Advisory Committee Chair
Larrell L Wilkinson
Advisory Committee Members
Laura T Forbes
Wajih Ahmad
Document Type
Thesis
Date of Award
2014
Degree Name by School
Master of Arts in Education (MAE) School of Education
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to assess the need in the State of Alabama for a health education intervention for adults with pedophilia. Following the PRECEDE half of the PRECEDE-PROCEED planning model, the author examined the health issue of pedophilia within the State of Alabama. There are three constructs by which a health issue may be examined using PRECEDE: Predisposing, Reinforcing, and Enabling. The extant literature on pedophilia and child sexual abuse (CSA) was reviewed organized by these constructs. PRECEDE also consists of five assessment phases: social assessment; epidemiological assessment; behavioral assessment; educational, environmental, and ecological assessments; and administrative and policy assessments. The actual study followed the guidelines of these assessment phases: first, by assessing the social structure of Alabama; next, by conducting a count of the state's sex offender registry by county, then aggregating the data into established public health regions and analyzing the data for prevalence; third, by presenting the medical and legal definitions of pedophilia; fourth, by exploring the attitudes, knowledge, and beliefs about the disease; and finally, looking at the laws as they exist on Alabama's books. The results of the literature review revealed pedophilia is a health issue. From the myriad health problems experienced by survivors to the cognitive distortions, addictive behaviors, and brain aberrations suffered by the offenders themselves; health is a constant problem for all involved in childhood sexual abuse (CSA). The results of the epidemiological assessment revealed the highest prevalence was in public health regions comprised exclusively of rural counties; the median prevalence was in public health regions comprised of majority rural counties but with some urban counties mixed in; finally, the lowest prevalence was in public health regions comprised exclusively of urban counties. This paper was conducted as a needs assessment for a health education intervention for adults with pedophilia in Alabama, because the author believed that writing a treatment program for pedophiles was needed in the state. The results of the study indicated a potential need for such a program in Alabama's rural areas; such a program may be beneficial in reducing CSA in those areas.
Recommended Citation
English, Lynn V., "An Integrative Literature Review Assessing the Need for a Health Education Intervention for Adults with Pedophilia in Alabama" (2014). All ETDs from UAB. 1600.
https://digitalcommons.library.uab.edu/etd-collection/1600