Sexually violent predator (SVP) legislation requires, in part, that an individual has a mental abnormality which causes difficulty in controlling sexual behavior. Previous research has found paraphilia not otherwise specified (NOS) to be one of the most prevalent diagnoses proffered in SVP evaluations. Since these studies, however, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM) has updated the paraphilia NOS diagnosis in two ways. First, this diagnosis has been divided into two new diagnoses—other specified paraphilic disorder (OSPD) and unspecified paraphilic disorder. Second, OSPD requires an added specifier to indicate the individual’s source of sexual arousal. To date, no study has systematically explored how the revision to paraphilia NOS has affected diagnoses within SVP evaluations. The current study explored the prevalence and diagnostic reliability of paraphilic disorders and associated specifiers in a sample of 190 adult men evaluated for SVP civil commitment. Results indicated that OSPD was the second most common paraphilic disorder, next to pedophilia, proffered in these SVP evaluations. However, there was poor to fair agreement between evaluators in providing this diagnosis. Additionally, while ‘non-consent’ and ‘hebephilia’ were the most commonly used specifiers, there was little consistency in which specifiers were used; and evaluators appear to be using an idiosyncratic approach to determine which labels to apply to OSPD. Given that the presence of a mental abnormality is the cornerstone to the constitutionality of SVP commitment, diagnostic practices should be based in reliable and valid techniques. Implications for research, practice, and legislation are discussed.
","abstract_html":"<p>Sexually violent predator (SVP) legislation requires, in part, that an individual has a mental abnormality which causes difficulty in controlling sexual behavior. Previous research has found paraphilia not otherwise specified (NOS) to be one of the most prevalent diagnoses proffered in SVP evaluations. Since these studies, however, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM) has updated the paraphilia NOS diagnosis in two ways. First, this diagnosis has been divided into two new diagnoses—other specified paraphilic disorder (OSPD) and unspecified paraphilic disorder. Second, OSPD requires an added specifier to indicate the individual’s source of sexual arousal. To date, no study has systematically explored how the revision to paraphilia NOS has affected diagnoses within SVP evaluations. The current study explored the prevalence and diagnostic reliability of paraphilic disorders and associated specifiers in a sample of 190 adult men evaluated for SVP civil commitment. Results indicated that OSPD was the second most common paraphilic disorder, next to pedophilia, proffered in these SVP evaluations. However, there was poor to fair agreement between evaluators in providing this diagnosis. Additionally, while ‘non-consent’ and ‘hebephilia’ were the most commonly used specifiers, there was little consistency in which specifiers were used; and evaluators appear to be using an idiosyncratic approach to determine which labels to apply to OSPD. Given that the presence of a mental abnormality is the cornerstone to the constitutionality of SVP commitment, diagnostic practices should be based in reliable and valid techniques. Implications for research, practice, and legislation are discussed.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Graham, Nicole"],"institution":"The Graduate School and University Center of The City University of New York","degree_name":"Doctor of Philosophy","degree_level":"Doctoral","degree_discipline":"Psychology","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":[],"advisors":["Cynthia Calkins"],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":["Elizabeth Jeglic","Rebecca Weiss","Marc Boccaccini","Sandi Lewis"],"year":2019,"date_issued":"2019-09-01T07:00:00Z","date_published":"2019-09-01T07:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T01:59:05Z","subjects":["Clinical Psychology","Criminology and Criminal Justice","forensic psychology","sexual offender","sexually violent predator","paraphilia"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://academicworks.cuny.edu/gc_etds/3333","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor.advisor","label":"Advisor","values":["Cynthia Calkins"]},{"key":"dc:contributor.committeemember","label":"Committee Member","values":["Elizabeth Jeglic","Rebecca Weiss","Marc Boccaccini","Sandi Lewis"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Graham, Nicole"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2019-01-26T08:00:00Z"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Psychology"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Doctoral"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Doctor of Philosophy"]},{"key":"thesis:institution_name","label":"Thesis Institution Name","values":["The Graduate School and University Center of The City University of New York"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Clinical Psychology","Criminology and Criminal Justice","forensic psychology","sexual offender","sexually violent predator","paraphilia"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://academicworks.cuny.edu/gc_etds/3333"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["Sexually violent predator (SVP) legislation requires, in part, that an individual has a mental abnormality which causes difficulty in controlling sexual behavior. Previous research has found paraphilia not otherwise specified (NOS) to be one of the most prevalent diagnoses proffered in SVP evaluations. Since these studies, however, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM) has updated the paraphilia NOS diagnosis in two ways. First, this diagnosis has been divided into two new diagnoses—other specified paraphilic disorder (OSPD) and unspecified paraphilic disorder. Second, OSPD requires an added specifier to indicate the individual’s source of sexual arousal. To date, no study has systematically explored how the revision to paraphilia NOS has affected diagnoses within SVP evaluations. The current study explored the prevalence and diagnostic reliability of paraphilic disorders and associated specifiers in a sample of 190 adult men evaluated for SVP civil commitment. Results indicated that OSPD was the second most common paraphilic disorder, next to pedophilia, proffered in these SVP evaluations. However, there was poor to fair agreement between evaluators in providing this diagnosis. Additionally, while ‘non-consent’ and ‘hebephilia’ were the most commonly used specifiers, there was little consistency in which specifiers were used; and evaluators appear to be using an idiosyncratic approach to determine which labels to apply to OSPD. Given that the presence of a mental abnormality is the cornerstone to the constitutionality of SVP commitment, diagnostic practices should be based in reliable and valid techniques. Implications for research, practice, and legislation are discussed.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Examining the Use of Hebephilia and Paraphilia Non-consent in Sexually Violent Predator (SVP) Evaluations"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor.advisor":["Cynthia Calkins"],"dc:contributor.committeemember":["Elizabeth Jeglic","Rebecca Weiss","Marc Boccaccini","Sandi Lewis"],"dc:creator":["Graham, Nicole"],"dc:date.available":["2019-01-26T08:00:00Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["Sexually violent predator (SVP) legislation requires, in part, that an individual has a mental abnormality which causes difficulty in controlling sexual behavior. Previous research has found paraphilia not otherwise specified (NOS) to be one of the most prevalent diagnoses proffered in SVP evaluations. Since these studies, however, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM) has updated the paraphilia NOS diagnosis in two ways. First, this diagnosis has been divided into two new diagnoses—other specified paraphilic disorder (OSPD) and unspecified paraphilic disorder. Second, OSPD requires an added specifier to indicate the individual’s source of sexual arousal. To date, no study has systematically explored how the revision to paraphilia NOS has affected diagnoses within SVP evaluations. The current study explored the prevalence and diagnostic reliability of paraphilic disorders and associated specifiers in a sample of 190 adult men evaluated for SVP civil commitment. Results indicated that OSPD was the second most common paraphilic disorder, next to pedophilia, proffered in these SVP evaluations. However, there was poor to fair agreement between evaluators in providing this diagnosis. Additionally, while ‘non-consent’ and ‘hebephilia’ were the most commonly used specifiers, there was little consistency in which specifiers were used; and evaluators appear to be using an idiosyncratic approach to determine which labels to apply to OSPD. Given that the presence of a mental abnormality is the cornerstone to the constitutionality of SVP commitment, diagnostic practices should be based in reliable and valid techniques. Implications for research, practice, and legislation are discussed.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://academicworks.cuny.edu/gc_etds/3333"],"dc:subject":["Clinical Psychology","Criminology and Criminal Justice","forensic psychology","sexual offender","sexually violent predator","paraphilia"],"dc:title":["Examining the Use of Hebephilia and Paraphilia Non-consent in Sexually Violent Predator (SVP) Evaluations"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Psychology"],"thesis:degree_level":["Doctoral"],"thesis:degree_name":["Doctor of Philosophy"],"thesis:institution_name":["The Graduate School and University Center of The City University of New York"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T01:59:05Z"}