637 }}</ref> (or preferential and situational).<ref name="lanning">{{cite journal | first1 = Kenneth | last1 = Lanning | year = 2010 | title = Child Molesters: A Behavioral Analysis | journal = National Center for Missing & Exploited Children | url = https://www.missingkids.org/content/dam/missingkids/pdfs/publications/nc70.pdf | url-status = live | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20220513215400/https://www.missingkids.org/content/dam/missingkids/pdfs/publications/nc70.pdf | archive-date = 2022-05-13 }}</ref> Estimates for the rate of pedophilia in detected child molesters generally range between 25% and 50%.<ref name="schaefer">{{cite journal | author1= Schaefer, G. A. | author2 =  Mundt, I. A. | author3 =  Feelgood, S. | author4 = Hupp, E. | author5 = Neutze, J. | author6 = Ahlers, Ch. J. | author7 = Goecker, D. | author8 = Beier, K. M. | year= 2010 | title= Potential and Dunkelfeld offenders: Two neglected target groups for prevention of child sexual abuse | journal = International Journal of Law & Psychiatry | volume = 33 | issue = 3 | pages = 154–163 | pmid = 20466423 | doi=10.1016/j.ijlp.2010.03.005}}</ref> A 2006 study found that 35% of its sample of child molesters were pedophilic.<ref>{{cite journal | author1 = Seto, M. C. | author2 = Cantor, J. M. | author3 = Blanchard, R. | year =2006 | title = Child pornography offenses are a valid diagnostic indicator of pedophilia | url = https://archive.org/details/sim_journal-of-abnormal-psychology_2006-08_115_3/page/612 | journal = Journal of Abnormal Psychology | volume = 115 | issue =3 | page = 612 | doi=10.1037/0021-843x.115.3.610 | pmid=16866601 | citeseerx =10.1.1.606.7677 }}</ref> Pedophilia appears to be less common in [[incest]] offenders,{{r|seto|p=123}} especially fathers and step-fathers.<ref name="blanchardfathers">{{cite journal | author1 = Blanchard, R. | author2 = Kuban, M. E. | author3 = Blak, T. | author4 = Cantor, J. M. | author5 = Klassen, P. | author6 = Dickey, R. | year = 2006 | title = Phallometric comparison of pedophilic interest in nonadmitting sexual offenders against stepdaughters, biological daughters, other biologically related girls, and unrelated girls | journal = Sexual Abuse: A Journal of Research and Treatment | volume = 18 | issue = 1 | pages = 1–14 | doi=10.1177/107906320601800101 | pmid = 16598663 | citeseerx = 10.1.1.1016.1030 | s2cid = 220355661 }}</ref> According to a U.S. study on 2429 adult male sex offenders who were categorized as "pedophiles", only 7% identified themselves as exclusive; indicating that many or most child sexual abusers may fall into the non-exclusive category.<ref name=mayoclinic/>

Some pedophiles do not molest children.{{r|seto|p=vii}} Little is known about this population because most studies of pedophilia use criminal or clinical samples, which may not be representative of pedophiles in general.{{r|seto|pp=47–48,66}} Researcher Michael Seto suggests that pedophiles who commit child sexual abuse do so because of other anti-social traits in addition to their sexual attraction. He states that pedophiles who are "reflective, sensitive to the feelings of others, averse to risk, abstain from alcohol or drug use, and endorse attitudes and beliefs supportive of norms and the laws" may be unlikely to abuse children.<ref name="SetoReview"/> A 2015 study indicates that pedophiles who molested children are neurologically distinct from non-offending pedophiles. The pedophilic molesters had neurological deficits suggestive of disruptions in inhibitory regions of the brain, while non-offending pedophiles had no such deficits.<ref>{{cite journal | author1 = Kärgel, C. | author2 = Massau, C. | author3 = Weiß, S. | author4 = Walter, M. | author5= Kruger, T. H. | author6 = Schiffer, B. | year = 2015 | title = Diminished Functional Connectivity on the Road to Child Sexual Abuse in Pedophilia | journal = The Journal of Sexual Medicine | doi = 10.1111/jsm.12819 | pmid = 25615561 | volume=12 | issue = 3 | pages=783–795}}</ref>

According to Abel, Mittleman, and Becker<ref>Abel, G. G., Mittleman, M. S., & Becker, J. V. (1985). "Sex offenders: Results of assessment and recommendations for treatment". In M. H. Ben-Aron, S. J. Hucker, & C. D. Webster (Eds.), ''Clinical criminology: The assessment and treatment of criminal behavior'' (pp. 207–220). Toronto, Canada: M & M Graphics.</ref> (1985) and Ward ''et al.'' (1995), there are generally large distinctions between the characteristics of pedophilic and non-pedophilic molesters. They state that non-pedophilic offenders tend to offend at times of stress; have a later onset of offending; and have fewer, often familial, victims, while pedophilic offenders often start offending at an early age; often have a larger number of victims who are frequently extrafamilial; are more inwardly driven to offend; and have values or beliefs that strongly support an offense lifestyle. One study found that pedophilic molesters had a median of 1.3 victims for those with girl victims and 4.4 for those with boy victims.<ref name="schaefer"/> Child molesters, pedophilic or not, employ a variety of methods to gain sexual access to children. Some groom their victims into compliance with attention and gifts, while others use threats, alcohol or drugs, or physical force.{{r|seto|pp=64,189}}