Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Identifying sexual preferences in intrafamilial and extrafamilial child sexual abusers

  • Published:
Annals of sex research

Abstract

Twenty-seven erotic and sexually neutral movie clips were shown to 191 men, consisting of 62 heterosexual intrafamilial child sexual abusers, 57 heterosexual and 25 homosexual extrafamilial child sexual abusers and 47 community controls. The stimuli depicted males and females from ages 6 to 25 years. Maximum penile volume changes were recorded during the 30 second stimulus presentations. Analyses showed that the phallometric test had high internal consistency (alpha=0.93) and revealed the expected erotic preference profiles for controls and extrafamilial offender groups. The homosexual group reacted most to 13–15 year old boys which made them more easily discriminated from the other groups. The intrafamilial offenders, however, overlapped considerably with controls and only 10% showed a pattern of penile responses expected for the ‘classical pedophile’, i.e., largest responses to female children. The pattern of results supported the accumulating evidence that child sexual abusers are heterogeneous in terms of their sexual preference profiles.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Abel, G.G., Barlow, D.H., Blanchard, E.B., & Guild, D. (1977). The components of rapists' sexual arousal.Archives of General Psychiatry, 34, 895–903.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Abel, G.G., Becker, J.V., Murphy, W.D., & Flanagan, B. (1981). Identifying dangerous child molesters. In R.B. Stuart (Ed.).Violent behavior: social learning approaches to prediction, management, and treatment. New York: Bruner/Mazel.

    Google Scholar 

  • Avery-Clark, C., & Laws, R. (1984). Differential erection response patterns of sexual child abusers to stimuli describing activities with children.Behavior Therapy, 15, 71–83.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bancroft, J., Jones, H., & Pullian, B. (1966). A simple transducer for measuring penile erection, with comments on its use in the treatment of sexual disorders.Behaviour Research & Therapy, 4, 239–241.

    Google Scholar 

  • Barlow, D.H., Becker, R., Leitenberg, H., & Agras, W.S. (1970). A mechanical strain gauge for recording penile circumference change.Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis, 3, 73–76.

    Google Scholar 

  • Freund, K. (1961). A laboratory differential diagnosis of homo- and heterosexuality — an experiment with faking.Review of Czechoslovak Medicine, 7, 20–31.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Freund, K. (1965). Diagnosing heterosexual pedophilia by means of a test for sexual interest.Behaviour Research & Therapy, 3, 223–234.

    Google Scholar 

  • Freund, K. (1967a). Diagnosing homo- or heterosexuality and erotic age-preference by means of a psychophysiological test.Behaviour Research & Therapy, 5, 209–228.

    Google Scholar 

  • Freund, K. (1967b). Erotic preference in pedophilia.Behaviour Research & Therapy, 5, 339–348.

    Google Scholar 

  • Freund, K. (1976). Diagnosis and treatment of forensically significant anomalous erotic preferences.Canadian Journal of Criminology and Corrections, 18, 181–189.

    Google Scholar 

  • Freund, K. (1981). Assessment of pedophilia. In M. Cook & K. Howells (Eds.),Adult sexual interest in children. London: Academic Press, pp 139–179.

    Google Scholar 

  • Freund, K., & Blanchard, R. (1989). Phallometric diagnosis of pedophilia.Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 57, 100–105.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Freund, K., Chan, S., & Coulthard, R. (1979). Phallometric diagnosis with "nonadmittors".Behaviour Research & Therapy, 17, 451–457.

    Google Scholar 

  • Freund K., Heasman, G., Racansky, I.G., & Glancy, G. (1984). Pedophilia heterosexuality vs. homosexuality.Journal of Sex and Marital Therapy, 10, 193–200.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Freund, K., & Langevin, R. (1976). Bisexuality in homosexual pedophilia.Archives of Sexual Behavior, 5, 415–423.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Freund, K., Langevin, R., & Barlow, D. (1974). Comparison of two penile measures of erotic arousal.Behaviour Research & therapy, 12, 355–359.

    Google Scholar 

  • Freund, K., Langevin, R., & Zajac, Y. (1974). A note on the erotic value of moving and stationary human forms.Behaviour Research, & Therapy, 12, 117–119.

    Google Scholar 

  • Freund, K., McKnight, C.K., Langevin, R., & Cibiri, S. (1972). The female child as a surrogate object.Archives of Sexual Behavior, 2, 119–133.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Freund, K., Scher, H., Chan, S., & Ben-Aron, M. (1982). Experimental analysis of pedophilia.Behaviour Research and Therapy, 20, 105–112.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Freund, K., Sedlacek F., & Knob, K. (1965). A simple transducer for mechanical plethysmography of the male genital.Journal of Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 8, 169–170.

    Google Scholar 

  • Freund, K., Watson, R., & Rienzo, D. (1988). The value of self report in voyeurism and exhibitionism.Annals of Sex Research, 1, 243–262. (a).

    Google Scholar 

  • Freund, K., Watson, R., & Rienzo, D. (1988). Heterosexuality, homosexuality, and erotic age preference.Journal of Sex Research, 26, 107–117. (b).

    Google Scholar 

  • Gebhard, P.H., Gagnon, J.H., Pomeroy, W.B., & Christenson, C.B. (1965).Sex Offenders: An Analysis of Types. New York: Harper & Row.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lang, R.A., Black, E.L., Frenzel, R.R., & Checkley, K.L. (1988). Aggression and erotic attraction toward children in incestuous and pedophilic Men.Annals of Sex Research, 3, 417–443. (a).

    Google Scholar 

  • Lang, R.A., Rouget, A., & van Santen, V. (1988). The role of victim age and sexual maturity in child sexual abuse.Annals of Sex Research, 1, 467–484. (b).

    Google Scholar 

  • Langevin, R. (1983).Sexual strands: understanding and treating sexual anomalies in men. Hillsdale, N.J.: L. Erlbaum Associates.

    Google Scholar 

  • Langevin, R. (1988).Sexual preference testing: a brief guide. Toronto: Juniper Press. (a).

    Google Scholar 

  • Langevin, R. (1988). Defensiveness in sex offenders. In R. Rogers (ed.)Clinical assessment of malingering and deception. New York: Guilford Press. (b).

    Google Scholar 

  • Langevin, R., Day, D., Handy, L., & Russon, A. (1985). Are incestuous fathers pedophilic, aggressive, and alcoholic? In R. Langevin (ed.).Erotic preference, gender identity, and aggression in men: new research studies. Hillsdale, NJ: L. Erlbaum Associates.

    Google Scholar 

  • Langevin, R., Handy, L., Paitich, D., & Russon, A. (1985). A new version of the Clarke Sex History Questionniare for Males. In R. Langevin (ed.).Erotic preference, gender identity, and aggression in men: new research studies. Hillsdale, NJ: L. Erlbaum Associates.

    Google Scholar 

  • Langevin, R., & Lang, R.A. (1988).Incest offenders: a practicval guide to assessment and treatment. Toronto: Juniper Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Marshall, W.L., Barbaree, H.E., & Christopher, D. (1986). Sexual offenders against female children: sexual preferences for age of victims and type of behaviour.Canadian Journal of Behavioural Science, 18, 424–439.

    Google Scholar 

  • Marshall, W.L., Barbaree, H.E., & Butt, J. (1988). Sexual offenders against male children: sexual preferences.Behaviour Research & Therapy, 26, 383–391.

    Google Scholar 

  • McConaghy, N. (1974). Measurement of change in penile dimensions.Archives of Sexual Behavior, 3, 381–388.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • McConaghy, N. (1989). Validity and ethics of penile circumference measures of sexual arousal: a critical review.Archives of Sexual Behavior, 18, 357–369.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Murphy, W.D., Haynes, M.R., Stalgaitis, S.J., & Flanagan, B. (1986). Differential sexual responding among four groups of sexual offenders against children.Journal of Psychopathology and Behavioral Assessment, 8, 339–353.

    Google Scholar 

  • Quinsey, V.L., Chaplin, T.C., & Carrigan, W.F. (1979). Sexual preferences among incestuous and nonincestuous child molesters.Behavior Therapy, 10, 562–565.

    Google Scholar 

  • Quinsey, V.L., Steinman, C.M. Bergersen, S.G., Holmes, T.F. (1975). Penile circumference skin conductance, and ranking responses of child molesters and "normals" to sexual and nonsexual visual stimuli.Behavior Therapy, 6, 213–219.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Alberta Hospital Edmonton and Institute of Psychology and Law, Edmonton, Alberta

    Roy R. Frenzel BA & Reuben A. Lang PhD

Authors
  1. Roy R. Frenzel BA
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Reuben A. Lang PhD
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Frenzel, R.R., Lang, R.A. Identifying sexual preferences in intrafamilial and extrafamilial child sexual abusers. Annals of Sex Research 2, 255–275 (1989). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00849718

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00849718

Keywords

Search

Navigation