Rare, but potentially risky, high individual increase of self-reported sexual arousal in men, who have committed sexual offenses against children, while being confronted with experimental sexual stimuli — a retrospective data analysis

This data analysis was initiated to further understand the infrequent yet intense instances of sexual arousal and signs of decompensation that emerge after exposing men who have committed sexual offenses against children to experimental sexual stimuli.

We analyzed retrospectively and exploratory data of a self-developed sexual arousal questionnaire (“Current-State-of-Emotions-Questionnaire”, CSEQ) with the following objectives: (i) examine subjective sexual arousal changes elicited during confrontation with experimental sexual stimuli, (ii) analyze these sexual arousal changes at an individual level to detect large responses, and (iii) ask for associations between large responses in sexual arousal and individual characteristics of participants, e.g., demographic, clinical, and criminological parameters.

The sample consisted of 241 adult, male Germans, comprising four groups: Ten individuals who have committed sexual offenses against children and have been placed in forensic psychiatric facilities (ISOCFP), 31 non-hospitalized individuals with sexual interest in children (ISIC), eight individuals who have committed other offenses and have been placed in forensic psychiatric facilities (IOFP), and 192 individuals without sexual interest in children and offense histories (IWO).

We found a significant increase in subjective sexual arousal after confrontation with sexual stimuli (three experiments: initial orientation : Z  = −4.819 , p  < .001, sexual distractor task: Z  = −2.954 , p  = .003, stimulus rating: Z  = −6.899 , p  < .001).

Up to 14.3% of participants indicated high sexual arousal values before, but mainly after the experiments, with 20.0% of ISOCFP, 12.9% of ISIC, 12.5% of IOFP, and 14.6% of IWO.

ISOCFP and ISIC with high sexual arousal were more likely to be diagnosed with paraphilia (pedophilia) and/or affective disorders, and to receive anti-depressive treatment.

We assume a higher emotional lability or/and reduced emotion regulation abilities in those individuals.

A careful weighing up of anticipated scientific knowledge gain and a potentially, though rare, increased risk of recidivism or decompensation seems indispensable.