Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Adult Baby/Diaper Lovers: An Exploratory Study of an Online Community Sample

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Archives of Sexual Behavior Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

This internet-based study provided descriptive information and exploratory analyses on 1,795 male and 139 female members of the Adult Baby/Diaper Lover (ABDL) community. Based on prior research, some research questions focused on the degree to which ABDL behavior was associated with negative mood states, parental relationships, and attachment style. Based on clinical experience, a second research question focused on discerning two possible subgroups within the ABDL community: persons focused on role play behavior and persons who were primarily interested in sexual arousal in their ABDL behavior. The results showed modest support for the former research questions, but notable support for the last research question. Because of some overlap between the two hypothesized subgroups, additional subgroups may exist. Males in the ABDL community identified their ABDL interests earlier than females and these males may be more focused on sexual aspects of ABDL practices. Both males and females perceived being dominated as important in their ABDL behavior. Most participants were comfortable with their ABDL behavior and reported few problems. ABDL behavior may represent a sexual subculture that is not problematic for most of its participants.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • American Psychiatric Association. (2000). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (4th ed., text rev.). Washington, DC: Author.

  • Baumeister, R. F. (2000). Gender differences in erotic plasticity: The female sex drive as socially flexible and responsive. Psychological Bulletin, 126, 347–374.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Bethell, M. (1974). A rare manifestation of fetishism. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 3, 301–302.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Caldwell, J. G. (2008). Relational aspects of maladaptive diaper-wearing and treatment with couples therapy. Sexual and Relationship Therapy, 23, 157–160.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chalkley, A. J., & Powell, G. E. (1983). The clinical description of forty-eight cases of sexual fetishism. British Journal of Psychiatry, 142, 292–295.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Coleman, E. (2000). Psychiatry and human sexuality. Current Opinion in Psychiatry, 13, 277–278.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Croarkin, P., Nam, T., & Waldrep, D. (2004). Comment on adult baby syndrome [Letter to the Editor]. American Journal of Psychiatry, 161, 2141.

    Google Scholar 

  • Darcangelo, S. (2008). Fetishism: Psychopathology and theory. In D. R. Laws & W. T. O’Donohue (Eds.), Sexual deviance: Theory, assessment, and treatment (pp. 108–118). New York: Guilford Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dinello, F. A. (1967). Stages of treatment in the case of a diaper-wearing seventeen-year-old male. American Journal of Psychiatry, 124, 94–96.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Epstein, A. (1961). Relationship of fetishism and transvestism to brain and particularly to temporal lobe dysfunction. Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, 133, 247–253.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Evcimen, H., & Gratz, S. (2006). Adult baby syndrome [Letter to the Editor]. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 35, 115–116.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Freud, S. (1961). Fetishism. In J. Strachey (Ed. & Trans.), The standard edition of the complete psychological works of Sigmund Freud (Vol. 21, pp. 152–157). London: Hogarth Press. (Original work published 1927).

  • Gates, G. J. (2006). Same-sex couples and the gay, lesbian, bisexual population: New estimates from the American Community Survey. Retrieved from The Williams Institute on Sexual Orientation Law and Public Policy, UCLA School of Law website: http://www.escholarship.org/uc/item/8h08t0zf.

  • Giles, J. (2012). Adult baby syndrome and age identity disorder: Comment on Kise and Nguyen (2011) [Letter to the Editor]. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 41, 321–322.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kafka, M. P. (2010a). The DSM criteria for fetishism. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 39, 357–362.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kafka, M. P. (2010b). The DSM criteria for paraphilia not otherwise specified. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 39, 373–376.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kise, K., & Nguyen, M. (2011). Adult baby syndrome and gender identity disorder [Letter to the Editor]. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 40, 857–859.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Laws, D. R., & Donohue, W. T. (Eds.). (2008). Sexual deviance: Theory, assessment, and treatment (4th ed.). New York: Guilford Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lehne, G. K., & Money, J. (2003). Multiplex versus multiple taxonomy of paraphilia: Case example. Sexual Abuse: A Journal of Research and Treatment, 15, 61–72.

    Google Scholar 

  • Malitz, S. (1966). Another report on the wearing of diapers and rubber pants by an adult male. American Journal of Psychiatry, 122, 1435–1437.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • McConaghy, N. (1974). Penile volume increases to moving and still pictures of male and female nudes. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 3, 565–570.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Mitchell, W., Falconer, M., & Hill, D. (1954). Epilepsy with fetishism relieved by temporal lobectomy. Lancet, 2, 626–630.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Money, J. (1984). Paraphilias: Phenomenology and classification. American Journal of Psychotherapy, 38, 164–179.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Money, J. (1986). Lovemaps: Clinical concepts of sexual/erotic health and pathology, paraphilia, and gender transposition in childhood, adolescence, and maturity. New York: Irvington Publishers.

    Google Scholar 

  • Moser, C. (2005). DSM-IV-TR and the paraphilias: An argument for removal. Journal of Psychology and Human Sexuality, 17(3/4), 91–109.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pandita-Gunawardena, R. (1990). Paraphilic infantilism: A rare case of fetishistic behavior. British Journal of Psychiatry, 157, 767–770.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Pate, J., & Gabbard, G. (2003). Adult baby syndrome. American Journal of Psychiatry, 160, 1932–1936.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Rachman, S. S., & Hodgson, R. J. (1968). Experimentally-induced ‘sexual fetishism’: Replication and development. Psychological Record, 18, 25–27.

    Google Scholar 

  • Richters, J., de Visser, R. O., Rissel, C. E., Grulich, A. E., & Smith, A. M. A. (2008). Demographic and psychosocial features of participants in bondage and discipline, “sadomasochism” or dominance and submission (BDSM): Data from a national survey. Journal of Sexual Medicine, 5, 1660–1668.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Sanders, G. (1997). Recovering from paraphilia: An adolescent’s journey form despair to hope. Journal of Child and Youth Care, 11, 43–54.

    Google Scholar 

  • Shacham, S. (1983). A shortened version of the Profile of Mood States. Journal of Personality Assessment, 47, 305–306.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Tuchman, W., & Lachman, J. (1964). An unusual perversion: The wearing of diapers and rubber pants in a 29-year-old male. American Journal of Psychiatry, 120, 1198–1199.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Waismann, R., Fenwick, M. B., Wilson, G. D., Hewett, T. D., & Lumsden, J. (2003). EEG responses to visual erotic stimuli in men with normal and paraphilic interests. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 32, 135–144.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Wei, M., Russell, D. W., Mallinckrodt, B., & Vogel, D. L. (2007). The Experiences in Close Relationship Scale (ECR)-Short Form: Reliability, validity, and factor structure. Journal of Personality Assessment, 88, 187–204.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Wise, T. N. (1985). Fetishism: Etiology and treatment. A review from multiple perspectives. Comprehensive Psychiatry, 26, 249–257.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank all of the participants for their generous time and kind support of this project as well as B. Terrance Grey for his invaluable input. We appreciate their willingness to educate us. Without their sharing, this project would not be possible.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, Hamline University, St. Paul, MN, USA

    Kaitlyn Hawkinson

  2. Program in Human Sexuality, Department of Family Medicine and Community Health, University of Minnesota Medical School, 1300 S 2nd St., Ste. 180, Minneapolis, MN, 55454, USA

    Brian D. Zamboni

Authors
  1. Kaitlyn Hawkinson
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Brian D. Zamboni
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Brian D. Zamboni.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Hawkinson, K., Zamboni, B.D. Adult Baby/Diaper Lovers: An Exploratory Study of an Online Community Sample. Arch Sex Behav 43, 863–877 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-013-0241-7

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-013-0241-7

Keywords

Search

Navigation