Lay People´s Myths Regarding Pedophilia and Child Sexual Abuse: A Systematic Review

Flavia Glina; Joana Carvalho; Ricardo Barroso; Daniel Cardoso

doi:10.1016/j.sxmr.2022.06.010

Lay People´s Myths Regarding Pedophilia and Child Sexual Abuse: A Systematic Review

Sex Med Rev. 2022 Oct 1;10(4):596-619. doi: 10.1016/j.sxmr.2022.06.010.

Authors

Flavia Glina¹, Joana Carvalho^{1

2}, Ricardo Barroso³, Daniel Cardoso⁴

Affiliations

¹ Faculty of Psychology and Education Sciences University of Porto, Porto, Portugal.
² CPUP: Center for Psychology of Porto University, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences Porto University, Porto, Portugal.
³ Department of Education and Psychology University of Tras-os-Montes and Alto Douro, Vila Real, Portugal.
⁴ Sociology Department Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester, UK.

PMID: 37051950
DOI: 10.1016/j.sxmr.2022.06.010

Abstract

Introduction: The term "paedophilia erotica" was first coined in 1886 by the psychiatrist Krafft-Ebing and it was considered a "psycho-sexual perversion." It was at the beginning of the twentieth century that the term "pedophilia" was adopted and it started to appear in medical dictionaries. Sexual abuse is legally defined as the engagement in sexual contact with a person below a specified age or who is incapable of giving consent. Both, pedophilia and child sexual abuse (CSA) are worldwide phenomena requiring deep scientific knowledge in order to improve prevention strategies. Individuals' misconceptions of pedophilia and CSA may legitimize sexual violence, which can influence prevention strategies and policies.

Objectives: This review aimed to summarize existing research to help answer the question: "What are laypeople´s myths regarding pedophilia and CSA?"

Methods: This systematic review followed the guidelines of Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses to identify as many relevant articles as possible. A literature search was conducted using PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, and EBSCOhost databases for articles published before January 2022. Sixty-one articles were included in the current review.

Results: Overall, findings revealed a significant number of myths regarding pedophilia and CSA, organized into the following categories: (i) blame diffusion, (ii) denial of abusiveness, (iii) restrictive stereotypes, (iv) victim age and consequences, (v) social stigma, (vi) punitive attitudes, and (vii) treatment.

Conclusion: Findings suggested that laypeople's perceptions should be taken into account when devising prevention policies. Additionally, perceptions should also be a target of prevention since there is evidence of social stigma and prejudice involving individuals with pedophilia. Such phenomena can contribute to social, emotional, and cognitive problems, among said individuals as well as causing these individuals to exhibit a higher risk for abusive behavior and less help-seeking.

Keywords: Child Sexual Abuse; Laypeople; Myths; Pedophilia; Persons With Child Sexual Offense Histories.

Publication types

Systematic Review

MeSH terms

Child
Child Abuse, Sexual* / prevention & control
Child Abuse, Sexual* / psychology
Humans
Paraphilic Disorders*
Pedophilia* / prevention & control
Pedophilia* / psychology
Sexual Behavior
Social Stigma