Citation

Kettleborough DG, Merdian HL. J. Sex. Aggress. 2017; 23(1): 19-32.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2017, Informa - Taylor and Francis Group)

DOI

10.1080/13552600.2016.1231852

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

The endorsement of permission-giving thoughts, or so-called cognitive distortions, has been discussed as a contributing factor in sexually abusive behaviour. The current study set out to explore the thinking patterns of offenders who have used/downloaded child sexual exploitation material (CSEM), based on a survey of professionals. A thematic analysis elicited four overarching themes, namely the Perceived Nature of Children (perception of children portrayed in CSEM, as well as children in general), Non-sexual Engagement with CSEM (motivating factors that are not inherently sexual in nature), Denial of Harm (perception of the level of harm caused by CSEM), and Expression of a General Sexual Preference (general interest in deviant sexual behaviour). These themes aid to explore the differences and similarities between contact and non-contact offenders and to improve the understanding of the role of permission-giving thoughts in this typology of offending.

RESULTS are discussed in terms of their theoretical significance and future implications.

Language: en