Abstract
This thesis is a comparative study on the perceptions and beliefs of adults with a college degree versus adults without a college degree regarding people with pedophilia in the United States. Stigmatizing views are compared between the two groups, such as attributing negative characteristics to a specific group of people or inflicting a punishment such as a death sentence. In the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), pedophilia is characterized by unusual and sexually arousing fantasies and urges involving prepubescent children (American Psychiatric Association, 2013; Jahnke, 2018). In fact, most people with pedophilia struggle with emotional health, social functioning, cognition, and the motivation to seek healthcare due to their sexual attraction to minors (Jahnke et al., 2015; Seto, 2008; Richards, 2011). Additionally, it has been theorized that emotional stress as a consequence of feeling stigmatized increases the probability of a person with pedophilia sexually offending against children (Jahnke et al., 2015). This study examined how level of education affects stigmatizing and punitive views among non-pedophilic individuals toward people with pedophilia. The Stigma Scales and Punitive Attitudes Inventory created by Imhoff (2015) were administered to a random sample (N = 100) via the surveymonkey.com. Mean analyses showed that there were slight differences between the negative perceptions of people with a college degree and those of people without a college degree, with the largest difference found in results of the Dangerousness scale. Both groups agreed that sexual interest toward children is linked to child sexual abuse; however, those with a college degree were slightly more likely to agree with this point of view. By determining what variables increase stigma-related stress, this study could provide information for the development of new treatment strategies for people with pedophilia.
