Mapping Paraphilic Infantilism and Diaper Fetishes - Method and Results

-By B. Terrance Grey
Part of the Survey Project at Understanding.Infantilism.Org

METHOD

A 38-question online survey was composed and posted to the internet at the author's website, understanding.infantilism.org. The questions briefly explored interests, practices, and backgrounds of ABDLs. The survey was announced to a number of email and web-based AB/DL communities. The following correlations only include responces that answered all of the questions involved in the correlation, and only those who reported being ABDLs. Depending on the crosstabulation, the number of sufficiently complete responces included ranged from 1077 to 1164.

The responces were gathered and tabulated using a custom analysis program. This program, written in C, built question summaries and crosstabulations.

RESULTS

Currently, paraphilias are defined by their interests, what they involve wanting to do. In the simplest sense, paraphilic infantilism and diaper fetishes are defined by an interest in diapers, babyhood, etc. As a result, any map compatible with the current terminology would need to focus on interests.

The survey included a list of five aspects of ABDL fantasy and practice.

The feeling, sound, and/or smell of diapers.
Sexuality, possibly including masturbation or intercourse.
Being under the control of someone else. This might include spanking or humiliation.
Babyhood, possibly including stuffed animals, toys, or naptimes
The convenience of not having to get to a bathroom

The surveyee was asked to rate each aspect as either 'very important,' 'important,' 'OK,' 'tolerable,' or 'must be absent.' The results of these questions were analyzed in both relative and absolute terms. The overall distribution of these interests is plotted in Figure #2. The peak of feeling/sound/smell being 'very important' for 55% of responces will be explored in more detail later.

Figure #2 - Distribution of ABDL Interests. This figure is a 3D bar plot showing the distribution of five aspects of diaper use across five levels of interest. Feel/smell/sound was considered very important by 55% of ABDLs, and 30% considered it important. The mode for sex was OK, with 34%, followed by important, 28%. The mode for control was also OK, with 25%. The distribution for control was flatter and more symmetric. Babyhood has gradient, from very important, 25%, to must be absent, 13%. Convenience was considered very important by 39% of ABDLs.

As might be expected, some interests and practices correlated closely. For example, the correlation of the question on the importance of feeling/sound/smell and the diaper type is plotted in Figure #3. 35% of all ABDLs reported that it is critical that the diaper be of a particular type and that the sensations of that diaper are 'very important.' Another 45% of ABDLs were one step removed from this mode. They may have considered the senstations important but not very important, the diaper critical but not the diaper type, or both.

Figure #3 - Diaper Type and Importance. This figure is a 3D bar plot correlating the importance of diaper feel/sound/smell with the requirements for the diaper. 35% of ABDLs considered the diaper feel/sound/smell to be very important, and the diaper type critical. Another 45% were one step removed from this mode. They reported feel/sound/smell being important instead of very important, the diaper's presence critical (but not the particular type), or both

The correlation of babyhood and control themes is plotted in Figure #5. Since both involve roleplay and have other superficial similarities, considerable overlap was expected. Especially in the extremes, there was a tendency to report both themes as having the same importance. 36% of ABDLs who considered babyhood 'very important' also considered control 'very important.' 48% of ABDLs who considered babyhood 'must be absent' also considered control 'must be absent.' Overall, 34% of ABDLs placed the same importance on the themes of babyhood as control.

Figure #4 - Babyhood and Control Themes. This figure is a 3D bar plot correlating the importance of control and babyhood as themes in ABDL scenes and fantasies. The percentages are with respect to Babyhood.

A weaker correlation occurred between the importance of sexual themes and the presence of sexual practices, plotted in Figure #5. ABDLs who did not place any restriction on their sexual practices during scenes and fantasies were most likely to report them as important. 39% did so. Another 29% reported sexuality as very important. However, the remaining 32% of those that practiced unrestricted sexuality considered it an unimportant aspect in their ABDL scenes and fantasies.

Other ABDLs moderated the types of sexual activities that they would engage in during scenes and fantasies. 54% of those that moderated their practices considered sexuality an unimportant aspect. Sexuality might be present while not necessarily part of the core paraphilia, just as it is present in the activities of most non-paraphilic individuals. One of the four cases cited by Pate and Gabbard is an example of this, although an atypical one: Dr. Dinello's patient believed that using his hands to masturbate was morally wrong, and so used the diaper for stimulation instead.^[7] Religious beliefs caused the masturbation into the diaper, while the diaper was present for other reasons.

Figure #5 - Presence and Importance of Sex. This figure is a 3D bar plot correlating the importance of sexuality as an aspect of paraphilic infantilism and disper fetishism with its presence. The percentages are with respect to importance. ABDLs who included unrestricted sexuality in their games and fantasies were most likely to consider it 'important' (38.5%). ABDLs who never involved sexuality in their games and fantasies were most likely to consider it 'Must be absent' (37.7%). Those that moderated the sexual practices, or excluded it at particular times, were most likely to consider it 'OK.'

Other ABDLs excluded sexual activities from their ABDL games or fantasies, either all the time, when roleplaying, or regressed. 83% of these three groups considered sexuality an unimportant part of ABDL scenes and fantasies. Clearly, the broad presence of sexuality in AB/DL scenes and games doesn't necessarily imply a broad importance.

Relative Analysis

In addition to summarizing the absolute responses of surveys, the data analysis program also tabulated the relative importances. The most important interests are plotted in Figure #6. This plot shows the percentage of ABDLs that listed an interest as either most important, or as one of a few interests that shared highest importance. ABDLs with two most important aspects were included in the sum for both aspects. Similarly, those who gave the same, most important rating to three aspects are included in the sum for all three. Those with four or five most important were not plotted. The number of most important aspects reported is plotted in Figure #7.

Figure #6 - Most important aspects. This figure is a bar chart showing the most important aspects of diapers for ABDLs. ABDLs who considered two aspects equally most important are shown in the second column for each of the two aspects. Similarly, ABDLs reporting three equally most important aspects are in the third column for each of the three aspects. Overall, 61% of ABDLs thought the feeling/smell/sound of a diaper was the most important or on of two or three most important aspects. For comparison, this importance was reported for sexuality by 18% of ABDLs, for control by 17%, and babyhood by 24%.

A relative importance of sexual, control, and babyhood themes was expected, because of their frequency in fantasy and fiction. Fantasies, stories, and scenes typically have a narrative of some form. There is usually something happening. However, these might be artificial structures, built around a central desire. The survey data shows that 61% of all ABDLs reported that feeling/sound/smell was the most important aspects; or two or three equally most-important aspects. This is in contrast to 18% for sexuality, 17% for control, and 24% for babyhood. This dominance of feeling/sound/smell suggests that the diaper is more than just a common element among many ABDLs, but the core element in the urges of paraphilic infantilism and diaper fetishism.

Figure #7- Number of Most Important Aspects. This figure is a bar chart showing the plurality of most important aspects of diapers for ABDLs. 39% of ABDLs had a single, most important aspect in a list of five. 34% has two aspects that they reported as being equally important. 19% reported three equally most-important aspects. 7% reported four equally most important aspects. 2% considered all five aspects equally important.

Report sections: Abstract - Background - Results - Discussion - References

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Level: Advanced | Status: Finished | Last Update: 5/27/07| First 5/27/07

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