Development and Validation of the Pedophilophobia Scale

This study describes the development and implications of the Pedophilophobia Scale in Ukrainian language, designed to detect the cognitive, affective, and behavioral components of phobia towards pedophiles in Ukrainian simple. The participants (n=40 for the trial test–retest and n=400 for test–retest reliability) were students from a large Podillia Ukrainian States university. The Scale represents the 25 Likert-type items questionnaire consisting of three factors: a factor that assesses mainly negative cognitions regarding pedophilia, a factor that assess primarily negative affect and avoidance of pedophile individuals, and a factor that assesses negative affect and aggression toward pedophile individuals. The scale was created on base of the Homophobia Scale and the concurrent validity was established according the IHP. The steps of Scale improvement and validation of the results are discussed. Study results suggest that the PPS may be used in forensic psychological and phobia assessment settings.