Autonepiophilia

Autonepiophilia refers to sexual arousal derived from fantasizing about or enacting the role of an infant. This can include wearing diapers, using baby items, being fed, or engaging in other infant-like behaviors. The condition has significant overlap with paraphilic infantilism and the adult baby/diaper lover (ABDL) community.

From a psychological perspective, autonepiophilia involves a form of age regression where the individual derives comfort, pleasure, or arousal from adopting an infant identity. Various theoretical frameworks have been proposed to explain this interest, including regression to an early developmental stage as a coping mechanism for stress, the appeal of dependency and caretaking dynamics, and the taboo transgression of combining infant behavior with adult sexuality.

It is important to distinguish autonepiophilia from any attraction to actual children or infants. Autonepiophilia is exclusively about the individual's own fantasy of being an infant, not about children. It involves consenting adults and does not inherently involve or endanger minors in any way.

The ABDL community provides social connection and acceptance for individuals with these interests. Within these communities, practices range from the purely comfort-oriented (non-sexual regression for stress relief) to the explicitly sexual. Many participants draw clear distinctions between the nurturing, comforting aspects of their practice and its sexual dimensions.

Clinically, autonepiophilia is generally considered a concern only if it causes significant personal distress or interferes with daily functioning and relationships. Many practitioners lead fully functional lives while incorporating their interest into their private activities.

The term autonepiophilia is constructed from Greek elements: 'auto' (self), 'nepios' (infant or baby), and 'philia' (love, attraction). The Greek word 'nepios' specifically refers to an infant or very young child, distinguishing this term from related conditions involving other age groups.

The practice of adults role-playing as infants has been documented since at least the early 20th century, though it likely existed in various forms before then. Early sexological literature included occasional case studies of adult infantilism, though systematic study was limited.

The formal classification and naming of autonepiophilia developed within the broader effort to catalog paraphilias in the mid-to-late 20th century. The growth of the internet in the 1990s and 2000s significantly expanded the visibility of the ABDL community and facilitated both academic research and community formation. Contemporary understanding increasingly views autonepiophilia within a spectrum of age-play behaviors, with clinical attention focused on cases where the interest causes distress rather than treating the interest itself as inherently pathological.