Advisor(s)
Larrell L Wilkinson
Committee Member(s)
Laura T Forbes
Wajih Ahmad
Document Type
Thesis
Date of Award
2014
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.
ProQuest Publication Number
ISBN
978-1-321-15128-2
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
Comments
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