Not much is known about the etiology, or development, of deviant sexual interests. The aim of this systematic review was to provide a broad overview of current theories on the etiology of sexual deviance. We conducted a systematic search of the databases PubMed and APA PsycInfo (EBSCO). Studies were included when they discussed a theory regarding the etiology or development of sexual deviance. Included studies were assessed on quality criteria for good theories. Common etiological themes were extracted using thematic analysis. We included 47 theories explaining sexual deviance in general as well as various specific deviant sexual interests, such as pedophilia and sadism/masochism. Few theories (k = 7) were of acceptable quality as suggested by our systematic assessment of quality criteria for good theories (QUACGOT). These theories indicated that deviant sexual interests may develop as the result of an interplay of various factors: excitation transfer between emotions and sexual arousal, conditioning, problems with “normative” sexuality, and social learning. Neurobiological findings could not be included as no acceptable quality neurobiological theories could be retrieved. The important roles of excitation transfer and conditioning designate that dynamic, changeable processes take part in the etiology of sexual deviance. These same processes could potentially be deployed to diminish unwanted deviant sexual interests.
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Background Little is known about the nature and reactions to sexual abuse of children with intellectual disability (ID). The aim was to fill this gap. Method Official reports of sexual abuse of children with ID in state care were examined (N = 128) and compared with children without ID (N = 48). Results Clear signs of penetration or genital touching by male (adolescent) peers or (step/foster) fathers were found in most ID reports. Victims often received residential care and disclosed themselves. Type of perpetrator seemed to affect the nature and reaction to the abuse. Cases of children with and without ID seemed to differ in location and reports to police. Conclusions Screening of (foster)homes seems crucial. Residential facilities should find a balance between independence of children and protection. Care providers should be trained in addressing sexual issues and sexual education, accounting for different types of perpetrators (peers/adults). Uniform reporting guidelines are needed.
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Indecent exposure is often regarded as a nuisance offense and detailed studies into this topic are relatively rare. However, there is consensus that relatively high recidivism rates and risk of escalation to more severe offenses can be of serious concern among these perpetrators. This cohort study aims to increase our general knowledge on the basic characteristics of these offenses and includes all registered police cases of indecent exposure in the Netherlands between 2012 and 2020, including 6741 incidents, involving 4663 suspects and 3808 registered victims. This first study of a large cohort over a long period of time describes the basic characteristics of these incidents, the perpetrators and their victims, and visualizes the results to explore trends over time. Results show that a modal indecent exposure incident is perpetrated by a 25-year-old male, on foot, on a public road, on a Wednesday afternoon in July, masturbating and directing his genitals intentionally toward a 13-year-old girl. The age distribution of victims shows remarkable similarity to victims of sexual assault. Compared to the first year of the period studied, the number of annually reported incidents gradually declined to half in the last year of the study. Findings are discussed in light of the most prominent theories on exhibitionism. Issues and suggestions relevant to apprehension and treatment of perpetrators are identified and discussed.
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-Chatbots are being used at an increasing rate, for instance, for simple Q&A conversations, flight reservations, online shopping and news aggregation. However, users expect to be served as effective and reliable as they were with human-based systems and are unforgiving once the system fails to understand them, engage them or show them human empathy. This problem is more prominent when the technology is used in domains such as health care, where empathy and the ability to give emotional support are most essential during interaction with the person. Empathy, however, is a unique human skill, and conversational agents such as chatbots cannot yet express empathy in nuanced ways to account for its complex nature and quality. This project focuses on designing emotionally supportive conversational agents within the mental health domain. We take a user-centered co-creation approach to focus on the mental health problems of sexual assault victims. This group is chosen specifically, because of the high rate of the sexual assault incidents and its lifetime destructive effects on the victim and the fact that although early intervention and treatment is necessary to prevent future mental health problems, these incidents largely go unreported due to the stigma attached to sexual assault. On the other hand, research shows that people feel more comfortable talking to chatbots about intimate topics since they feel no fear of judgment. We think an emotionally supportive and empathic chatbot specifically designed to encourage self-disclosure among sexual assault victims could help those who remain silent in fear of negative evaluation and empower them to process their experience better and take the necessary steps towards treatment early on.
In this project, we explore how healthcare providers and the creative industry can collaborate to develop effective digital mental health interventions, particularly for survivors of sexual assault. Sexual assault victims face significant barriers to seeking professional help, including shame, self-blame, and fear of judgment. With over 100,000 cases reported annually in the Netherlands the need for accessible, stigma-free support is urgent. Digital interventions, such as chatbots, offer a promising solution by providing a safe, confidential, and cost-effective space for victims to share their experiences before seeking professional care. However, existing commercial AI chatbots remain unsuitable for complex mental health support. While widely used for general health inquiries and basic therapy, they lack the human qualities essential for empathetic conversations. Additionally, training AI for this sensitive context is challenging due to limited caregiver-patient conversation data. A key concern raised by professionals worldwide is the risk of AI-driven chatbots being misused as therapy substitutes. Without proper safeguards, they may offer inappropriate responses, potentially harming users. This highlights the urgent need for strict design guidelines, robust safety measures, and comprehensive oversight in AI-based mental health solutions. To address these challenges, this project brings together experts from healthcare and design fields—especially conversation designers—to explore the power of design in developing a trustworthy, user-centered chatbot experience tailored to survivors' needs. Through an iterative process of research, co-creation, prototyping, and evaluation, we aim to integrate safe and effective digital support into mental healthcare. Our overarching goal is to bridge the gap between digital healthcare and the creative sector, fostering long-term collaboration. By combining clinical expertise with design innovation, we seek to develop personalized tools that ethically and effectively support individuals with mental health problems.
