This article provides a short literature overview on female child sexual offenders (FCSO) focusing on the discrepancy between prevalence rates from different sources, characteristics of FCSO and their victims, as well as the societal “culture of denial” surrounding these women. FCSO are a powerful social taboo. Even professionals in the healthcare or justice system were shown to respond inappropriately in cases of child sexual abuse committed by women. As a result, offences of FCSO may be underreported and therefore difficult to research. The lack of scientific data on FSCO lowers the quality of child protection and treatment services. We therefore deem it particularly necessary for professionals in health care to break the social taboo that is FCSO and to further stimulate research on the topic of FCSO. We provide some general implications for professionals in health care systems as well as specific recommendations for researchers. We end with an overall conclusion.

Introduction: Current discussions in the field of sex research concern the age at which sexual interest in children occurred or awareness emerged. Aim: To investigate the age of onset (AOO) and its correlates in men with sexual interest in children. Methods: Using 2 samples (study 1, patients from an outpatient treatment center, n = 26; study 2, an online survey using 3 recruitment paths, n = 94), we assessed self-reported AOO of sexual interest in children, its flexibility, its exclusiveness, and individuals’ motivation to change it. We further examined the interrelation between these variables. Main Outcome Measure: AOO as the self-reported age at which participants retrospectively felt sexually attracted to children for the first time. Results: We found broad ranges in AOO (study 1: mean 20.0 ± 10.7; study 2: mean 17.0 ± 8.7), flexibility, and exclusiveness (in studies 1 and 2, 7.7% and 22.3%, respectively, reported that their sexual interest is exclusively in children). The earlier participants felt sexually attracted to children for the first time, the more they were attracted exclusively in children and the less they perceived it to be flexible. Participants who reported rather exclusive sexual interest in children were less likely to perceive it as flexible. The more participants reported on flexibility, the more they were motivated to change it. The earlier participants of study 2 felt sexually attracted to children for the first time, the less they were motivated to change. Clinical Implications: The variety of our results indicates the contradiction of overall rules for individuals with sexual interest in children. Strength & Limitations: We included individuals with sexual interest in children from different contexts (eg, forensic vs non-forensic). Our results are in line with previous findings. However, both studies included rather small samples, limiting generalizability. There is not yet consent about how to operationalize AOO. Conclusion: We recommend a differentiated perspective on individuals with sexual interest in children and on different forms of pedophilia in the diagnostic construct.

In this study, the impact of suggesting that pedophilia is immutable on a man’s specific self-efficacy for modifying his sexual interest in children was examined in 94 men with a sexual interest in children. The participants were selected from differing contexts and included non-forensic patients, forensic patients, and participants from the Internet. Randomly distributed to two conditions, the mutable condition group received the information that experts consider pedophilia to be modifiable, whereas the immutable condition group received the information that experts consider pedophilia to be stable. Afterward, the participants’ levels of specific self-efficacy for modifying their sexual interest in children were assessed. Non-forensic participants in the mutable condition reported higher levels of specific self-efficacy than those in the immutable condition. No differences in specific self-efficacy were revealed for the forensic and Internet participants when comparing the mutable and immutable conditions. It would appear appropriate to avoid generalized and absolute statements about the (im)mutability of sexual interest in children, as scientific research on this topic remains insufficient. Furthermore, given the present results, such statements might have serious consequences for an individual’s belief in being able to change his sexual interest in children.

Introduction: Regarding women, little research is available about the prevalence of sexual interest in children (SIC), especially in nonclinical samples. Aim: The present study aimed to investigate the extent to which adult women from 2 nonclinical and nonrepresentative samples indicate sexual interest in prepubescent and/or pubescent children. Methods: Participants took part in an online survey either via general websites or via websites directed toward individuals with a SIC. Main Outcome Measures: The self-report survey included questions about the use of online abuse material including children and teenagers as well as about sexual fantasies involving prepubescent and pubescent children. Both measures were included as main outcome measures. Results: Results showed that few women reported having used online abuse material including children (total sample: n = 7 [0.8%], general websites: n = 3 [0.4%], SIC websites: n = 4 [9.5%]) or teenagers (total sample: n = 44 [5.0%], general websites: n = 37 [4.4%], SIC websites: n = 7 [16.7%]). Results further revealed that some women reported sexual fantasies involving prepubescent (total sample: n = 98 [7.0%], general websites: n = 92 [6.8%], SIC websites: n = 6 [11.1%]) or pubescent children (total sample: n = 136 [9.6%], general websites: n = 129 [9.5%], SIC websites: n = 7 [13.0%]). Conclusions: The samples included are nonrepresentative and therefore not generalizable to the female population. Nevertheless, they strongly suggest that SIC is a phenomenon also found in women. We therefore recommend professionals in the field of sexual medicine to increase their attention and engagement for women with SIC. Based on the present results, the development of preventive treatment services specifically tailored to women with a SIC has to be strongly encouraged in the near future. Tozdan S, Dekker A, Neutze J, et al. Sexual Interest in Children Among Women in Two Nonclinical and Nonrepresentative Online Samples. Sex Med 2020;8:251–264.

Background: The context in which individuals are exposed to child sexual abuse (CSA) and reactions to the disclosure of such abuse experiences play a major role in post-traumatic mental health. Female-perpetrated CSA is an under-recognized issue in society and mental health care, and is therefore supposed to be a breeding ground for stigmatization. Objective: The aim of the current study was to examine the mediating role of internalized and anticipated stigma on the effects of so-called victim-blaming experiences and the perception of abuse in the childhood of survivors of female-perpetrated CSA on their post-traumatic symptom severity. Method: A total of 212 individuals who reported experiences of female-perpetrated CSA were assessed in an anonymous online survey. The International Trauma Questionnaire (ITQ) served as the primary outcome parameter for detecting differences in post-traumatic symptom severity within mediation analyses, where victim-blaming and abuse awareness served as predictors and anticipated as well as internalized stigma served as mediator variables. Results: Internalized stigma fully mediated the deteriorating effect of victim-blaming on post-traumatic symptom severity, while abuse awareness and anticipated stigma showed no statistically significant effects as predictor and mediator variables. Yet, victim-blaming had a significant increasing effect on anticipated stigma. Conclusions: Efforts to enhance awareness of female-perpetrated CSA in society are needed and mental health care professionals should pay attention to the adverse effects of victim-blaming and internalized stigma on post-traumatic symptoms in individuals affected by female-perpetrated CSA.