TY  - JOUR
AB  - Purpose Research into paedophilia mainly uses offender samples; thus, little is understood about non-offending paedophiles. The limited body of research has been conducted in North America or Europe whose health and legal systems differ from those in the UK. Using semi-structured interviews, the purpose of this study is to explore the experience of three non-offending British paedophilic males.Design/methodology/approach The interview discussed their paedophilia, refraining from offending and perspectives on treatment initiatives. Data were analysed using interpretative phenomenological analysis.Findings Three superordinate themes emerged: “paedophilia as more than a sexuality,” “acceptance leads to management” and “barriers to support.” These encapsulated how paedophilia was understood, how accepting one’s sexual attraction is tantamount to well-being and the various obstacles to providing support were discussed.Research limitations/implications Acknowledging the sampling considerations (size and recruitment), the results implicate research into paedophilia. The onset of paedophilia was chronologically associated with typical sexual attraction, and not the result of sexual abuse as some theories suggest. Furthermore, the tenets of attraction to children extending beyond sexual desire were highlighted. Practically, the results influence future research into the area and highlight the dearth in our understanding of diverse behavioural management techniques (i.e. computerised images of children or human-like dolls).Originality/value This paper presents novel insight into the aspects of paedophilia, excluding offensive behaviour and highlights the need for affordable, UK-based services targeted towards people with a paedophilic attraction to manage child sexual abuse preventatively and not reactively.
VL  - 22
IS  - 2
SN  - 2050-8794
DO  - 10.1108/JFP-10-2019-0046
UR  - https://doi.org/10.1108/JFP-10-2019-0046
AU  - Dymond Harriet
AU  - Duff Simon
PY  - 2020
Y1  - 2020/01/01
TI  - Understanding the lived experience of British non-offending paedophiles
T2  - The Journal of Forensic Practice
PB  - Emerald Publishing Limited
SP  - 71
EP  - 81
Y2  - 2024/09/19
ER  -