Everyone has their reasons for being in a diaper. Whether someone finds that arousing or not is up to them. Tris, it kind of comes across as if you are brushing off the fact that there are those amongst us who are in fact using the diapers as a coping mechanism. Do you believe that you have to be totally unable to function and be in a mental institution to have coping mechanisms? Because I know people who have never had physical/sexual trama and they have coping mechanisms. It is a human response. I bet you have coping mechanisms for certain things...just as I do. I know I talk too much when I get nervous, or I shy away from confrontation, and I sometimes avoid certain situations because they make me uncomfortable. All of these are coping mechanisms. Diapers are just one of the many in the world.
The wonderful thing about a forum like this is that we can all express our views in a safe environment. But we must do so with care, respect, and consideration. Diapers can be a very powerful symbol for some people, and dismissing it or belittling it as an object solely for masturbation and/or arousal is something akin to calling it a dildo. Something Tabby said really caught my attention. "Abuse as a child (regression can be caused by this). Therefore when a person is in 'baby-space' they do not want adult things in that space. Sexual activities in that space can be the equivalent of molestation in their eyes." When an AB is in AB mode...they are not the adults that their bodies seem to indicate. Touching and sexually stimulating an AB when in that frame of mind might be seen as inappropriate to many people. And to some might even be the cause for further trauma.
These are just my thoughts on this topic. Lots of it is from observation and interaction. Its not fair to say that the majority of people use the diaper for masturbation...I think there are quite a few who are hesitant to do that. And some who clearly cannot see it that way.