ORIGINAL PAPER Minor Physical Anomalies as a Window into the Prenatal Origins of Pedophilia Fiona Dyshniku 1 • Michelle E. Murray 2 • Rachel L. Fazio 2 • Amy D. Lykins 3 • James M. Cantor 2,4 Received: 1 October 2014 / Revised: 30 April 2015 / Accepted: 4 May 2015 Ó Springer Science+Business Media New York 2015 Abstract Evidence is steadily accumulating to support a neu- rodevelopmental basis for pedophilia. This includes increased incidence of non-right-handedness, which is a result primarily of prenatal neural development and solidified very early in life. Minor physical anomalies (MPAs; superficial deviations from typical morphological development, such as un-detached ear- lobes) also develop only prenatally, suggesting them as another potential marker of atypical physiological development during the prenatal period among pedophiles. This study administered the Waldrop Physical Anomaly Scale to assess the prevalence of MPAs in a clinical sample of men referred for assessment fol- lowing a sexual assault, or another illegal or clinically sig- nificant sexual behavior. Significant associations emerged between MPA indices and indicators of pedophilia, including penile re- sponses to depictions of children, number of child victims, and possession of child pornography. Moreover, greater sexual attraction to children was associated with an elevatedcranio- facial-to-peripheral anomalies ratio. The overall sample demon- strated a greater number of MPAs relative to prior samples of individuals with schizophrenia as well as to healthy controls. Keywords Anthropometry Á Minor physical anomalies Á Pedophilia Á Phallometry Á Prenatal development Introduction Pedophilia refers to the sexual attraction to children who are prepubescent (i.e., with Tanner Stage 1 features, typically under age 11); hebephilia refers to the sexual attraction to children who are pubescent (i.e., with Tanner Stage 2–3 features, typically ages 11–14; Blanchard et al., 2009; Glueck, 1955). The propensity to be sexually aroused by children is distinct from child molestation, which refers to the overt sexual contact with children. Not all child molesters prefer children sexually (as often occurs in cases of incest), and an unknown proportion of pedophiles and he- bephiles suppress their sexual interests throughout their lives, never coming to clinical or forensic attention. Because the subset of child molesters who experience a genuine sexual preference for children is the most likely to recidivate sexually (Hanson & Bussie `re, 1998; Hanson & Morton-Bourgon, 2005), greater knowledge of the etiology of pedophilia and hebephilia may en- hance society’s ability to prevent such offenses. Over the past decade, evidence has steadily accumulated, pointing to a neurodevelopmental basis of pedophilia and he- bephilia. Relative to controls, samples of men sexually interested in children exhibit lower IQ scores (Blanchard et al., 2007; Cantor et al., 2004; Cantor, Blanchard, Robichaud, & Christensen, 2005a), poorer performance on tests of verbal and visuospatial memory (Cantor et al., 2004), more frequent head injuries before (but not after) age 13 (Blanchard et al., 2002, 2003), higher rates of non- right-handedness (Blanchard et al., 2007; Cantor et al., 2004, 2005b), and shorter physical stature (Cantor et al., 2007; McPhail & Cantor, 2015; Mellan, Nedoma, & Ponde ˘lı ´c ˇkova ´, 1969; Taylor, Myers, Robbins, & Barnard, 1993). In a large neuroimaging study, applying voxel-based morphometry analysis of structural & Rachel L. Fazio rlfazio@gmail.com 1 Department of Psychology, University of Windsor, Windsor, ON, Canada 2 Sexual Behaviours Clinic, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, 250 College St., Toronto, ON M5T 1R8, Canada 3 School of Behavioural, Cognitive, and Social Sciences, University of New England, Armidale, NSW, Australia 4 Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada 123 Arch Sex Behav DOI 10.1007/s10508-015-0564-7