TY  - JOUR
PY  - 2019//
TI  - "I despise myself for thinking about them." a thematic analysis of the mental health implications and employed coping mechanisms of self-reported non-offending minor attracted persons
JO  - Journal of child sexual abuse
A1  - Stevens, Eleanor
A1  - Wood, Jane
SP  - 1
EP  - 22
VL  - ePub
IS  - ePub
N2  - 'Non-offending pedophiles' or 'minor attracted persons' are individuals who suppress an attraction to children. Previous analyses of this population's mental illness employed overt self-report methods, limited by social desirability. Additionally, studies assessing the coping mechanisms employed to remain offense-free are underpowered; understanding of these would facilitate the rehabilitation of prior offenders. A thematic analysis of coping mechanisms and mental illness was conducted on 5,210 posts on the 'Virtuous Pedophiles' forum. Four themes emerged for coping mechanisms: Managing risk and attraction to children, Managing mood, Managing preferences prosocially and Friends, family and relationships, with 13 subthemes. Five themes emerged for mental ill-health, including: Addiction, Anxiety, Depression, Self-hatred/Self-harm/Suicide and Other. Self-hatred/Self-harm/Suicide accounted for almost a third of discussed mental ill-health. These results highlight the severity of mental ill-health amongst this population and the coping mechanisms employed to remain offense-free.<p />  <p>Language: en</p>
LA  - en
SN  - 1053-8712
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10538712.2019.1657539
ID  - ref1
ER  -