Open J Psychiatry Allied Sci. 2026 Jun 14. Epub ahead of print.

Early maladaptive schemas and child sexual offending: implications for understanding paedophilia.

Vernon B.

Abstract

Background: Early maladaptive schemas (EMS) are enduring cognitive and emotional patterns that develop in response to unmet core emotional needs in childhood and are associated with a range of psychopathology and maladaptive behaviours, including compulsive sexual behaviour and sexual aggression. Aims: This critical narrative review examines the empirical literature on EMS and paedophilia, with particular attention to methodological limitations within the existing evidence base. Methods: Four primary studies using the Young Schema Questionnaire (YSQ) were identified and reviewed. These studies compared child sexual offenders with other offender groups, including offenders against adults and non-sexual offenders. Results: Findings indicate that child sexual offenders, particularly those meeting criteria for paedophilia, most consistently endorsed elevations in the Defectiveness/Shame and Subjugation schemas. However, the literature is constrained by small sample sizes, reliance on self-report or screening measures of paedophilia, and the absence of non-offending paedophilic comparison groups. Conclusions: Current findings provide preliminary insight into schema profiles associated with child sexual offending but do not clarify whether similar patterns characterise paedophilia more broadly. The absence of YSQ data from non-offending individuals with paedophilic interests represents a significant gap in the literature, particularly given that related constructs have been examined in non-offending paedophilic populations using other psychological measures.

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