An exploratory study of fantasy and fictional outlet use in minor-attracted persons

We invite you to take part in our study investigating the psychology, behaviours, and experiences of minor-attracted persons. Please take some time to read through this information sheet to learn more about the purpose of our research and what will happen should you choose to participate. Your participation is completely voluntary, and you have the right to withdraw at any time. Should you have any questions, please feel free to contact either Dr. Gilian Tenbergen (Principal Investigator), Dr. Rebecca Lievesley (Co-Investigator), or Dr. Craig Harper (Co-Investigator), and we will be happy to answer to the best of our ability. Contact details can be found at the end of this form.

WHAT IS THIS STUDY ABOUT?

The purpose of this survey is to explore the use of fictional and fantasy sexual outlets among individuals with sexual attractions to children. MAPs are a relatively understudied group. As such, little is known about how they express their sexuality, and one such method may be through sexual fantasy or other fictional sexual outlets. This survey forms part of a larger piece of research designed to both improve support services for minor-attracted people and advance a more evidence-based social discussion about the use of sexual fantasy. 

WHAT WILL TAKING PART INVOLVE?

Should you choose to take part, you will be asked to complete a series of questionnaires via this online survey. These questionnaires are varied, asking about subjects such as your behaviours, the way you think about things, your attractions, and your wellbeing. In order to address societal beliefs about offending risk, we do ask some questions about this, but please respond as honestly as possible. All data is anonymously recorded - none of your answers can be linked back to you, and no information relating to IP addresses are collected in relation to this survey.

WHY HAVE YOU BEEN INVITED TO TAKE PART?

You have been invited and/or volunteered to take part because you have self-identified as a minor-attracted person, or are a member of an online community for minor-attracted persons.

DO YOU HAVE TO TAKE PART?

No. You do not have to take part, and you can withdraw your data after completing the survey should you change your mind. If you would like to withdraw after you have completed the survey, you may do this within two weeks (fourteen days). To withdraw your data, please contact us at the email addresses provided below with your self-generated ID number, and your data will be deleted. Please note that if you email us to withdraw your data from an address that identifies who you are, this may mean that you are no longer anonymous. You are able to create an anonymous email address to contact us if you would like to stay anonymous when withdrawing your data.

WHAT ARE THE POSSIBLE RISKS AND BENEFITS OF TAKING PART?

There are no direct risks or benefits of participating in this study. It is possible that some of the questions may cause you a degree of emotional distress due to the sensitive nature of certain questions. For example, we will ask some questions about your emotional health and wellbeing. You will be provided with multiple links to secure support services that can help you through this. We hope for this research to improve the quality of support for MAPs.

A portion of the de-identified data (that means data with no personal identifiers, just raw numbers) will be shared with a research team at the University of Minnesota as part of a license to use their tools. The only data that will be shared are answers to questions pertaining to gender identify/gender non-conformity. Nothing else about the data in this project will be shared outside of the current study team. 

WILL TAKING PART BE CONFIDENTIAL?

Yes. All data is anonymously recorded - none of your answers can be linked back to you. No information relating to IP addresses are collected in relation to this survey, and the survey can be accessed via a Tor browser. You will only be identified through numeric codes, and should you email us with questions or to withdraw, your personal contact details will be destroyed after addressing your query. 

*However, we will be obligated to make a report in the following scenarios:*

You provide self-identifying details and…
Report a non-convicted instance of abuse against a child.
Report plans to abuse a child.
Report plans to harm yourself or others.

Please note that we will not ask for any self-identifying information in the survey, and so no reports will be made.

WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO THE RESULTS OF THE STUDY?

The data will be analyzed by the research team and results are intended to be published in scientific journals and presented at research conferences.

We thank you for your consideration of our study. You will find our contact details below.

Dr. Gilian Tenbergen, Principal Investigator

Department of Psychology

State University of New York at Oswego

459 Mahar Hall

Oswego, NY 13126

Email: gilian.tenbergen@oswego.edu

Dr. Rebecca Lievesley, Co-Investigator

Department of Psychology

Nottingham Trent University

50 Shakespeare Street, Nottingham, NG1 4FQ, UK

Email: rebecca.lievesley@ntu.ac.uk

 

Dr. Craig Harper, Co-Investigator

Department of Psychology

Nottingham Trent University

50 Shakespeare Street, Nottingham, NG1 4FQ, UK

Email: craig.harper@ntu.ac.uk