part0014

Riegel (2004) surveyed self-identified pedophilic men, all of whom were attracted to boys, about their child pornography use. The men gave the highest ratings for depictions of boys showing erections or engaging in masturbation, suggesting an erect penis was an important cue for them. Similarly high ratings were given to depictions of nude boys, whereas ratings were lower if adults were present or if nonconsent was indicated, suggesting that both adult cues and nonconsent cues had negative effects on sexual interest.

Lang et al. (1988) found that child victims of sexual offenses tended to be lighter and smaller than age-matched children, suggesting body shape and size are important, as Kurt Freund (1965), a pioneer in the study of pedophilia, had speculated. Other physical features that are attractive to offenders include soft and smooth skin, a slim body, lack of body hair, and immature genitals (Conte, Wolf, & Smith, 1989; W. L. Marshall, Barbaree, & Butt, 1988).

Male persons with pedophilia or hebephilia are expected to differ from other men in their response to waist-to-hip ratios, 1 in particular in the development of waist-to-hip ratio preferences. D. Singh (1993) reviewed the ways that waist-to-hip ratio signals fertility and health; typical heterosexual men respond to neotenous faces but sexually mature bodies with waist-to-hip ratios close to .67, firm and full breasts, and rounded buttocks. Pedophilia may represent a malfunction of this sexual preference system, in which the module for neotenous faces is intact but the module for body shape and size is not (Marcus & Cunningham, 2003; Quinsey & Lalumière, 1995). In line with this idea, Connolly, Slaughter, and Mealey (2004) examined waist-to-hip ratio preferences in a sample of 511 children and adolescents who ranged in age from 6 to 17. They found a gradual change in preferred waist-to-hip ratios over age; the 285 males showed an increasing preference for smaller waist-to-hip ratio when viewing female figures, with an adultlike preference by the time the boys were 15. A testable hypothesis about the etiology of pedophilia and hebephilia is that men who have these particular chronophilias do not show the expected developmental progression in preferred waist-to-hip ratio that teleiophilic men do.

The prevalence of pedophilia in the general male population is still unclear. Surveys with the necessary questions regarding persistence, recurrence, and intensity of sexual thoughts, fantasies, urges, arousal, or behavior involving prepubescent children have not been conducted. In the meantime, representative and nonrepresentative surveys have been conducted with some relevant questions, such as questions about being sexually interested in prepubescent children, having sexual fantasies about children, viewing child pornography, or ever having had sexual contact with a prepubescent child. In the first edition, I suggested from my review of relevant literature that the maximum upper limit for the prevalence of pedophilia among males was 5%. For example, finding that 5% of men have ever fantasized about having sex with a prepubescent child would indicate the prevalence of pedophilia must be lower than 5% because only those who have had recurring sexual fantasies about prepubescent children would have pedophilia. I revised the upper limit to 3% prevalence in my 2013 book, incorporating newer studies, and more recently I suggested a best guesstimate of 1% (Seto, 2017b; see also Stephenson, 2014).

The relevant studies reporting upper limit prevalence rates of sexual fantasies involving children or sexual behavior involving children (masturbation, viewing child pornography, sexual contact) are summarized in Table 1.3 . Surveys are more common in recent years because they can be administered online and can offer anonymity, a major concern for admitting to a stigmatized sexual interest or admitting to illegal behavior such as child pornography or child sexual contact offending.