![[PDF]](/pb-assets/Icons/adobe-pdf-icon-1498649896243.png){kind=icon}
Abstract
Adult men's height reflects, not only their genetic endowment, but also the conditions that were present during their development in utero and in childhood. We compared the adult heights of men who committed one or more sexual offenses and who were erotically interested in prepubescent children (pedophilic sexual offenders; n=223), those who were erotically interested in pubescent children (hebephilic sexual offenders; n=615), and those who were erotically interested in adults (teleiophilic sexual offenders; n=187), as well as men who had no known sexual offenses and who were erotically interested in adults (teleiophilic nonoffender controls; n=156). The pedophilic and the hebephilic sexual offenders were significantly shorter than the teleiophilic nonoffender controls. The teleiophilic sexual offenders were intermediate in height between the nonoffenders and the pedophilic and hebephilic sexual offenders and not significantly different from any of the other groups. This suggests that—regardless of whatever psychological sequelae might also have followed from the conditions present during early development—pedophilic and hebephilic sexual offenders were subject to conditions capable of affecting their physiological development.
Keywords Anthropometry, Height, Morphometry, Pedophilia, Sexual abuse, Sex offenders, Phallometry
| Abbott, R.D. , White, L.R. , Ross, G.W. , Petrovitch, H. , Masaki, K.H. , Snowdon, D.A. , et al. (1998). Height as a marker of childhood development and late-life cognitive function: The Honolulu-Asia aging study. Pediatrics, 102, 602-609. Google Scholar, Crossref, Medline, ISI | |
| Barker, D.J.P. , Gluckman, P.D. , Godfrey, K.M. , Harding, J.E. , Owens, J.A. , & Robinson, J.S. (1993). Fetal nutrition and cardiovascular disease in adult life. Lancet, 341, 938-941. Google Scholar, Crossref, Medline, ISI | |
| Beeri, M.S. , Davidson, M. , Silverman, J.M. , Noy, S. , Schmeidler, J. , & Goldbourt, U. (2005). Relationship between body height and dementia . American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 13, 116-123. Google Scholar, Crossref, Medline, ISI | |
| Blanchard, R. , Barbaree, H.E. , Bogaert, A.F. , Dickey, R. , Klassen, P. , Kuban, M.E. , et al. (2000). Fraternal birth order and sexual orientation in pedophiles. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 29, 463-478. Google Scholar, Crossref, Medline, ISI | |
| Blanchard, R. , Christensen, B.K. , Strong, S.M. , Cantor, J.M. , Kuban, M.E. , Klassen, P. , et al. (2002). Retrospective self-reports of childhood accidents causing unconsciousness in phallometrically diagnosed pedophiles . Archives of Sexual Behavior, 31, 511-526. Google Scholar, Crossref, Medline, ISI | |
| Blanchard, R. , Klassen, P. , Dickey, R. , Kuban, M.E. , & Blak, T. (2001). Sensitivity and specificity of the phallometric test for pedophilia in nonadmitting sex offenders. Psychological Assessment, 13, 118-126. Google Scholar, Crossref, Medline, ISI | |
| Blanchard, R. , Kolla, N.J. , Cantor, J.M. , Klassen, P.E. , Dickey, R. , Kuban, M.E. , et al. (2007). IQ, handedness, and pedophilia in adult male patients stratified by referral source. Sexual Abuse: A Journal of Research and Treatment, 19, 285-309. Google Scholar, SAGE Journals, ISI | |
| Blanchard, R. , Kuban, M.E. , Klassen, P. , Dickey, R. , Christensen, B.K. , Cantor, J.M. , et al. (2003). Selfreported injuries before and after age 13 in pedophilic and non-pedophilic men referred for clinical assessment . Archives of Sexual Behavior, 32, 573-581. Google Scholar, Crossref, Medline, ISI | |
| Brooksbank, B.W.L. , MacSweeney, D.A. , Johnson, A.L. , Cunningham, A.E. , Wilson, D.A. , & Coppen, A. (1970). Androgen excretion and physique in schizophrenia . British Journal of Psychiatry, 117, 413-420. Google Scholar, Crossref, Medline, ISI | |
| Cantor, J.M. , Blanchard, R. , Christensen, B.K. , Dickey, R. , Klassen, P.E. , Beckstead, A.L. , et al. (2004). Intelligence, memory, and handedness in pedophilia. Neuropsychology, 18, 3-14. Google Scholar, Crossref, Medline, ISI | |
| Cantor, J.M. , Kabani, N. , Christensen, B.K. , Zipursky, R.B. , Barbaree, H.E. , Dickey, R. , et al. (2006a). Pedophilia and brain morphology. Paper presented at the Thirty-Second Meeting of the International Academy of Sex Research, Amsterdam, Netherlands, July. Google Scholar | |
| Cantor, J.M. , Klassen, P.E. , Dickey, R. , Christensen, B.K. , Kuban, M.E. , Blak, T. , et al. (2005). Handedness in pedophilia and hebephilia . Archives of Sexual Behavior, 34, 447-459. Google Scholar, Crossref, Medline, ISI | |
| Cantor, J.M. , Kuban, M.E. , Blak, T. , Klassen, P.E. , Dickey, R. , & Blanchard, R. (2006b). Grade failure and special education placement in sexual offenders' educational histories. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 35, 743-751. Google Scholar, Crossref, Medline, ISI | |
| Cohen, J. , Cohen, P. , West, S.G. , & Aiken, L.S. (2003). Applied multiple regressionlcorrelation for the behavioral sciences (3rd ed.). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum. Google Scholar | |
| Elo, I.T. , & Preston, S.H. (1992). Effects of early-life conditions on adult mortality: A review. Population Index, 58, 186-212. Google Scholar, Crossref, Medline | |
| Fogelman, K.R. , & Manor, O. (1988). Smoking in pregnancy and development in early adulthood. British Medical Journal, 297, 1233-1236. Google Scholar, Crossref, Medline | |
| Freund, K. , Seeley, H.R. , Marshall, W.E. , & Glinfort, E.K. (1972). Sexual offenders needing special assessment and/or therapy. Canadian Journal of Criminology and Corrections, 14, 345-365. Google Scholar | |
| Gebhard, P.H. , Gagnon, J.H. , Pomeroy, W.B. , & Christenson, C.V. (1965). Sex offenders: An analysis of types. New York: Harper & Row. Google Scholar | |
| Gilmore, J. (1999). Body mass index and health. Health Reports, 11, 31-43. [Statistics Canada Catalogue Number 82-003]. Google Scholar, Medline | |
| Glasser, M. , Kolvin, J. , Campbell, D. , Glasser, A. , Leitch, I. , & Farrelly, S. (2001). Cycle of child sexual abuse: Links between being a victim and becoming a perpetrator. British Journal of Psychiatry , 179, 482-494. Google Scholar, Crossref, Medline, ISI | |
| Glueck, B.C. (1955). Final report: Research project for the study and treatment of persons convicted of crimes involving sexual aberrations. June 1952 to June 1955. New York: New York State Department of Mental Hygiene. Google Scholar | |
| Gunnell, D. (2002). Commentary: Can adult anthropometry be used as a 'biomarker' for prenatal and childhood exposures? International Journal of Epidemiology, 31, 390-394. Google Scholar, Crossref, Medline, ISI | |
| Hall, G.C.N. , & Hirschman, R. (1992). Sexual aggression against children: A conceptual perspective of etiology. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 19, 8-23. Google Scholar, SAGE Journals, ISI | |
| Hanson, R.K. , & Bussière, M.T. (1998). Predicting relapse: A meta-analysis of sexual offender recidivism studies. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 66, 348-362. Google Scholar, Crossref, Medline, ISI | |
| Hanson, R.K. , & Morton-Bourgon, K.E. (2005). The characteristics of persistent sexual offenders: A meta-analysis of recidivism studies. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 73, 1154-1163. Google Scholar, Crossref, Medline, ISI | |
| Hanson, R.K. , & Slater, S. (1988). Sexual victimization in the history of sexual abusers: A review. Annals of Sex Research, 1, 485-499. Google Scholar, Crossref | |
| Hart, C.L. , Hole, D.J. , & Smith, G.D. (1999). Risk factors and 20-year stroke mortality in men and women in the Renfrew/Paisley study in Scotland. Stroke , 30, 1999-2007. Google Scholar, Crossref, Medline, ISI | |
| Hepper, P.G. , Shahidullah, S. , & White, R. (1991). Handedness in the human fetus. Neuropsychologia, 29, 1107-1111. Google Scholar, Crossref, Medline, ISI | |
| Hepper, P.G. , Wells, D.L. , & Lynch, C. (2005). Prenatal thumb sucking is related to postnatal handedness. Neuropsychologia, 43, 313-315. Google Scholar, Crossref, Medline, ISI | |
| Houston, B.K. , & Bloom, L.J. (1975). Constitutional factors, stature, and chronic schizophrenia . Journal of Clinical Psychology, 31, 26-29. Google Scholar, Crossref, Medline, ISI | |
| Howes, R.J. (1995). A survey of plethysmographic assessment in North America. Sexual Abuse: A Journal of Research and Treatment , 7, 9-24. Google Scholar, SAGE Journals | |
| Jones, K.L. (1997). Smith's recognizable patterns of human malformation (5th ed.). Philadelphia: W. B. Saunders. Google Scholar | |
| Kemkes-Grottenthaler, A. (2005). The short die young: The interrelationship between stature and longevity-Evidence from skeletal remains. American Journal of Physical Anthropology, 128, 340-347. Google Scholar, Crossref, Medline, ISI | |
| Laws, D. R., Hudson, S. M., & Ward, T. (Eds.) (2000). Remaking relapse prevention with sex offenders: A Sourcebook. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications. Google Scholar | |
| Lundberg, O. (1993). The impact of childhood living conditions on illness and mortality in adulthood. Social Science and Medicine, 36, 1047-1052. Google Scholar, Crossref, Medline, ISI | |
| Lundberg, M. , Diderichsen, F. , & Hallqvist, J. (2002). Is the association between short stature and myocardial infarction explained by childhood exposures-A population-based case referent study (SHEEP). Scandinavian Journal of Public Health, 30, 249-258. Google Scholar, SAGE Journals, ISI | |
| Marshall, W.L. , Champagne, F. , Brown, C. , & Miller, S. (1997). Empathy, intimacy, loneliness, and selfesteem in nonfamilial child molesters: A brief report. Journal of Child Sexual Abuse, 6, 87-98. Google Scholar, Crossref | |
| Marshall, W.L. , Cripps, E. , Anderson, D. , & Cortoni, F.A. (1999). Self-esteem and coping strategies in child molesters . Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 14, 955-962. Google Scholar, SAGE Journals, ISI | |
| Marshall, W.L. , & Marshall, L.E. (2000). The origins of sexual offending . Trauma, Violence & Abuse, 1, 250-263. Google Scholar, SAGE Journals | |
| McCarron, P. , Greenwood, R. , Ebrahim, S. , Elwood, P. , & Smith, G.D. (2000). Adult height is inversely associated with ischaemic stroke: The Caerphilly and Speedwell Collaborative Studies. Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, 54, 239-240. Google Scholar, Crossref, Medline, ISI | |
| Mellan, J. , Nedoma, K. , & Pondelickova, J. (1969). Somatosexualni nalezy u pedofilnich muzu [Somatosexual findings in pedophilic men]. Ceskoslovenska Psychiatrie, 65, 30-33. Google Scholar, Medline | |
| Mohr, J.W. , Turner, R.E. , & Jerry, M.B. (1964). Pedophilia and exhibitionism. Toronto, Canada: University of Toronto Press. Google Scholar | |
| Montgomery, S.M. , Bartley, M.J. , & Wilkinson, R.G. (1997). Family conflict and slow growth. Archives of Disease in Childhood, 77, 326-330. Google Scholar, Crossref, Medline, ISI | |
| Nopoulos, P. , Flaum, M. , Arndt, S. , & Andreasen, N. (1998). Morphometry in schizophrenia revisited: Height and its relationship to pre-morbid function. Psychological Medicine, 28, 655-663. Google Scholar, Crossref, Medline, ISI | |
| Parker, D.R. , Lapane, K.L. , Lasater, T.M. , & Carleton, R.A. (1998). Short stature and cardiovascular disease among men and women from two southeastern New England communities . International Journal of Epidemiology, 27, 970-975. Google Scholar, Crossref, Medline, ISI | |
| Perri, F. , Pastore, M. , Leandro, G. , Clemente, R. , Ghoos, Y. , Peeters, M. , et al. (1997). Helicobacter pylori infection and growth delay in older children. Archives of Diseases in Childhood , 77, 46-49. Google Scholar, Crossref, Medline, ISI | |
| Rahkonen, O. , Lahelma, E. , & Huuhka, M. (1997). Past or present? Childhood living situations and current socioeconomic status as determinants of adult health. Social Science and Medicine, 44, 327-336. Google Scholar, Crossref, Medline, ISI | |
| Schiffer, B. , Peschel, T. , Paul, T. , Gizewski, E. , Forsting, M. , Leygraf, N. , et al. (2007). Structural brain abnormalities in the frontostriatal system and cerebellum in pedophilia. Journal of Psychiatric Research, 41, 753-762. Google Scholar, Crossref, Medline, ISI | |
| Schiltz, K. , Witzel, J. , Northoff, G. , Zierhut, K. , Gubka, U. , Fillmann, H. , et al. (2007). Brain pathology in pedophilic offenders: Evidence of volume reduction in the right amygdala and related diencephalic structures. Archives of General Psychiatry, 64, 737-746. Google Scholar, Crossref, Medline | |
| Silventoinen, K. , Lahelma, E. , & Rahkonen, O. (1999). Social background, adult body-height and health . International Journal of Epidemiology, 28, 911-918. Google Scholar, Crossref, Medline, ISI | |
| Smith, G.D. , Hart, C.L. , Blane, D. , & Hole, D. (1998). Adverse socioeconomic conditions in childhood and cause specific adult mortality: Prospective observational study. British Medical Journal, 316, 1631-1635. Google Scholar, Crossref, Medline | |
| Song, Y.-M. , Smith, G.D. , & Sung, J. (2003). Adult height and cause-specific mortality: A large prospective study of South Korean men. American Journal of Epidemiology, 158, 479-485. Google Scholar, Crossref, Medline, ISI | |
| Taylor, D. , Myers, W.C. , Robbins, L. , & Barnard, G.W. (1993). An anthropometric study of pedophiles and rapists . Journal of Forensic Sciences, 38, 765-768. Google Scholar, Crossref, Medline, ISI | |
| Tingle, D. , Barnard, G.W. , Robbins, L. , Newman, G. , & Hutchinson, D. (1986). Childhood and adolescent characteristics of pedophiles and rapists. International Journal of Law and Psychiatry, 9, 103-116. Google Scholar, Crossref, Medline, ISI | |
| von Krafft-Ebing, R. (1965). Psychopathia sexualis: A medico-forensic study (H. E. Wedeck, Trans.). New York: Putnam. (Original work published 1886.) Google Scholar | |
| Wadsworth, M.E.J. , Hardy, R.J. , Paul, A.A. , Marshall, S.F. , & Cole, T.J. (2002). Leg and trunk length at 43 years in relation to childhood health, diet and family circumstances; evidence from the 1946 national birth cohort. International Journal of Epidemiology, 31, 383-390. Google Scholar, Crossref, Medline, ISI | |
| Walker, M. , Shaper, A.G. , Phillips, A.N. , & Cook, D.G. (1989). Short stature, lung function and risk of a heart attack. International Journal of Epidemiology, 18, 602-606. Google Scholar, Crossref, Medline, ISI | |
| Weeks, R. , & Widom, C.S. (1998). Self-reports of early childhood victimization among incarcerated adult male felons. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 13, 346-361. Google Scholar, SAGE Journals, ISI |
