Pedophilia and sexual offending against children : theory, assessment, and intervention /

Pointing out that, historically, adult-child sex has occurred across many cultures, Seto (Univ. of Toronto) synthesizes the available knowledge from diverse disciplines. He reveals that pedophiles show a persistent sexual interest in prepubescent children whether or not they act out this interest. Seto examines the theory, assessment, and intervention of pedophilia and analyzes the research. Pedophilia, writes Seto, has been evaluated with self-report, interviews, questionnaires, behavior, laboratory tests, polygraphy, and neuroimaging, although the reliability and validity of these methods raise concerns. Inter-rater reliability of the diagnosis of pedophilia is also problematic because of the subjective nature of diagnostic data; in addition, use of self-identified clinical or criminal samples has hampered research. Treatment research includes meta-analysis of outcomes, cognitive and behavioral psychological interventions, medical treatments (e.g., drugs, surgical castration), and social interventions. Seto points out that research does not provide strong support for the efficacy of current psychosocial treatments. He suggests that treatments need to be matched to risk level, and outcome measures need to target reoffending. Some nonbehavioral treatments, including various psychotherapies, seem to have higher rates of recidivism and suggest that behavioral treatment may be contraindicated. This thorough study will be a useful resource. Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through faculty and professionals. S. M. Valente University of California, Los Angeles