Differentiating Men With Sexual Interest in Children and Those Involved in Sexual Behaviour With Children

TL;DR

This study identifies distinct groups of men based on their sexual interest in and behavior toward children, using a representative sample from Australia, the U.S., and the U.K.

Contribution

The study provides a nuanced classification of men with varying levels of sexual interest and behavior toward children using population-level data.

Findings

Most respondents (83.5%) reported neither sexual interest nor behavior involving minors.

Men with both sexual interest and behavior showed distinct risk profiles, including attitudes minimizing child abuse and watching violent pornography.

Attitudes toward child sex abuse consistently differentiated the groups across statistical models.

Abstract

This article examines the factors associated with different groups of men based on their self-reported sexual interest and behaviour towards children. Knowledge in this area usually draws on forensic or clinical samples or relies on self-reporting from cohorts who identify as sexually attracted to children but claim to be non-offending. Clear definitions are therefore needed to interpret findings consistently. In this study, sexual interest in children refers to attraction to individuals aged 15 or younger or interest in abusing a child in hypothetical scenarios. Sexual behaviour involving minors refers to self-reported sexual contact involving individuals under the age of 18. Given the variation in age-of-consent laws within and between jurisdictions and over time, not all behaviours described in this study necessarily constitute criminal offending. Using data from an online survey of 4,918 men representative of the Australian, United States, and United Kingdom adult male population, the current study conducted a series of logistic regression analyses based on Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator variable selection with k-fold cross-validation to identify the covariates independently associated with men reporting (a) no sexual interest or behaviour involving minors, (b) sexual interest without behaviour, (c) sexual behaviour without interest, and (d) sexual interest and behaviour. Most respondents (83.5%) reported neither interest nor behaviour, 5.5% reported sexual interest only, 6.4% reported sexual behaviour without interest, and 4.6% reported interest and behaviour. Attitudes towards child sex abuse consistently distinguished each group of men across multivariable models. Generally, men who reported both sexual interest and behaviour were more distinguishable than any other group, particularly concerning watching violent pornography, anxiety, depression, and attitudes minimising the abusiveness of sexualising children. These findings highlight distinct risk profiles in a representative population sample, which could inform public health prevention strategies and support service responses.

Figures