Department of Criminal Law and Criminology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
Department of Criminal Law and Criminology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
J Sex Med. 2021 Feb;18(2):353-362. doi: 10.1016/j.jsxm.2020.12.001. Epub 2021 Jan 17.
The use of androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) shows promising results in the treatment of paraphilic disorders. Although the side effects of ADT can be intrusive, there is no research into the experiences of patients with pedophilic disorder themselves.
This research aims to explore the psychological, physical, and sexual experiences of ADT from the perspective of sex offenders diagnosed with pedophilic disorder.
Twelve semistructured in-depth interviews with male adults diagnosed with pedophilic disorder were conducted using a phenomenological approach. Six of the 12 respondents were on luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone agonists and the remaining on anti-androgens. Half of each group were inpatients, and the other half outpatients. The respondents were recruited in collaboration with one psychiatric hospital. The data were analyzed with help of a qualitative software application NVivo.
The respondents described experiences on the use of ADT on a physical, psychological, and sexual level.
The most prominent physical side effects mentioned were bone loss, weight gain, and breast formation. The respondents generally described a positive influence of the medication on their well-being. They felt more relaxed and experienced a reduction in frequency and intensity of sexual fantasies, anger, and aggressive feelings in general. In addition, all the respondents noticed a lower frequency of sexual contact and masturbation. Most of the participants experienced the use of ADT as a mandatory decision made by the treating psychiatrist.
This study recommends informing patients and their loved ones on the potential side effects of ADT. Furthermore, training forensic counselors on potential side effects of ADT and methods to alleviate them can promote the dissemination of information and will encourage the informed consent procedure.
STRENGTHS & LIMITATIONS: This is the first qualitative study about the experiences of ADT in men diagnosed with pedophilic disorder in Belgium. Future studies should include more than one treatment center.
The majority of the participants had a positive attitude towards ADT in general. Boons L, Jeandarme I, Vervaeke G. Androgen Deprivation Therapy in Pedophilic Disorder: Exploring the Physical, Psychological, and Sexual Effects From a Patient's Perspective. J Sex Med 2021;18:353-362.
雄激素剥夺疗法（ADT）在治疗恋物癖障碍方面显示出有前景的结果。尽管 ADT 的副作用可能具有侵入性，但目前还没有针对被诊断患有恋童癖障碍的患者自身经历的研究。
本研究旨在从被诊断患有恋童癖障碍的性犯罪者的角度探讨 ADT 的心理、生理和性体验。
采用现象学方法对 12 名被诊断为恋童癖障碍的成年男性进行了 12 次半结构化深入访谈。其中 6 名受访者使用促黄体激素释放激素激动剂，其余使用抗雄激素。每组有一半是住院患者，另一半是门诊患者。受访者是与一家精神病院合作招募的。使用定性软件应用程序 NVivo 对数据进行了分析。
受访者从生理、心理和性方面描述了使用 ADT 的体验。
最突出的身体副作用是骨质疏松症、体重增加和乳房形成。受访者普遍描述药物对他们的幸福感有积极影响。他们感到更放松，性欲、愤怒和一般攻击性的频率和强度都有所降低。此外，所有受访者都注意到性接触和自慰的频率降低。大多数参与者认为 ADT 的使用是由主治精神病医生做出的强制性决定。
本研究建议向患者及其家属告知 ADT 的潜在副作用。此外，对法医顾问进行关于 ADT 的潜在副作用及其缓解方法的培训，可以促进信息的传播，并鼓励进行知情同意程序。
这是比利时首例关于被诊断患有恋童癖障碍的男性使用 ADT 的定性研究。未来的研究应该包括不止一个治疗中心。
大多数参与者对 ADT 总体持积极态度。
