Search

This article provides a comparison and comprehensive analysis of varied approaches to the assessment of sexual interest and behaviours at different international sexual behaviour assessment labs. The assessment protocols are described for four sexual behaviour laboratories: the Royal Ottawa Mental Health Centre's Sexual Behaviours Clinic in Canada; the Medical University of South Carolina's Sexual Behaviours Clinic and Laboratory in the US; the Laboratory of Evolutionary Sexology and Psychopathology in the Czech Republic; and the Laboratory of Forensic Sexology in Russia. An overview of examinee demographics and types of cases assessed is provided for each lab. Assessment protocols, including psychometric measures and objective measures of sexual interest and arousal, such as penile plethysmography or eye-tracking, are also reviewed. The differences across labs may lead to interesting and productive cross-cultural investigations and studies about the efficacy of specific assessment methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Penile plethysmography (PPG) is the primary physiologic assessment method used to gauge sexual responses in adult men. Depending on the country or jurisdiction of assessment, stimuli used to elicit arousal can include videos, still images, and audio materials. It can depict a variety consenting and non-consenting sexual scenarios as well as neutral, non-sexual scenarios. Models in visual stimuli can be clothed, semi-clothed, or nude. Variation in stimuli modality and the type of sexual interest being tested can have a large impact on PPG outcomes. This paper reviews research on types of PPG stimuli, the different sexual interests being assessed, reliability and validity, and the impact of anonymizing models depicted in assessment materials. Innovations in stimuli development in three labs located in Canada, the United States, and the Czech Republic are also discussed. The work done in these three labs and the broader range of research on assessment stimuli are presented to highlight the need for a unified, multi-site, standardized approach to assess problematic sexual interests and their change in response to treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]