Abstract
Objective:
Childhood masturbation (CM) is defi ned as self-stimulation of the genitalia in a prepubescent child. The aim of the current review is to revisit the assessment and management of CM.
Method:
Using key words that include “masturbation” and “children”, the PubMed was screened. In addition, the reference lists of retrieved articles and reviews were searched up to June 2015.
Results:
CM may be misdiagnosed as abdominal pain or epileptic seizures. Misdiagnosed CM could lead to multiple unnecessary medical procedures and drug use. CM might be considered as abnormal when it includes excessive, obsessive, aggressive or more imitative of adult sexual behaviour, or is with increased frequency and intensity leading to medical problems or causing signifi cant impairment in important areas of functioning. Easy access to pornographic material via internet may contribute to increased frequency of CM.
Discussion:
Although CM may be observed any age in childhood, limited studies have investigated the phenomenon so far and evidence-based data is mainly lacking. More studies investigating normal and abnormal CM is warranted.
Keywords: Masturbation, child, sexual behaviour
