Offending and non-offending people with pedophilia: executive dysfunctions and structural brain anomalies - a narrative review

This thesis examines the differences between offending and non-offending people with pedophilia in executive functions and brain structures. Pedophilia is a highly stigmatized psychiatric disorder. Offending people with pedophilia are individuals who are diagnosed with the disorder or experience pedophilic interests and have committed sexual abuse against prepubescent children. Non-offending people with pedophilia consist of a subgroup of people sexually attracted to children who have never acted on their attraction or accessed pedopornographic material. Non-offending people with pedophilia are an underrepresented group in research. The thesis aims to investigate whether offending and non-offending people with pedophilia can be discerned by distinct neuropsychological profiles, altered cognitive functions, and brain structures. Incorporating information from available literature, this study supports the hypothesis that pedophilia per se is not characterized by specific impairments, but rather that offending and non-offending people with pedophilia have neuropsychological and morphological differences that distinguish them and reflect their modus operandi. Additionally, this piece of information represents an important tool when developing intervention and prevention projects.