Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Humanizing Pedophilia as Stigma Reduction: A Large-Scale Intervention Study.

Craig A Harper1, Rebecca Lievesley2, Nicholas J Blagden2

  • 1Department of Psychology, Nottingham Trent University, 50 Shakespeare Street, Nottingham, NG1 4FQ, UK. craigaharper19@gmail.com.

Archives of Sexual Behavior
|October 30, 2021
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Pathways to Effective Treatment for Individuals Convicted of Sexual Offences Who Are Taking Medication to Manage Problematic Sexual Arousal.

Sexual abuse : a journal of research and treatment·2026
Same author

Beyond Pro- and Anti-Contact: Understanding the Ideologies of People Attracted to Children.

Journal of sex & marital therapy·2025
Same author

Misrepresenting the "MAP" Literature Does Little to Advance Child Abuse Prevention: A Critical Commentary and Response to Farmer, Salter, and Woodlock.

Trauma, violence & abuse·2025
Same author

"Not Offending Is Easy. The Double Life, the Secrets, the Loneliness Are the Hardest Parts I Needed Help with": Understanding the Treatment Needs of People with Attractions to Children.

Journal of sex & marital therapy·2024
Same author

Sexual fulfilment, wellbeing and risk considerations for people with sexual attractions to children.

Child abuse & neglect·2024
Same author

Understanding Social Judgments of and Proclivities to Commit Upskirting.

Sexual abuse : a journal of research and treatment·2024

Narratives humanizing people with pedophilic interests effectively reduce public stigma. This approach showed lasting positive effects on perceptions of dangerousness and intentionality, unlike scientific information alone.

Area of Science:

  • Psychology
  • Public Health
  • Social Science

Background:

  • Stigmatization of individuals with pedophilic interests impacts well-being and prevention efforts.
  • Narrative humanization shows promise in reducing stigma but lacks generalizability.
  • Effective stigma reduction strategies are crucial for public health and child abuse prevention.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To compare the effectiveness of narrative interventions versus informative interventions in reducing public stigma toward individuals with pedophilic interests.
  • To assess the long-term impact of these interventions on public attitudes.
  • To evaluate the generalizability of narrative interventions beyond clinical or student populations.

Main Methods:

  • Longitudinal experimental design comparing narrative humanization with scientific information.
Keywords:
Narrative humanizationPedophiliaPublic healthSexual abuse preventionSocial attitudes

Related Experiment Videos

  • Study involved a large sample (initial N=950, final N=539) with no control group.
  • Measurements assessed various aspects of stigmatization, including perceived dangerousness and intentionality.

    • Main Results:

    • Narrative interventions consistently reduced all measured aspects of stigmatization.
    • Informative interventions yielded mixed results and increased perceptions of deviance.
    • Positive effects of narrative interventions persisted four months post-intervention.

    Conclusions:

    • Narrative humanization is a more effective strategy for reducing public stigma toward individuals with pedophilic interests than providing scientific information.
    • Findings support a broad societal approach to pedophilia as a public health issue.
    • Long-term reduction in stigma is achievable through humanizing narratives.