What is new?

2024

Schuster, Filip: A New meta-Analysis

Associations of the ten original Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) with mental health impairments after controlling for the other ACEs (meta-analysis), 2024.
The ten original ACEs (including emotional, physical, and "sexual abuse") are associated with mental impairment among the people affected in countless studies. The corresponding bivariate associations are to a considerable extent confounding bias. The extent of the causal relationships is unresolved. [... ... ...]
[...] because of the many uncontrolled confounding variables (including genes and other ACEs), the associations identified by the metaanalysis are not precise causal effect sizes.

2021

Goode, Sarah D. Finding Children Sexually Attractive

This booklet is for anyone who finds that they are sexually attracted to children. In it, people talk in their own words about their own experiences and provide advice on how to handle this situation.
I hope you will find this booklet encouraging, helpful and inspiring! [...]
This booklet will provide you with a route-map for handling this situation, with examples of people who have been dealing competently with their sexual feelings for many years.
This booklet is based on research.

2018

Translated: from the JON & West self-help encounter groups in the Netherlands:

Report 2016 A
De structure of the groups, members and meetings, the themes, the metyhodology.

Report 2016 B
Groups, members and meetings, other themes, bridges to build.

Report 2017
'Imagine your are only fifteen ... You are already 22 years ... How do the groups work? Members and meetings. Who does not (or no more) participate within the groups: "Scary" and "heavy". Secondary problems.

Parts from: Levenson, Jill S., & Grady Melissa D. Preventing Sexual Abuse: Perspectives of Minor- Attracted Persons About Seeking Help	2018
The primary aim of this exploratory research was to gain information from minor-attracted persons (MAPs) about their (a) formal and informal experiences with help-seeking for minor attraction, (b) perceived barriers to seeking help for concerns about minor attraction, and (c) treatment priorities as identified by consumers of these services. A non-random, purposive sample of MAPs (n = 293, 154 completed all questions) was recruited via an online survey. Results show that 75% of participants did seek formal help from a professional; however, just less than half of them found the experience to be helpful. [...] Many respondents indicated that concerns about the limits of confidentiality in a therapeutic setting were primary barriers to help seeking. [...] We believe that research can shed light on the inner experience of MAPs, and that this understanding can inform the development of competent, ethical, compassionate services. People do not choose their attractions, though they can choose whether to act on them. We hope that by engaging in this conversation, we can contribute to effective counseling that is grounded in science for individuals with minor attraction.
Berlin, Fred S.; Pedophilia and DSM-5: The Importance of Clearly Defining the Nature of a Pedophilic Disorder	J Am Acad Psychiatry Law 42:404 –7, 2014 - EDITORIAL
... DSM-5 states that an indicator of a Pedophilic Disorder would be that an individual has “acted on” his sexual urges (Ref. 1, p 697). “Acted on” could mean that he has actually molested a child. On the other hand, it could also mean that he has masturbated to pedophilic fantasies or that he has viewed child pornography. The current criteria for diagnosing a Pedophilic Disorder place some persons who have never molested a child into the same diagnostic category as those who have done so. ... As a consequence, the distinction between being sexually attracted to children in some fashion (e.g., experiencing urges to view child pornography) and experiencing urges to act on that attraction with a child can easily be lost. ... In the face of significant criticism of its inclusion in the DSM-5, the American Psychiatric Association (APA) has stated its intention to remove the term Pedophilic Sexual Orientation from the diagnostic manual. ... Removing that term in response to public criticism would be a mistake. Experiencing ongoing sexual attractions to prepubescent children is, in essence, a form of sexual orientation, and acknowledging that reality can help to distinguish the mental makeup that is inherent to Pedophilia, from acts of child sexual abuse. ... Viewing child pornography should not be considered a useful diagnostic indicator of a Pedophilic Disorder.

2017

Gieles, F.E. J.; Forget the fout percent - Remeber the one percent

Ipce & JON
august 2017

Now and then, I have said that the research of Rind c.s. should prove that a sexual experience during childhood in only four percent should result in lasting harm, and only for girls and only for cases of incest and force. This is not correct. I discovered this in a shock after someone said that this was only one percent. In my text to correct this into 4%, I wanted to place a link to this cipher in Rind’s meta-analysis. This 4% cannot be found there! ... The 1% can be found in Rind’s meta=analysis, but this cipher has another meaning. ... Explanation ... Snakes in the grass ... Contemplation ...

Quotes from
Cash, Brian Martin; Self-identifications, sexual development and well-being in minor-attracted people: an exploratory study - A Thesis - August 2016

Faculty of the Graduate School of Cornell University

Most research on sexual attraction to minor children and adolescents has viewed this phenomenon as a pathology, and has used clinical and forensic study populations. This study seeks to conceptualize minor attraction as a sexual orientation, and uses a sample of minor- attracted people recruited from the internet (N = 160). Participants’ sexual identities, sexual attractions, disclosures, and well-being are investigated.
Results indicate that minor-attracted people have varied experiences, but common themes that emerged in these areas are discussed. Regarding well-being, minor-attracted people in general had higher loneliness and lower self- esteem than the general public. But positive disclosure experiences and having some level of attraction towards adults were related to lower loneliness, and more accepting attitudes towards sex between adults and children were found to be related to higher self-esteem. In general, findings supported the conceptualization of minor attraction as a sexual orientation.

2016

The narrative that may be told ... ... in the self-helpgroups JON* en JORis** West	JORis / JON 2016
Since 1981 have I been the chair of self-help groups for people with pedophilic feelings. By doing so, 35 years long, I have developed a methodology, which I now try to put into words.
Quotes from Padding, R.; Pedophilia and Conflict - Research on the conflicted relation between the presence of pedophiles and Dutch society.	Radboud University Nijmegen - 2015 PDF File
This research is centered on pedophiles and their place in Dutch society and based on the question: To what extent is there a conflict due to the presence of pedophiles in Dutch society? Data was gathered and analyzed through a qualitative content analysis of newspaper articles and semi-structured interviews with pedophiles. In this research pedophiles are defined as people with a sexual age orientation directed towards children younger than sixteen years old. A sexual orientation does not only revolve around sexual feelings, but romantic feelings as well. Two main results were found. First, newspapers present a generalized image of pedophiles as people who have engaged or are likely to engage in a form of pedosexuality. This overgeneralization leads to the formation of a stigmatized stereotype, that of a criminal sexual child abuser. Second, the respondents experience that stigma in their daily life, since they do not feel accepted by society. Instead they experience structural conflict to some extent in the form of unequal life chances. The fact that they are unable to speak out about their sexual identity can lead to difficulties in the social life, in asking for protection and professional help, and in living without fear of discovery. The latter is a form of latent violence. From the Results: "The organization that is valued the most amongst the respondents, is the self-help group JON, part of the NVSH." From the Discussion: "It would be a great asset to find out possibilities to strengthen and protect associations such as the NVSH and its self-help group.
Gieles, Frans .E. J., PhD, The Netherlands, has written A Short Comment on "Houtepen, Jenny A.B.M.; Sijtsema, Jelle J. and Bogaerts, Stefan; Being Sexually Attracted to Minors: Sexual Development, Coping With Forbidden Feelings, and Relieving Sexual Arousal in Self-Identified Pedophiles: "Sympathetic research in the wrong frame - A Short Comment; 2016"	JON
A renewing view on people with pedophile feelings who massively are willing and able to control themselves … is seen through the spectacles or within the frame of the more familiar ‘good old’ offender-model, just the people that could not control themselves.
Quotes from: Houtepen, Jenny A.B.M.; Sijtsema, Jelle J. and Bogaerts, Stefan; Being Sexually Attracted to Minors: Sexual Development, Coping With Forbidden Feelings, and Relieving Sexual Arousal in Self-Identified Pedophiles Frans E. J. Gieles, PhD, The Netherlands, has written A Short Comment on this article: "Sympathetic research in the wrong frame - A Short Comment; 2016"	- Department of Developmental Psychology, Tilburg University, Tilburg, The Netherlands - Journal of Sex & Marital Therapy; 22 June 2015 - Comment: JON - PDF File
This article aims to provide more insight into pedophilic attraction and risk and protective factors for offending in non-clinical pedophiles. Fifteen participants were interviewed about sexuality, coping, and sexual self-regulation. Many participants struggled with acknowledging pedophilic interest in early puberty and experienced psychological difficulties as a result. Furthermore, many committed sex offenses during adolescence when they were still discovering their feelings. Early recognition of risk factors and early start of interventions seem vital in preventing offending. Moreover, results suggest that risk for offending can be diminished by creating more openness about pedophilia and by providing pedophiles with social support and control.

2014

On the new page 'Read More' > 'Ethics':

Gieles, F E J The tail end of a long dachshund A long-standing ethics discussion February 2012	Website
In May 2011, the Martijn Association decided to set up an Ethics Commission. Ethics is concerned with the question of what is good and what is bad; with values, norms and guidelines. [...] In this article, I aim to place these guidelines in a broader context, namely that of the debate which has taken place in the Netherlands – and far beyond its borders – since the 1990s. The commission does not come up with any revolutionary, new advice, but follows up on a long-standing discussion, like the tail end of a long dachshund. It shows that, as long as people with paedophilic feelings are allowed to enter into serious discussion, far from ending up in ‘raunchy suggestions’ the end result is an actual ethical code – and a fairly strict one at that.
You would never want to harm a child, would you? Association Martijn, Ethical Commission, The Netherlands, March 2012	Website
The Martijn Association advises all its members to observe the law and to act in accordance with the following guidelines. Exercise integrity in all situations involving children while respecting: Consent: the consent of both in every contact. Freedom: freedom for the child to end the contact if desired. Harmony: acting in accordance with the child’s development. Openness: openness towards the parents, especially in the case of young children.

September 2013

Stanley, Jessica L., Bartholomew Kim, & Oram Doug,
Gay and Bisexual Men's Age-Discrepant Childhood Sexual Experiences

The Journal of Sex Research 41-4

This study examined childhood sexual abuse (CSA) in gay and bisexual men. We compared

the conventional definition of CSA based on age difference with
a modified definition of CSA based on perception [CSA-P or CSE - Child Sexual Experience] to evaluate which definition best accounted for problems in adjustment.

In conclusion, the standard convention of defining age-based childhood sexual abuse as uniformly negative, harmful, and coercive may not accurately represent gay and bisexual men's sexual experiences.
Combining perception-based CSA experience with noncoercive, nonnegative, nonabusive experiences, as the age-based definition does, presents a misleading picture of childhood sexual abuse.
An age-based CSA definition inflates prevalence rates of childhood sexual abuse and inaccurately suggests that the maladjustment associated with perception-based CSA [CSA-P or CSE] experiences applies to all childhood age-discrepant sexual encounters.

July 2013

Nicolaï, N.J., The Consequences of Sexual Abuse of Minors - On behalf of the Commission for Examination of Sexual Abuse of Minors in the Roman-Catholic Church [* in the Netherlands]

In: Rapport Commissie Deetman, Balans, 2011, Part 2. Summary and conclusions in English by Frans E J Gieles, PhD.

In this essay, sexual abuse is, conform the scientific and juridical mores, defined as "... sexual-genital manipulation of a child below the age of sixteen, by an adult of whom the child is dependent or with whom he or she has a relationship of confidence, with the aim of satisfaction of the sexual need of the first. [...] There is an age difference, and/or a difference in power, by which the child is not able to refuse the sexual contact, which is not consensual."
Research of the later consequences of sexual abuse is done in three phases or generations of research.
The most recent research explores what has appeared to be the most central factor: disturbance of the stress regulation.
There is consensus about harm for the physical and emotional health, especially the attachment and sexuality, even if the consequences are invisible at first sight. They are just like a time bomb, that explodes as soon as, in adulthood, the impact of the events becomes significant.