Study Information
Thank you for your interest in taking part in our study! By participating, you can use the services of Troubled Desire completely anonymously, without any identifying information, and free of charge. You can chat with one of our therapists and/or explore the self-help section. Please take a moment to read the following information carefully.
Project description
We provide anonymous, confidential, and free interventions for individuals at risk of or con-cerned about viewing child sexual abuse material (CSAM). Our therapeutic interventions follow a resource-based approach based on the experience of the “Kein Täter wer-den” (“Don’t Become an Offender”) prevention network. Support is provided in the form of self-help and/or text-based chat sessions. We want to test whether these interventions ha-ve a positive effect on reducing the urge to use CSAM and improving the mental wellbeing of our participants. Additionally, we want to learn more about the factors that increase the risk of participants using CSAM, their help-seeking behavior, and the impact of online therapeutic interventions. We also aim to develop AI-based support for therapists and an anonymised dialogue database, which will allow us to help more people. The main goal of our study is to prevent the spread of CSAM and to develop effective, tailored support for people with a sexual interest in children that meets the needs of participants.
Procedure of the study
Over the course of 12 weeks, the study provides access to our self-help pages and/or a chat intervention in the Troubled Desire web programme. Both therapists and participants remain anonymous throughout the process. Both parties are strongly advised not to share any personal information (e.g. name, address, contact details) at any point during their interactions (instructions on how to protect your identity effectively can be found here). After agreeing to participate, participants will complete a brief initial survey to determine eligibility. In their personal space, participants will receive messages about the study process and intervention, schedule chat sessions with their therapist, and complete questionnaires at designated times. The exact process may vary depending on the group to which participants are randomly assigned. There may be longer waiting times. Self-help can be used individual-ly after release, while chat sessions last exactly 50 minutes and take place only at pre-arranged times. During the 12-week study period, participants will be regularly invited to engage online and answer a few questions in their personal space. These questions relate to their CSAM behaviour, beliefs, experiences and general mood. All questi-ons will be answered anonymously. Participation requires a commitment to active engage-ment for at least 12 weeks, though withdrawal is permitted at any time without justificati-on. Contact is only possible via a randomly generated PIN in the Troubled Desire online por-tal.
The study is conducted by Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin (CUB) in Germany, in collabo-ration with Universitat Internacional de Catalunya (UIC) in Barcelona, Spain, and Technische Universität Berlin (TUB). All data will be stored on secure servers at the CUB without any personal identifiers. The project partners are responsible for analysing the data collected in the TD-CHAT study. Therefore, data exchange between the Charité and its research partners must be encrypted end-to-end.
Voluntary participation
Participation in this study is completely voluntary. Before answering any of our questions, you must agree to participate. As we ask you not to use your name at any point in the pro-cess, and as there is no possibility of a signature, we ask you to tick the box as a declaration of consent and enter the current date. You can withdraw your consent at any time without consequence. If you do not wish to participate, you may do so without giving any reason and you may request the withdrawal of the data you have provided. You have the right not to answer questions asked during chat sessions or in personal messages, or not to provide mo-re information than you are comfortable with. You will be reminded repeatedly to remain anonymous and not to disclose any personal information when answering questions, com-municating in the message centre or chatting with your therapists.
Benefits and risks of participation
Your participation is crucial to the study as you will be using the support provided on the Troubled Desire platform. Your input will help us to evaluate and improve the interventions we develop. You will be supported by our therapists to achieve wellbeing and healthy sexual behaviour. Additionally, these resources can help others get the support they need in a free, anonymous and non-judgmental virtual environment. Your participation could help prevent child sexual exploitation and reduce the spread of CSAM. You may feel uncomfortable dis-cussing certain topics. Addressing your sexual preferences with minors may cause psycholo-gical and emotional distress. This may be exacerbated by the fact that, according to current knowledge, sexual preferences are relatively stable over the lifespan and it is not possible to completely 'cure' the sexual fantasies and impulses associated with them. Changing sexual preference is not a therapeutic goal, but rather integrating it into one's self-image and lear-ning to control behaviour in accordance with sexual needs. This radical acceptance can lead to intense emotional distress for you and your loved ones. In some cases, there may be a risk of self-harm or harm to others. A risk management plan is in place. If there are any signs of potential harm to yourself or others (e.g. suicidal thoughts) during the trial, participants are advised to contact local help systems (e.g. psychiatric emergency services, crisis teams, etc.). If treatable psychological or physical issues arise during the study, consul-tation with a physician is generally recommended. In Germany, the option of using the "Kein Täter werden" network is mentioned. Participants who are far from any of the study sites will receive different information based on the international services available.
Expense allowance
There is no financial allowance for participation in the study.
Data protection measures
Participation in the study and use of Troubled Desire requires access to an electronic device (e.g. computer, tablet or smartphone) equipped with a web browser application (e.g. Fire-fox, Safari, Opera, Chrome, Edge, Brave, Tor browser, etc.) and connected to the internet at the time of study activities for both therapists and participants. All data is encrypted end-to-end. Chat conversations are conducted in text form. The chat logs are stored in a secure database and used for the above-mentioned research purposes and clinical documentation. The data collected will be anonymous and all potentially identifying personal data will be removed before further processing. Anonymous transcripts will be securely transferred to the above partner institutions for further analysis and processing. Access to the database will be protected by two-factor authentication. Transcripts and translations will be stored on a password-protected drive with further access restrictions for ten years. All data collected, including questionnaires, will be stored separately. This will ensure your anonymity in relati-on to the research findings. Data will be processed in accordance with applicable data pro-tection legislation, in particular the European General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the German Federal Data Protection Act (BDSG) and the Berlin Data Protection Act (BlnDSG).
Confidentiality
Your information will be treated in the strictest confidentiality. Your personal data will be anonymised and stored securely. The results of the study will only be published and used for scientific purposes. No information that could be used to identify you will be published. Any-one who has access to your records will be required to keep them confidential and to comply with applicable data protection legislation.
Participant rights and contact information
You have the right to withdraw your consent at any time. You have the right to information, correction, deletion, restriction of processing, data portability and objection to the processing of your personal data. You can revoke your consent to the use and disclosure of your data at any time without incurring any disadvantages.
If you have any questions about the study or wish to exercise your rights, please contact the office responsible for data processing and study management in writing. Please use these contact details only for enquiries and do not share sensitive data by e-mail.
Institut für Sexualwissenschaft und Sexualmedizin
Direktor Prof. Dr. med. Dr. phil. Klaus M. Beier
Campus Charité Mitte
Charitéplatz 1
10117 Berlin
Telefon: +49 30 450 529 302
E-mail: info@troubled-desire.com
If you have any concerns regarding data processing and compliance with data protection
requirements, you can also contact the Data Protection Officer of the Charité
- University Medicine Berlin:
Data Protection Officer Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin
Charitéplatz 1
10117 Berlin
Telephone: +49 30 450 580016
E-mail: datenschutzbeauftragte@charite.de
In the event that you consider data processing to be unlawful, you have the option of filing a complaint with the supervisory authority responsible for Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin:
Berlin Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information
Alt-Moabit 59-61
10555 Berlin
Telefon: +49 30 13889-0
Fax: +49 30 2155050
E-Mail: mailbox@datenschutz-berlin.de
https://www.datenschutz-berlin.de
Version 1.1 from 21.02.2025 Join now