Project VERANDA: Requirement Analysis Survey

NCT07424872 | Recruiting

• 1 other identifier: VERANDA: Requirement Analysis
• Study Type: observational
• Target: 100
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

Between 0.6% and 22.2% of the global adult male population has a sexual interest in children (SIIC), depending on evaluation methods \[1\]. SIIC constitutes a major risk factor for child sexual abuse (CSA) and viewing of child sexual abuse material (CSAM). The true rates of CSA offences cannot be estimated, but self-report studies find 30 times higher rates of child-reported CSA compared to reports from child protection services or police. Engagement in therapy is a protective factor against the risk of child sexual abuse and can lead to reductions in CSAM consumption and severity. Anticipated negative therapist behaviour is associated with less willingness to seek treatment. The fear of being reported by the therapist discourages participation in therapy, a concern complicated by mandatory reporting laws in some countries. Negative attitudes towards ISIC are high, and SIIC may be the most stigmatised trait globally. Identifying barriers to treatment for ISIC, and of measures to overcome them, is important to increase therapy engagement, with the goal to improve wellbeing, reduce CSAM consumption, and reduce the risk of CSA offences. Patient anonymity during therapy may play an important role in increasing disclosure of stigmatised traits. It remains unclear whether anonymous therapy addresses patient treatment anxieties and therefore increases the comfort or willingness to engage in therapy. To address this research gap, we conduct an anonymous online survey with ISIC to answer the following questions: RQ1. Can online therapy preferences be identified for minor-attacted individuals and for their therapists? RQ2. Are there individual factors that predict stigmatized individuals' online therapy preferences? (E.g. Trust, Self-Stigma) RQ3. Are there differences between the different stigmatized groups', therapists, and general populations' online therapy preferences?

Conditions

Observational Study

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Preferences of design features

  RQ1.1 Can preferences of design features for an online therapy tool be identified for minor-attacted individuals and for their therapists? RQ3.4 Are there differences between the different groups in the preferred choice of consultation technology? Preferences of design features for an online therapy tool: 7-point Likert scale.

  May 2025 - May 2026

Secondary Outcomes (1)

• Preferred choice of consultation method

  May 2025 - May 2026

Other Outcomes (10)

• Preferred choice of consultation technology

  May 2025 - May 2026

• Preference of having PETs for an online therapy tool

  May 2025 - May 2026

• Willingness to engage in therapy

  May 2025 - May 2026

Study Arms (9)

Individuals with a sexual interest in children

Transgender and gender-diverse people

Sex workers

Healthcare workers

Individuals who have experienced child sexual abuse

Therapists for individuals with a sexual interest in children

Therapists of transgender and gender-diverse individuals

Therapists of sex workers

General public

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years+
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)
• Sampling Method: Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

The investigators do not assign participants to conditions, instead the investigators have different target groups: Groups that experience stigmatization: Individuals with a sexual interest in children Transgender and gender-diverse people Sex workers Healthcare workers Individuals who have experienced child sexual abuse Groups that provide services to stigmatized groups: Therapists for individuals with a sexual interest in children Therapists of transgender and gender-diverse individuals Therapists of sex workers Control/comparison group: General public

You may qualify if:

• Belonging to one of the target groups.
• Otherwise, for general members of the public, none.

You may not qualify if:

• Younger than 18

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Berlin Institute of Health @ Charité: lead
• Fraunhofer Institute for Applied and Integrated Security AISEC: collaborator
• Deutsches Forschungszentrum für Künstliche Intelligenz GmbH (DFKI): collaborator
• Technische Universität Berlin: collaborator
• Charite University, Berlin, Germany: collaborator

Study Sites (1)

Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin

Berlin, State of Berlin, 10117, Germany

RECRUITING

Related Publications (10)

• Fear NT, Seddon R, Jones N, Greenberg N, Wessely S. Does anonymity increase the reporting of mental health symptoms? BMC Public Health. 2012 Sep 17;12:797. doi: 10.1186/1471-2458-12-797.

  PMID: 22985427 RESULT

• Jahnke S, Imhoff R, Hoyer J. Stigmatization of people with pedophilia: two comparative surveys. Arch Sex Behav. 2015 Jan;44(1):21-34. doi: 10.1007/s10508-014-0312-4. Epub 2014 Jun 20.

  PMID: 24948422 RESULT

• Edwards W, Hensley C. Contextualizing Sex Offender Management Legislation and Policy: Evaluating the Problem of Latent Consequences in Community Notification Laws. Int J Offender Ther Comp Criminol. 2001 Feb 1;45(1):83-101.

  RESULT

• Grady MD, Levenson JS, Mesias G, Kavanagh S, Charles J. "I can't talk about that": Stigma and fear as barriers to preventive services for minor-attracted persons. Stigma and Health. 2019;4(4):400-10.

  RESULT

• Jahnke S, McPhail IV, Antfolk J. Stigma processes, psychological distress, and attitudes toward seeking treatment among pedohebephilic people. PLoS One. 2024 Oct 24;19(10):e0312382. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0312382. eCollection 2024.

  PMID: 39446727 RESULT

• Schuler M, Gieseler H, Schweder KW, von Heyden M, Beier KM. Characteristics of the Users of Troubled Desire, a Web-Based Self-management App for Individuals With Sexual Interest in Children: Descriptive Analysis of Self-assessment Data. JMIR Ment Health. 2021 Feb 19;8(2):e22277. doi: 10.2196/22277.

  PMID: 33605895 RESULT

• Van Deinse TB, Cuddeback GS, Wilson AB, Edwards D Jr, Lambert M. Variation in Criminogenic Risks by Mental Health Symptom Severity: Implications for Mental Health Services and Research. Psychiatr Q. 2021 Mar;92(1):73-84. doi: 10.1007/s11126-020-09782-x.

  PMID: 32458340 RESULT

• Beier KM, Grundmann D, Kuhle LF, Scherner G, Konrad A, Amelung T. The German Dunkelfeld project: a pilot study to prevent child sexual abuse and the use of child abusive images. J Sex Med. 2015 Feb;12(2):529-42. doi: 10.1111/jsm.12785. Epub 2014 Dec 4.

  PMID: 25471337 RESULT

• Stoltenborgh M, van Ijzendoorn MH, Euser EM, Bakermans-Kranenburg MJ. A global perspective on child sexual abuse: meta-analysis of prevalence around the world. Child Maltreat. 2011 May;16(2):79-101. doi: 10.1177/1077559511403920. Epub 2011 Apr 21.

  PMID: 21511741 RESULT

• Savoie V, Quayle E, Flynn E. Prevalence and correlates of individuals with sexual interest in children: A systematic review. Child Abuse Negl. 2021 May;115:105005. doi: 10.1016/j.chiabu.2021.105005. Epub 2021 Mar 7.

  PMID: 33691252 RESULT

Central Study Contacts

Prof. Dr.-Ing Poikela

CONTACT

30 450 528 786; maija.poikela@bih-charite.de

Study Design

• Study Type: observational
• Observational Model: COHORT
• Time Perspective: PROSPECTIVE
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: February 16, 2026
• First Posted: February 20, 2026
• Study Start: May 13, 2025
• Primary Completion: May 14, 2026
• Study Completion: May 14, 2026
• Last Updated: March 13, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-03

Locations

DE (1)