Pedophilia is the experience of recurrent intense sexual urges and sexually arousing fantasies involving sexual activity with a prepubescent child by a person (at least 16 years of age and 5 years older than the victim) who has acted on these urges. This research paper reviews research on the effects of parent-child relationships and home environment on the development of pedophilia. Research in the etiology of pedophilia has been extensive in scope. The research examined here is mainly retrospective and focuses on pedophiles' perceptions of their families. The review is divided into three categories: (1) Parent-child interactions in the lives of pedophiles, examining mother-son relationships, father-son relationships, and parental identification; (2) Family environment, analyzing the structure of the sex offenders' families and the impact of sexual abuse and familial relationships; and (3) Sexual victimization, exploring the validity of the molestation theory and the literature concerning intra-familial and extra-familial victimization of sex offenders. Each study's statistically significant results and validity were critiqued. Research results across the three areas were mixed. Most of the studies were unable to discriminate pedophiles from other sex offenders and sexually deviant groups. Methodological considerations and recommendations for further research are suggested. (RJM)