Paraphilias in ADHD and their Association with Hypersexuality

Abstract

Abstract Previous research has found some peculiarities in sexual functioning of adults with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). So far, the prevalence of paraphilias in adults with ADHD is not known. We assessed the prevalence of paraphilic fantasies and behaviors in a sample of 160 adults with ADHD in comparison to 75 adults without ADHD. Furthermore, the association between paraphilias and hypersexuality was evaluated. All participants had to answer several questionnaires online. Both adults with and without ADHD reported high rates of paraphilic sexual fantasies and behaviors. Women without ADHD reported about frotteuristic fantasies more often, while women with ADHD reported about a higher rate of masochistic and fetishistic fantasies. On the other side, men without ADHD had a higher rate of fetishistic fantasies than men with ADHD. Hypersexuality was related to paraphilias in adults with ADHD, however, not in adults without ADHD. Furthermore, temper problems significantly predicted paraphilias in adults with ADHD. Altogether, individuals with ADHD seem to be not more prone to develop and act out paraphilic sexuality than controls. The results of the present study add to the current trend to depathologize paraphilic sexuality in the general as well as in clinical populations.