Pedophilia, Height, and the Magnitude of the Association: A Research Note

Abstract

Physical height is a manifestation of in utero and childhood conditions, and pedophilic individuals have generally been reported to be of lesser height. Jung, Klaver, and Pham (2014), however, report findings that fail to support an association between pedophilia and height. In the present note, we examine the methodology and findings of Jung et al. To estimate the magnitude of the pedophilia–height association, we conducted a meta-analysis of the published literature and found a significant effect size. Our findings suggest pedophiles may experience conditions during in utero and childhood development that are capable of influencing their physical development.

Notes

¹ All analyses were conducted using the Comprehensive Meta-Analysis statistical software (Biostat 2006). We followed standard meta-analytic methods for appropriately extracting statistical data from individual studies to be used in computing aggregate effect sizes. Cantor et al. (2007) presented height data for pedophilic sexual offenders, teleiophilic sexual offenders, and teleiophilic nonoffenders. In our analyses, we combined the weighted mean height and the associated standard deviations for both non-pedophilic groups, resulting in a single effect size being produced by this study that represents the comparison between the pedophilic sexual offenders and these two non-pedophilic groups. For Jung et al. (2014), we extracted statistics from the two analyses that we considered the most valid method of identifying pedophilic offenders used in this study. In the presented analyses, the statistics used came from the grouping using the age of victims in the index offences and from the correlation between height and SSPI scores.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Ian V. McPhail

IAN V. MCPHAIL holds a Master’s degree in psychology from Carleton University in Ottawa, Ontario, and is now affiliated with the University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. He has published on risk factors for sexual violence in sexual offenders and has worked clinically with sexual and violent offenders.

James M. Cantor

JAMES M. CANTOR is Associate Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Toronto and Senior Scientist at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health in Toronto, Canada. He uses behavioral, neuroimaging, and other techniques to study the development and expression of atypical sexual interests, including pedophilia. He is the current Editor-in-Chief of Sexual Abuse: A Journal of Research and Treatment.