Arne Dekker

Video-Based Eye Tracking in Sex Research: A Systematic Literature Review

Although eye tracking has been used for decades, it has gained popularity in the area of sex research only recently. The aim of this article is to examine the potential merits of eye tracking for this field. We present a systematic review of the current use of video-based eye-tracking technology in this area, evaluate the findings, and identify future research opportunities. A total of 34 relevant studies published between 2006 and 2014 were identified for inclusion by means of online databases and other methods. We grouped them into three main areas of research: body perception and attractiveness, forensic research, and sexual orientation. Despite the methodological and theoretical differences across the studies, eye tracking has been shown to be a promising tool for sex research. The article suggests there is much potential for further studies to employ this technique because it is noninvasive and yet still allows for the assessment of both conscious and unconscious perceptional processes. Furthermore, eye tracking can be implemented in investigations of various theoretical backgrounds, ranging from biology to the social sciences.

Pornography Use and Sexual Behavior Among Polish and German University Students

The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between pornography use and sexual behavior in young adults from two culturally different countries. Data were collected in an online survey among German (n = 1,303; G) and Polish (n = 1,135; P) university students aged 18 to 26 years. Pornography use was associated with engaging in a greater variety of sexual activities (e.g., sexual role playing, using sex toys; G > P) rather than with a high number of sex partners or condom use consistency. The differences between the samples were found primarily for females (in anal sex experience and age at the first sexual intercourse; G > P).

Sexual orientation of trans adults is not linked to outcome of transition-related health care, but worth asking.

Abstract Since the beginning of contemporary transition-related care at the outset of the 20th century, sexual orientation has ben considered to be closely connected with gender identity and the developmental trajectories of trans people. Specifically, health professionals have regarded the anticipated post-transitional heterosexual behaviour of trans adults as predictive of a good outcome of cross-sex hormones and gender-confirming surgeries. This article reviews the current literature according to the question of whether the sexual orientation of trans people is linked to outcome measures following transition-related interventions. A comprehensive review was undertaken using the Medline database, searching for empirical studies published between 2010 and 2015. Out of a total of 474 studies, only 10 studies reported a follow-up of trans adults and assessed sexual orientation in the study protocol at all. Sexual orientation was predominantly assessed as homosexual versus non-homosexual related to sex assigned at birth. Only one 1 of 10 follow-up studies found a significant association according to the outcome between groups differentiated by sexual orientation. Empirically there is no link between sexual orientation and outcome of transition-related health care for trans adults. In order to provide comprehensive health care, we recommend asking for sexual behaviours, attractions and identities, as well as for gender experiences and expressions; however, this knowledge should not drive, but simply inform, such comprehensive care.

Which factors influence the appropriateness of testosterone-lowering medications for sex offenders? A survey among clinicians from German forensic-psychiatric institutions

Abstract Objectives. Although testosterone-lowering medications (TLM) are a frequently used addition to psychotherapy in sex offender treatment, discord still seems to exist amongst clinicians as to in which cases administering TLM is justified. The depo-Provera scale (DPS), which was published by Maletzky and Field (Aggress Violent Behav 2003;8:391), assesses the appropriateness of TLM administration in sex offender treatment. Methods. The DPS was sent to all forensic psychiatric institutions in Germany. The clinical directors of these institutions were asked to rate the importance of each item of the DPS on a six-point Likert scale. Results. Twenty-nine clinicians participated. The most important reason selected for the prescription of TLM for sex offender treatment was a “history of sexual offender treatment failure”. The least important item was “deviant sexual interest, by plethysmograph or Abel Screen” (neither plethysmograph nor Abel Screen is used in Germany). Conclusions. Clinicians’ attitudes towards the DPS correspond to the suggestions made in the current WSFBF-guidelines for the pharmacological treatment of sex offenders (36; World J Biol Psychiatry 11:604–655). Use of the DPS could therefore contribute to a more structured approach towards helping clinicians come to a decision about whether or not to treat a sex offender with TLM.

Genital Abnormalities in Early Childhood in Sexual Homicide Perpetrators

INTRODUCTION.: The present study investigates the relevance of genital abnormalities (GA) like cryptorchidism, hypospadias, and phimosis usually diagnosed in early childhood for the development of psychosexual problems and deficits in a sample of N = 163 convicted sexual homicide perpetrators. AIMS.: The first aim was to investigate the prevalence of early childhood GA in a sample of sexual homicide perpetrators. The second was to explore differences in the psychosexual development of participants with GA in early childhood compared with those without GA. It was expected that offenders with GA show specific problems in their psychosexual development compared with offenders without GA. METHODS.: The data for the present study were obtained by reanalyzing an existing database derived from a large-scale research project about sexual homicide. Using a predominantly exploratory design we, therefore, divided the total sample into two subgroups (with vs. without indicators of GA). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES.: Main outcome measures were the number of sexual homicide perpetrators showing GA in early childhood and the differences of subjects with and without GA with regard to their psychosexual development (i.e., according to sexual deviant interests or sexual dysfunctions). RESULTS.: The prevalence of GA is substantially higher in this sample than epidemiological studies indicated in the normal population. This result provided first support for the importance of GA in the population of sexual homicide perpetrators. Further analyses indicate significant differences between both subgroups: Offenders with GA in early childhood showed indicators for more sexual dysfunctions (e.g., erectile dysfunction) in adulthood and a distinct tendency of more masochistic sexual interests. CONCLUSION.: Even if the exploratory design of the present investigation allows no causal conclusions between GA and sexual homicide offenses, the result provided support for the relevance of early childhood sexual diseases in the assessment (and treatment) of offenders who have committed severe sexual violence.

Religiosity, sexual myths, sex taboos, and pornography use: A cross-national comparison of Polish and German university students

The study aimed to compare pornography use of students in two culturally different European countries – Poland and Germany, and to investigate associations with religiosity, sexual myths, and sex taboos. Data were collected in an online survey among German (n = 1303) and Polish (n = 1135) university students aged 18-26 years. Polish students were more religious, showed a greater acceptance of sexual myths, and reported a higher level of sex taboos in their origin families. Polish students were younger at their first contact with pornography, while German students used pornographic materials more often. Results suggested a link between sociocultural background, especially religiosity, and pornography engagement. The relationship between pornography use and religiosity was ambiguous. On the one hand, attending church was negatively associated with age at first contact and pornography use. On the other hand, the association of intrinsic religiosity with pornography use proved to be contradictory: it was correlated with a lower frequency of pornography use for females and with a higher frequency for males. The agreement with common sexual myths was related to a higher frequency of pornography use. There was no association between the level of sex taboos and pornography use.

Why Information Matters: Examining the Consequences of Suggesting That Pedophilia Is Immutable:

In this study, the impact of suggesting that pedophilia is immutable on a man’s specific self-efficacy for modifying his sexual interest in children was examined in 94 men with a sexual interest in children. The participants were selected from differing contexts and included non-forensic patients, forensic patients, and participants from the Internet. Randomly distributed to two conditions, the mutable condition group received the information that experts consider pedophilia to be modifiable, whereas the immutable condition group received the information that experts consider pedophilia to be stable. Afterward, the participants’ levels of specific self-efficacy for modifying their sexual interest in children were assessed. Non-forensic participants in the mutable condition reported higher levels of specific self-efficacy than those in the immutable condition. No differences in specific self-efficacy were revealed for the forensic and Internet participants when comparing the mutable and immutable conditions. It would appear appropriate to avoid generalized and absolute statements about the (im)mutability of sexual interest in children, as scientific research on this topic remains insufficient. Furthermore, given the present results, such statements might have serious consequences for an individual’s belief in being able to change his sexual interest in children.

What Keeps Them Together? Insights into Sex Offender Couples Using Qualitative Content Analyses.

Research on sex offenders’ relationships is scarce. The aim of this qualitative study was to investigate sex offenders’ relationships as well as their female partners’ adjustment strategies by means of interview analysis. Both partners profit from the relationship in terms of mutual support and acceptance. The sexual offense is a taboo subject, and the female partners were found to demonstrate cognitive distortions. The imbalance of power found in the sex offenders’ relationships is discussed, as is the finding that those sexual offenders interviewed live out their need for dominance and sometimes their aggression. The women interviewed were found to cling to their partners as a result of their insecure attachment style. We discuss couples counseling and therapy as possibilities for addressing the imbalance of power and casting light upon the sexual aspect of the relationship.

Klinische und forensische Aspekte hypersexuellen Verhaltens

ZusammenfassungDer vorliegende Beitrag befasst sich mit Ausdrucksformen sexuellen Verhaltens und Erlebens, die durch ihren exzessiven Charakter und Leidensdruck und/oder Fremdgefährdung charakterisiert sind. Zunächst wird die historische Entwicklung des gegenwärtig im klinisch-diagnostischen Bereich überwiegend als Hypersexualität bezeichneten Konstrukts dargestellt – von der fallgeschichtlichen Darstellung bei Krafft-Ebing bis hin zur aktuellen Diskussion um die Aufnahme der hypersexuellen Störung in das Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-5 (DSM-5). Anschließend werden unterschiedliche Diagnoseformen und -ansätze für hypersexuelles Verhalten vorgestellt sowie ein kurzer Überblick über Epidemiologie, ätiologische Modelle und Hypothesen gegeben. Es wird die forensische Relevanz des Konstrukts für die gutachterliche Tätigkeit diskutiert; hierbei steht der mögliche Einfluss hypersexuellen Verhaltens auf die Schuldfähigkeit bzw. die Kriminalprognose im Mittelpunkt.AbstractThe present article deals with hypersexual behavior and experience which is characterized by excessive sexual activity and a high degree of psychological strain and/or endangerment for others. Initially, the historical developments of different conceptualizations of the construct which is currently predominantly denominated hypersexuality are illustrated from the beginning in terms of the famous case studies presented by Krafft-Ebing up to the current discussion about the inclusion of hypersexual disorder in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-5 (DSM-5). Different diagnostical methods and approaches for hypersexual behavior are presented as well as a brief overview about the epidemiology and different etiological models and hypotheses. Finally, the forensic relevance of the construct for expert witness activity is discussed by focusing on the potential impact of hypersexual behavior on criminal responsibility and recidivism risk assessment.

Basis-Curriculum zur Verankerung des Themas „Sexuelle Gewalt in Institutionen“ in universitärer und hochschulischer Lehre

Die Ausarbeitung des Basis-Curriculums kann der Ausbildung an Universitaten und Fachhochschulen zugrunde gelegt werden, da es die verschiedenen Dimensionen in den Blick nimmt, an denen ein professioneller Umgang mit sexualisierter Gewalt orientiert sein muss. Das Ziel des Curriculums besteht damit einhergehend in einer grundstandigen Auseinandersetzung mit der Thematik „Sexueller Gewalt in padagogischen Kontexten“ sowie dem Aufbau einer flachendeckenden Forschungs- und Wissenschaftslandschaft zu den Themen Grenzverletzungen und sexualisierte Gewalt.