Implications of sexual fantasy characteristics and memory intensity for harmful sexual behaviour

IF 1.1 4区医学 Q3 CRIMINOLOGY & PENOLOGY Criminal Behaviour and Mental Health Pub Date : 2023-09-01 DOI:10.1002/cbm.2308

Andrew Allen, Mary Katsikitis, Prudence Millear, Nadine McKillop

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Abstract

Background

Sexual fantasies and memories are aetiological considerations in the perpetration of sexual violence, but fantasy–memory–behaviour relationships may be influenced by various factors, including sexual fantasy and memory phenomenology, that are the properties of mental imagery.

Aims

To investigate differences in sexual fantasy phenomenology and sexual memory intensity in men who report a history of harmful sexual behaviour compared to those who do not. We also investigated whether the likelihood of reporting harmful sexual intent was related to sexual memory intensity, independently of age and harmful sexual behaviour history.

Methods

An online cross-sectional survey design was used, focusing on men aged ≥18 years who were recruited from the general population via social media. The survey prompted participants to envisage a favoured sexual fantasy, then obtained data on fantasy phenomenology, including vividness and sensations, and arousal level. In addition, information was requested about sexual memory intensity and harmful sexual behaviour history and intent.

Results

A total of 322 men completed the survey. Multiple Welch's t-tests showed that men self-reporting one or more harmful sexual behaviours, such as rape or child sexual abuse, gave significantly higher ratings of sexual fantasy phenomenology but not fantasy frequency or masturbation. They were also more likely to report higher sexual memory intensity. Although the significance of fantasy phenomenology varied between subgroups, binary logistic regression indicated that age, history of harmful sexual behaviour and sexual memory intensity were each independently associated with harmful sexual intent.

Conclusions

Our findings provide new insights into the importance of fantasy phenomenology, demonstrating nuanced differences between those with and without a history of harmful sexual behaviour and illustrating that memory intensity is associated with harmful sexual behaviour intent. Further research into these differences in the context of assessment and intervention for sexual violence perpetration is warranted.

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性幻想特征和记忆强度对有害性行为的影响。

背景：性幻想和性记忆是实施性暴力的病因考虑因素，但幻想-记忆-行为关系可能受到各种因素的影响，包括性幻想和记忆现象学，这是心理意象的特性。目的：调查报告有有害性行为史的男性与未报告的男性在性幻想现象学和性记忆强度方面的差异。我们还调查了报告有害性意图的可能性是否与性记忆强度有关，与年龄和有害性行为史无关。方法：采用在线横断面调查设计，重点关注通过社交媒体从普通人群中招募的年龄≥18岁的男性。该调查促使参与者设想一种受欢迎的性幻想，然后获得幻想现象学的数据，包括生动性和感觉，以及唤醒水平。此外，还要求提供关于性记忆强度和有害性行为历史和意图的信息。结果：共有322名男性完成了调查。多项Welch t检验表明，男性自我报告一种或多种有害的性行为，如强奸或儿童性虐待，对性幻想现象学的评分明显更高，但对幻想频率或手淫的评分则不高。他们也更有可能报告更高的性记忆强度。尽管幻想现象学的意义因亚组而异，但二元逻辑回归表明，年龄、有害性行为史和性记忆强度均与有害性意图独立相关。结论：我们的发现为幻想现象学的重要性提供了新的见解，证明了有和没有有害性行为史的人之间的细微差异，并说明记忆强度与有害性行为意图有关。有必要在评估和干预性暴力行为的背景下对这些差异进行进一步研究。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Criminal Behaviour and Mental Health Multiple-

CiteScore

1.60

自引率

0.00%

发文量

期刊介绍： Criminal Behaviour & Mental Health – CBMH – aims to publish original material on any aspect of the relationship between mental state and criminal behaviour. Thus, we are interested in mental mechanisms associated with offending, regardless of whether the individual concerned has a mental disorder or not. We are interested in factors that influence such relationships, and particularly welcome studies about pathways into and out of crime. These will include studies of normal and abnormal development, of mental disorder and how that may lead to offending for a subgroup of sufferers, together with information about factors which mediate such a relationship.