{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,23]],"date-time":"2026-03-23T23:49:26Z","timestamp":1774309766244,"version":"3.50.1"},"reference-count":25,"publisher":"Springer Science and Business Media LLC","issue":"6","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,6,27]],"date-time":"2025-06-27T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1750982400000},"content-version":"tdm","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0"},{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,6,27]],"date-time":"2025-06-27T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1750982400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100002839","name":"Charit\u00e9 - Universit\u00e4tsmedizin Berlin","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100002839","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"crossref"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":["link.springer.com"],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["J of Prevention"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2025,12]]},"abstract":"<jats:title>Abstract<\/jats:title>\n                  <jats:p>K\u00f6nig's (2025) critique of the German Prevention Project Dunkelfeld mis-applies standards developed for adjudicated (\"Hellfeld\") offenders to a voluntary, non-forensic prevention setting. We clarify why context-appropriate science is essential for evaluating interventions that reach individuals whose child sexual abuse (CSA) behaviour remains hidden from the justice system. First, the large gap between official recidivism and high self-reported offending is not methodological failure but strong evidence of the well-documented \"dark figure\" of undetected sexual crime. Second, Germany's unique legal framework (\u00a7 65d SGB V; \u00a7 203 StGB) enables confidential, face-to-face treatment and pharmacological options that are infeasible in jurisdictions with mandatory reporting, making Dunkelfeld programmes a public-health imperative. Third, forensic risk tools and the CODC (2007) guidelines lack demonstrated validity for voluntary help-seekers; carefully collected self-report and dynamic risk-factor change therefore constitute the only context-relevant outcome metrics. Fourth, concerns about iatrogenic effects must be interpreted through the Risk-Need-Responsivity lens: specialised, multi-modal interventions such as the Berlin Dissexuality Therapy (BEDIT) show beneficial changes in cognitive and behavioural risk markers, mirroring findings from recent RCTs of internet-delivered CBT and pharmacological therapy. Finally, all German model sites are currently undergoing an independent, multi-year evaluation commissioned by the national health-insurance association. We conclude that preventing CSA and CSAM requires embracing rigorous yet context-sensitive methodologies rather than importing standards that overlook the dark figure. The ethical imperative to prevent harm and offer help to those at risk persists even acknowledging that no intervention guarantees universal success, demanding our most contextually sensitive scientific efforts.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1007\/s10935-025-00859-6","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,6,27]],"date-time":"2025-06-27T04:07:29Z","timestamp":1750997249000},"page":"785-792","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1007\/springer_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":2,"title":["Preventing Child Sexual Abuse in the \u2018Dunkelfeld\u2019: A Public Health Imperative Requiring Context-Appropriate Science\u2014A Response to K\u00f6nig (2025)"],"prefix":"10.1007","volume":"46","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-1311-8748","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"K. M.","family":"Beier","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-9907-0038","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"M.","family":"von Heyden","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0008-3104-079X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"J.","family":"Nentzl","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-7930-4204","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"T.","family":"Amelung","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"297","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,6,27]]},"reference":[{"key":"859_CR1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","unstructured":"Beier, K. M. (Ed.). (2021). Pedophilia, hebephilia and sexual offending against children: The Berlin dissexuality therapy (BEDIT). Springer. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1007\/978-3-030-61262-7","DOI":"10.1007\/978-3-030-61262-7"},{"key":"859_CR2","unstructured":"Beier, K. M. (Chief Investigator). (2024a). BEDIT-RCT: Randomized Controlled Study on the effectiveness of Berlin Dissexuality Therapy as part of the model project in accordance with \u00a765d German Social Security Code V [Clinical Trial: NCT06607042]. ClinicalTrials.gov. https:\/\/clinicaltrials.gov\/study\/NCT06607042"},{"issue":"3","key":"859_CR3","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"133","DOI":"10.1007\/s004140050133","volume":"111","author":"KM Beier","year":"1998","unstructured":"Beier, K. M. (1998). Differential typology and prognosis for dissexual behaviour: A follow-up study of previously expert-appraised child molesters. International Journal of Legal Medicine, 111(3), 133\u2013141. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1007\/s004140050133","journal-title":"International Journal of Legal Medicine"},{"issue":"2","key":"859_CR4","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"529","DOI":"10.1111\/jsm.12785","volume":"12","author":"KM Beier","year":"2015","unstructured":"Beier, K. M., Grundmann, D., Kuhle, L. F., Scherner, G., Konrad, A., & Amelung, T. (2015). The German Dunkelfeld project: A pilot study to prevent child sexual abuse and the use of child abusive images. The Journal of Sexual Medicine, 12(2), 529\u2013542. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1111\/jsm.12785","journal-title":"The Journal of Sexual Medicine"},{"issue":"6","key":"859_CR5","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"881","DOI":"10.1007\/s10935-024-00792-0","volume":"45","author":"KM Beier","year":"2024","unstructured":"Beier, K. M., Nentzl, J., von Heyden, M., Fishere, M., & Amelung, T. (2024). Preventing child sexual abuse and the use of child sexual abuse materials: Following up on the German prevention project Dunkelfeld. Journal of Prevention, 45(6), 881\u2013900. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1007\/s10935-024-00792-0","journal-title":"Journal of Prevention"},{"key":"859_CR6","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1177\/00938548241291155","volume-title":"Where should we intervene, 20 years later?","author":"J Blais","year":"2024","unstructured":"Blais, J., Hanson, R. K., & Harris, A. J. R. (2024). Where should we intervene, 20 years later? Criminal Justice and Behavior. Advance online publication. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1177\/00938548241291155"},{"key":"859_CR7","unstructured":"BSV (Bundesamt f\u00fcr Sozialversicherungen). (2025, April 9). Aktualisierte Bestandesaufnahme des Schweizer Pr\u00e4ventionsangebots f\u00fcr Personen mit sexuellen Interessen an Kindern. Eidgen\u00f6ssisches Departement des Innern EDI. https:\/\/www.bsv.admin.ch\/dam\/bsv\/de\/dokumente\/kinder\/berichte-vorstoesse\/aktualisierte-bestandesaufnahme-des--schweizer-praeventionsangebots-fuer-personen-mit-sexuellen-interessen-an-kindern.pdf.download.pdf\/aktualisierte-bestandesaufnahme-des--schweizer-praeventionsangebots-fuer-personen-mit-sexuellen-interessen-an-kindern.pdf"},{"key":"859_CR8","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1038\/s41443-024-00968-6","author":"F de Tribolet-Hardy","year":"2024","unstructured":"de Tribolet-Hardy, F., Veitz, S., Dittli, L., & Habermeyer, E. (2024). Perspective: Clinical care of pedophilic individuals in Zurich Switzerland. International Journal of Impotence Research. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1038\/s41443-024-00968-6","journal-title":"International Journal of Impotence Research"},{"key":"859_CR9","unstructured":"Di Gioia, R., Debn\u00e1rov\u00e1, L., Beslay, L., Lacambre, M., Miele, C., Quayle, E., Shaw, S., Xella, C. 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The German \u2018Dunkelfeld\u2019 Approach: When the dark figure of sexual delinquency against minors remains shady. Journal of Prevention. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1007\/s10935-025-00852-z","journal-title":"Journal of Prevention"},{"key":"859_CR15","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"107299","DOI":"10.1016\/j.chiabu.2025.107299","volume":"161","author":"H-M Lahtinen","year":"2025","unstructured":"Lahtinen, H.-M., Honkalampi, K., Insoll, T., Nurmi, J., Quayle, E., Ovaska, A. K., & Vaaranen-Valkonen, N. (2025). Investigating the disparities among child sexual abuse material users: Anonymous self-reports from both charged and uncharged individuals. 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