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The Utility of the Diagnosis of Pedophilia: A Comparison of Various Classification Procedures

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Abstract

This study examined the utility of the diagnosis of pedophilia in a sample of extra-familial child molesters assessed at a university teaching hospital between 1982 and 1992. Pedophilia was defined in one of four ways: (1) DSM diagnosis made by a psychiatrist; (2) deviant phallometric profile; (3) DSM diagnosis and a deviant phallometric profile; and, (4) high scores based on the Screening Scale for Pedophilic Interest (Seto & Lalumière, 2001). Demographic data, psychological tests, and offence history were obtained and group differences were analyzed along with the ability of certain variables to contribute uniquely to the classification of pedophilia. Results indicated that few significant differences existed on psychological measures between pedophilic and nonpedophilic extra-familial child molesters regardless of the classification system employed. Finally, results indicated that the procedures used to define pedophilia were not significantly related to one another. Results are discussed in terms of the utility of the diagnosis of pedophilia.

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Acknowledgements

This research was funded, in part, by a grant from the Royal Ottawa Hospital Research Fund. We would like to thank the Editor and three anonymous reviewers for their very helpful comments on an earlier draft.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Psychology, University of Ottawa, 120 University Private, Ottawa, Ontario, K1N 6N5, Canada

    Drew A. Kingston, Philip Firestone & Heather M. Moulden

  2. Department of Psychiatry, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

    John M. Bradford

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  1. Drew A. Kingston
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  2. Philip Firestone
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  3. Heather M. Moulden
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  4. John M. Bradford
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Correspondence to Philip Firestone.

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Kingston, D.A., Firestone, P., Moulden, H.M. et al. The Utility of the Diagnosis of Pedophilia: A Comparison of Various Classification Procedures. Arch Sex Behav 36, 423–436 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-006-9091-x

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