Viewing Time Behavior in a Diverse Sample of 320 Pedohebephilic and Teleiophilic Men Who Have Committed Child Sexual Offense and Who Have Not

With this study, we explored the complex interplay between sexual preference, behavior, and viewing time (VT) as an assessment tool for pedohebephilic interest by using a 2 × 2 factorial design. The design included two factors: sexual preference (pedohebephilic vs. teleiophilic) and history of child sexual abuse (with vs. without a prior child sexual offense [CSO]). A total of 320 men participated, including individuals with a sexual preference for children (n = 151) and those with a preference for adults (n = 169), encompassing those who had committed a CSO (n = 102) and those who had not (n = 218). By crossing these factors, the study investigated how preference and offense history interact to influence VT. Both ipsatized and raw VT data were analyzed. The clinical diagnosis of pedohebephilia and a prior CSO showed a significant association with the VT index. The study also revealed methodological insights, with raw VT data showing a primary effect of pedohebephilia and of CSO not visible in the ipsatized data. In a subsample of men with pedohebephilia, those who had not committed CSOs had longer absolute and relative VTs. In a subsample of men with teleiophilia, those who had committed CSO showed lower absolute and relative VTs for adults compared to healthy controls. They also showed higher relative VTs for Tanner stages 2-3. This study deepened our understanding of the complex interplay between sexual preference, behavior, and assessment methodologies, suggesting pathways for developing targeted interventions and preventive strategies for CSOs.