The Screening Scale for Pedophilic Interests predicts recidivism among adult sex offenders with child victims.

Archives of Sexual Behavior,  October, 2004  by Michael C. Seto

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INTRODUCTION

Researchers and clinicians are interested in pedophilic sexual interests because of their implicit or explicit theories that many sexual offenses against children are motivated by such interests. Phallometric testing for pedophilic sexual interests--which involves the measurement of changes in penile tumescence during presentations of sexual stimuli depicting either children or adults--has discriminative and predictive validity. Studies consistently find that groups of sex offenders with child victims can be distinguished from other men by their relatively greater sexual responses to children (e.g., Chaplin, Rice, & Harris, 1995; Freund & Watson, 1991; Quinsey, Steinman, Bergersen, & Holmes, 1975; Seto, Lalumiere, & ...