Though researchers have sought to determine psychodynamic, neurobiological, environmental, and genetic bases for pedophilia, results are usually weak and correlational rather than causal. Childhood sexual abuse, though a common proposed explanation for pedophilia, doesn’t hold up to scientific scrutiny (Freund & Kuban, 1993; Garland & Dougher, 1990; Hall, 1996; Li, 1990a; Bailey, Bernhard, & Hsu, 2016; Cohen et al., 2002). Twin studies of incidental pedophilic attraction show low levels of coincidence (Alanko, Salo, Mokros, & Santtila, 2013; Santtila et al., 2015). Childhood head traumas have also been suggested (Blanchard et al., 2003), as well as various theories about different functional areas of the brain (Tenbergen et al., 2015; Schiffer et al., 2017; Cantor et al., 2008; Mohnke et al., 2014; Schiffer et al., 2007; Cantor et al., 2016). However, most of these samples were taken from forensic and/or clinical populations and are therefore more likely to deviate from average brain structure or function, as noted by Goudreault (2017). Large-scale studies of neuroanatomical differences between non-offending pedophiles and non-pedophilic men do not yet exist.
What is certain is that minor attraction follows a developmental arc similar to the more common sexual orientations: It is stable, often realized before or during puberty, and encompasses a clear preference in sexual and/or romantic partners for each individual (Seto, 2012). Many MAPs become aware of their attraction before they are fifteen years of age (Seto, 2012; Tozdan & Briken, 2015; Houtepen, Sijtsema, & Bogaerts, 2015; B4U-ACT-Act, 2011).
References
Alanko, K., Salo, B., Mokros, A., & Santtila, P. (2013). Evidence for Heritability of Adult Men’s Sexual Interest in Youth under Age 16 from a Population-Based Extended Twin Design. The Journal of Sexual Medicine, 10(4), 1090-1099.
B4U-ACT. (2011). YOUTH, SUICIDALITY, AND SEEKING CARE. Retrieved from https://www.b4uact.org/research/survey-results/youth-suicidality-and-seeking-care/.
Bailey, J.M., Bernhard, P.A., & Hsu, K.J. (2016). An Internet Study of Men Sexually Attracted to Children: Correlates of Sexual Offending Against Children. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 125(7), 989-1000.
Blanchard, R., Kuban, M.E., Klassen, P., Dickey, R., Christensen, B.K., Cantor, J.M., & Blak, T. (2003). Self-Reported Head Injuries Before and After Age 13 in Pedophilic and Nonpedophilic Men Referred for Clinical Assessment. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 32(6), 573-581.
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Santtila, P., Antfolk, J., Räfså, A., Hartwig, M., Sariola, H., Sandnabba, N.K., & Mokros, A. (2015). Men’s Sexual Interest in Children: One-Year Incidence and Correlates in a Population-Based Sample of Finnish Male Twins. Journal of Child Sexual Abuse, 2, 115-134.
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Schiffer, B., Amelung, T., Pohl, A., Kaergel, C., Tenbergen, G., Gerwinn, H., … Walter, H. (2017). Gray matter anomalies in pedophiles with and without a history of child sexual offending. Translational Psychiatry, 7, 1-8. doi: 10.1038/tp.2017.96.
Seto, M.C. (2012). Is Pedophilia a Sexual Orientation? Archives of Sexual Behavior, 41(1), 231-236.
Tozdan, S. & Briken, P. (2015). The Earlier, the Worse? Age of Onset of Sexual Interest in Children. The Journal of Sexual Medicine, 12(7), 1602-1608.
