The paraphilia-related disorders: An empirical investigation of nonparaphilic hypersexuality disorders in outpatient males

Abstract

The frequency distribution of nonparaphilic hypersexual behaviors was investigated in an outpatient sample of 206 consecutively evaluated males seeking help for sexual impulsivity disorders (SIDs), either paraphilia-related disorders (PRD; n = 63) or paraphilias (PA; n = 143). Paraphilia-related disorders associated with help-seeking behaviors included compulsive masturbation (sample prevalence, 69%), protracted heterosexual or homosexual promiscuity (51%), pornography dependence (50%), telephone-sex dependence (24%), and severe sexual desire incompatibility (12%). Eighty-six percent of the PA sample reported at least one lifetime PRD. The subgroup of males with both PAs and lifetime PRDs (n = 123) self-reported the greatest number of lifetime SIDs, the highest incidence of physical and sexual abuse, the fewest years of completed education, and the highest likelihood of current unemployment or disability. As well, the subgroup of males with PAs but no lifetime PRDs (n = 20) self-reported the fewest lifetime SIDs; this subgroup was not statistically different from the PRD group on these aforementioned variables. These data suggest that social disadvantage, as assessed in this sample, is associated with the cumulative incidence of SIDs but not necessarily with the diathesis to develop paraphilic disorders