Non-offending pedophiles are an under-researched, hard-to-reach population. This group of individuals are often hesitant to come forward and fail to seek help ongoing stigma experienced in society. In order to better understand non-offending pedophiles experiences of their identity and the stigma they face, semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted with 10 non-offending pedophiles, who were recruited through online support groups for individuals who have sexual attractions towards children. Participants were interviewed over skype and the data was analyzed using interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) following Smith et al (2012) approach and a number of themes were generated from the rich data set produced. Four main themes emerged, providing insight into how non-offending pedophiles experience stigma. The themes included ‘stigma in relation to themselves’, ‘others’, ‘the media portrayal’ and ‘impact of stigma of MAP’s seeking treatment’. Findings are discussed in relation to existing literature and practical recommendations are proposed, which will hopefully allow this population to feel more comfortable sharing their sexual interests, resulting in them not offending and ultimately the prevention of sexual abuse. This study fills the void in terms of lack of research with this population, especially when it comes to qualitative in depth studies, including not just male minor attracted persons, but female minor attracted persons as well.

Authors:
Rebecca Heron, University of Houston-Victoria, United States

About the Presenter(s)
Dr Rebecca Heron is a University Assistant Professor/Lecturer at University of Houston-Victoria in United States

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