Pedophile, Child Lover, or Minor-Attracted Person? Attitudes Toward Labels Among People Who are Sexually Attracted to Children

Sara Jahnke*, Nicholas Blagden, Laura Hill

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleScientificpeer-review

Abstract

The primary label for people who are sexually attracted to children (“pedophile”) is conflated with sexual offending behavior and tainted with stigma. In the present pre-registered mixed-method study, we therefore investigated attitudes and preferences regarding "pedophile/hebephile" and other labels among 286 people who report a stronger or equally strong sexual attraction to prepubescent and pubescent children than to adults. Overall, quantitative data showed acceptance of “pedophile/hebephile” as well as a range of alternative labels in a personal (Labeling Oneself) and a professional context (Being Labeled by Others). “Minor-attracted person” and “pedophile/hebephile” received generally higher support than other terms and appeared to be least divisive across three major online fora. Qualitative data revealed four themes: “Contested self-labels,” “Person-first language and pathologizing sexuality/identity,” “Stigma and shame,” and “Reclaiming the pedophile label.” Our results allow deeper insight into reasons for adopting certain labels over others, as well as difficulties of finding a non-stigmatizing label. We discuss limitations of the study and practical implications for clinical and research contexts.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)4125-4139
Number of pages15
JournalArchives of Sexual Behavior
Volume51
Issue number8
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Sept 2022
MoE publication typeA1 Journal article-refereed

Keywords

  • DSM-5
  • Hebephilia
  • Identity
  • Labeling
  • Mixed-method
  • Pedophilia

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