ABSTRACT
This chapter briefly reviews the scientific literature on the variety of sexual interests found among people who have committed sexual offences against children, followed by an analysis of the organizational patterns of these interests as well as their links to sexual offending behaviours. It discusses the implications for assessment, treatment, and research. Paraphilic sexual interests are included in all contemporary multifactorial theories of sexual offending and in a number of single factor theories. A diversity of deviant sexual interests other than paedophilia are often observed among men who sexually offend. Participants completed the Sexual Interest Cardsort Questionnaire, a 75-item self-report questionnaire designed to measure normophilic and paraphilic sexual interests. Exploratory factor analysis was performed on Sexual Interest Cardsort Questionnaire scales to identify clusters of sexual interests. The chapter investigates how typical and atypical sexual interests cluster and examines the links such clusters have with sexual offending behaviours against children.
