Distinguishing pedophilia-themed obsessive-compulsive disorder and minor attraction.
| dc.contributor.author | Currie, Tayla | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2023-06-12T01:23:41Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2023-06-12T01:23:41Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2023 | en |
| dc.description.abstract | The term ‘pedophilia-themed obsessive-compulsive disorder’ (P-OCD) describes a subtype of OCD whereby individuals experience intrusive obsessions that cause extreme distress about being sexually attracted to, or sexually violating, children (Bruce et al., 2018). Previous research highlights that P-OCD is often misinterpreted as minor attraction (Glazier et al., 2013; Glazier et al., 2015). The current information available to aid in distinguishing between P-OCD and minor attraction is limited. Therefore, as a first step, we conducted a focus group with six registered psychologists to identify themes of content to distinguish between P-OCD and minor attraction. Thematic analysis revealed five main themes (and three subthemes) including physiological arousal, the nature and type of thoughts (problematic and/or inaccurate thinking), unpleasant feelings (ego-dystonic and ego-syntonic), behavioural responses (avoidance), and personal history. These themes were utilised to inform the development of a tool intended to aid in distinguishing P-OCD and minor attraction. Subsequently, an online, vignette-based survey was completed by 85 healthcare professionals. Participants were assigned a Condition (A; access to the tool, or B; no access to the tool), prompted to read two (one P-OCD and one minor attraction) vignettes, and asked to identify the most likely conceptualisation of the target’s problem in each and indicate the level of difficulty they experienced in arriving at their decisions. Although hypotheses were not supported by initial planned analyses, subsequent post-hoc analyses revealed that those who had access to the tool were more than twice as likely to form accurate impressions for both vignettes than those without the tool. While preliminary empirical support was found for the tool’s efficacy in enhancing the accuracy of healthcare professionals’ ability to identify P-OCD and minor attraction, further work to refine the tool would be beneficial. Achieving this could aid in the differentiation of P-OCD and minor attraction, and lead to more individuals being directed towards suitable treatment strategies more efficiently. | en |
| dc.identifier.uri | https://hdl.handle.net/10092/105566 | |
| dc.identifier.uri | http://dx.doi.org/10.26021/14660 | |
| dc.language | English | |
| dc.language.iso | en | en |
| dc.rights | All Rights Reserved | en |
| dc.rights.uri | https://canterbury.libguides.com/rights/theses | en |
| dc.title | Distinguishing pedophilia-themed obsessive-compulsive disorder and minor attraction. | en |
| dc.type | Theses / Dissertations | en |
| thesis.degree.discipline | Psychology | en |
| thesis.degree.grantor | University of Canterbury | en |
| thesis.degree.level | Masters | en |
| thesis.degree.name | Master of Science | en |
| uc.bibnumber | 3288692 | |
| uc.college | Faculty of Science | en |