Identifying the self-perceptions of child sexual exploitation material (CSEM) consumers compared to a reference population of non-consumers is critical in establishing distorted cognitions that may not be elucidated when comparison is made with groups who have committed other offenses. This exploratory work utilizes a quantitative approach toward identifying how individuals previously convicted of child pornography offenses view CSEM and CSEM offending, using a group of non-offenders as a baseline. The target group was selected based on their inclusion in two sex offender registries for child pornography offenses (n = 78). A reference group of non-offenders (n = 254) was gender-matched from a subset of a prior study evaluating the public perceptions of CSEM. Both groups were adults located within the United States and were asked questions using an online survey about their general perceptions of CSEM, their endorsement of CSEM beliefs, and their opinions related to the legality of various forms of CSEM and associated laws and sentencing guidelines. The study found that CSEM consumers more accurately assessed risks associated with CSEM offending, but that they exhibited potential minimization-based cognitive distortions related to severity and victimization and more strongly endorsed child erotica and virtual child pornography being legal. Additionally, they endorsed treatment over prison, and were strongly opposed to sex offender registration for child pornography offenses. The results provide potential treatment targets, including behavioral areas that may be pathways to CSEM offending.

与非消费者参考人群相比，确定儿童性剥削材料 (CSEM) 消费者的自我认知对于建立扭曲的认知至关重要，而在与犯有其他罪行的群体进行比较时，这种认知可能无法得到阐明。这项探索性工作采用定量方法来确定以前因儿童色情犯罪而被定罪的个人如何看待 CSEM 和 CSEM 犯罪，并使用一组非犯罪者作为基线。目标群体的选择是基于他们是否被纳入两个儿童色情犯罪性犯罪者登记册（n = 78）。非犯罪者参考组 ( n= 254）是根据之前评估公众对 CSEM 看法的研究的子集进行性别匹配的。这两个群体都是美国境内的成年人，并通过在线调查询问了他们对 CSEM 的总体看法、对 CSEM 信仰的认可以及对各种形式的 CSEM 合法性以及相关法律和量刑指南的看法。研究发现，CSEM 消费者更准确地评估了与 CSEM 犯罪相关的风险，但他们表现出与严重性和受害相关的潜在的基于最小化的认知扭曲，并且更强烈地认可儿童色情和虚拟儿童色情制品的合法性。此外，他们支持监狱治疗，并强烈反对对儿童色情犯罪进行性犯罪者登记。