adult baby syndrome en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- /ˌæd.ʌltˌbeɪ̯.biˈsɪn.drəʊm/ (Received-Pronunciation)
- /-ˈsɪn.dɹəm/ (General-American)
- /əˌdʌltˌbeɪ̯.biˈsɪn.dɹoʊm/ (General-American)
- /ˌæd.əlt-/ (Received-Pronunciation)
- /ˌæd.əlt-/ (General-American)
Etymology
From adult baby + syndrome. First attested as early as 21 March 1994, but popularised in academia by a 2003 research paper (see quotations).
Meanings
-
(informal, offensive, possibly, uncommon, uncountable) A condition or desire in which one takes on the role of an infant or toddler, usually by wearing diapers, engaging in child-like activities and engaging with childish paraphernalia, whether sexual (autonepiophilia) or non-sexual; infantilism, often believed to be the result of childhood trauma, neglect or abuse.
Another variation at least sometimes associated with sexual arousal is adult baby syndrome, in which an adult is motivated to act like an infant, wearing diapers, drinking milk from a bottle, eating baby food, and doing other things associated with infants.
2008, Gary F. Kelly, Sexuality Today, 9 edition, →ISBN, pages 411–412:While it is unknown if Eastwood’s condition has been clinically examined, people who identify as babies usually suffer from paraphilic infantilism, otherwise known as 'adult baby syndrome'. It is a sexual fetish that sees adults role-playing and regressing to a child-like state, often to help them deal with childhood trauma and abandonment issues.
2022 April 10, Gergana Krasteva, “Shoelace strangler now identifies as a baby who wears nappies in prison”, in Metro:I believe it is called the "adult baby syndrome", and is a form of psychosis. One of my colleagues who is interested in the decay of Western society said that there is a paper on the Net about ABS. Apparently, one can use Alta Vista or some other text searcher to find such things.
1996 June 18, Mark S. Schmalz, “Something so outrageous I can't believe this one...”, in alt.culture.hawaii (Usenet):Many such individuals experienced intimacy as dangerous or deadly during childhood, and avoid it for the rest of their lives. An example is infantilism, or adult baby syndrome (dressing as a baby, wearing diapers, and acting as a child), which is performed to coerce others into a quasi-maternal role that utterly negates their subjectivity.
2015, Robert A. Schug, Henry F. Fradella, Mental Illness and Crime, SAGE Publications, →ISBN, page 308:These two cases were both characterized as antisocial behavior, with a predominant emphasis on the fetishistic or sexual aspects of wearing diapers and rubber pants. Unlike Mr. A, neither patient had all of the characteristics of adult baby syndrome.
2003 November 14, Jennifer E. Pate, Glen O. Gabbard, “Adult Baby Syndrome”, in American Journal of Psychiatry, volume 160, number 11, American Psychiatric Association, →DOI, page 1934:We cater to all sexual lifestyles. Women free, discounts for couples. Lesbian, gay, straight, bisexual, adult baby syndrome, water sports, slaves, masters, mistresses, TV, TS, cross dressers, kink, fetishes and more.
1994 March 21, “Alternate Lifestyles BBS”, in MicroTimes, number 121 (advertisement), page 181: