Sexual Abuse: A Journal of Research and Treatment最新文献

Forensic psychiatric populations commonly contain a subset of persons with schizophrenia spectrum disorders (SSD) who have committed sex offenses. A comprehensive delineation of the features that distinguish persons with SSD who have committed sex offenses from persons with SSD who have committed violent non-sex offenses could be relevant to the development of differentiated risk assessment, risk management and treatment approaches. This analysis included the patient records of 296 men with SSD convicted of at least one sex and/or violent offense who were admitted to the Centre for Inpatient Forensic Therapy at the University Hospital of Psychiatry Zurich between 1982 and 2016. Using supervised machine learning, data on 461 variables retrospectively collected from the records were compared with respect to their relative importance in differentiating between men who had committed sex offenses and men who had committed violent non-sex offenses. The final machine learning model was able to differentiate between the two types of offenders with a balanced accuracy of 71.5% (95% CI = [60.7, 82.1]) and an AUC of .80 (95% CI = [.67, .93]). The main distinguishing features included sexual behaviours and interests, psychopathological symptoms and characteristics of the index offense. Results suggest that when assessing and treating persons with SSD who have committed sex offenses, it appears to be relevant to not only address the core symptoms of the disorder, but to also take into account general risk factors for sexual recidivism, such as atypical sexual interests and sexual preoccupation.

Despite the widespread public concern regarding abduction, research on this type of crime is scarce. This lack of research is even more pronounced when looking at cases that end with the death of the victim. In fact, all of the research looking at lethal outcomes in cases of abductions has focused exclusively on child victims and has failed to consider the interactions at the multivariate level between the factors related to the death of the victim. Therefore, the aim of the study is to identify offender and crime characteristics - as well as their interactions - associated with a lethal outcome in sexually-motivated abductions using a combination of logistic regression and neural network analyses on a sample of 281 cases (81 cases ending with a lethal outcome, random sample of 200 comparison cases). Findings show that sexually-motivated abductions ending with a lethal outcome are more likely to be characterized by an offender who is a loner, forensically aware, and who who uses a weapon and restraints, and who sexually penetrates and beats a known victim. The neural network analysis show that three different pathways lead to a lethal outcome in sexually-motivated abductions. Such findings are important for correctional practices.

The accurate assessment of pedophilic sexual interests is crucial for the treatment and management of individuals who have sexually offended children. This study aimed to validate the Revised Screening Scale for Pedophilic Interests (SSPI-2) in a Portuguese sample of 170 men convicted of sexual offenses against children, 104 serving sentences in the community, and 66 in prison. The findings indicated that SSPI-2 demonstrated good convergent validity, as evidenced by its significant and positive associations with the "sexual deviance" item of SVR-20, the number of previous convictions for sexual crimes against children, and having 3 or more child victims, which is associated with high sensitivity and specificity in distinguishing men who show greater sexual arousal to children than to adults. Furthermore, the SSPI-2 exhibited good divergent validity, with no significant correlations observed with a self-report measure of psychopathy or with a nonsexual criminal history.

Several researchers have found that men who have committed sexual aggression have inadequate coping strategies (e.g., paraphilic sexual fantasies, substance abuse). However, very few researchers have empirically examined the factors potentially associated with the development of these strategies. In 2011, Maniglio hypothesized that the inadequate coping strategies of men who have committed sexual aggression are the result of childhood victimization, mediated by internalized psychological problems. The present study therefore empirically tested this hypothesis in a Canadian sample of 205 men who had committed sexual aggression against women, of whom 37 committed sexual murder. Structural equation modeling (SEM) resulted in the identification of several direct and indirect trajectories leading from childhood victimization (psychological, physical, sexual) to the development of inadequate coping strategies (paraphilic sexual fantasies, alcohol and drug use) mediated by internalized psychological problems (e.g., anxiety, depression, social isolation). The theoretical and clinical implications of these developmental trajectories are discussed.

This study examined Static-99R normative data and cross-cultural validity in a sample of 811 Aboriginal and 3257 non-Aboriginal Australian men (N = 4068) serving custodial orders for sexual offences in New South Wales (NSW), Australia. Aboriginal men scored significantly higher on the Static-99R than non-Aboriginal men (M = 4.39 vs. 2.61) and were more likely to be represented in higher categories of risk. The Static-99R showed good discrimination performance for the total sample (AUC = .76; 95% CI = [.73-.80]) and acceptable calibration to expected reoffending rates for routine samples, with slight tendencies towards overestimation. Discrimination accuracy was lower for Aboriginal men (AUC = .68; 95% CI = [.60-77]) than non-Aboriginal men (AUC = .78; 95% CI = [.74-83]) although was significantly better than chance for both groups. Additional analyses indicated that cross-cultural differences in discrimination were partly associated with variance in sample composition between groups. This is the first Australian study to find evidence for significant predictive validity of the Static-99R with Aboriginal men, and while further research is needed, the results provide initial support for cross-cultural applications of the measure in local criminal justice settings.

Problematic sexual behavior (PSBs) in children have been linked to difficulties or challenges within the family environment. Despite this association, few studies have examined how interpersonal boundary transgressions influence children's PSBs. Based on a sample of 112 parent-child dyads recruited before undergoing PSB-focused psychotherapy, this study first aims to explore the concept of sexual, physical, and emotional boundary transgressions within the current family environment in relation to reported levels of PSBs. The study further investigates the connections between parents' current boundary transgressions and their past and present family environments. Bivariate analyses revealed a positive correlation between heightened levels of interpersonal boundary transgressions and increased PBS, alongside elevated externalized behaviors. Two hierarchical linear regression models were employed: one to predict children's PSB scores with boundary transgressions as a predictor, and another to predict current boundary transgressions within the family environment. Results showed that current boundary transgressions within the family predicted the level of PSBs. However, once the child's externalized behaviors were considered, boundary transgressions ceased to be significant. Regarding the parents, transgression of interpersonal boundaries within the current family environment was associated with exposure to higher levels of interpersonal boundary transgressions during their childhood, current socioeconomic status, and a higher level of parental psychological distress. Keywords: problematic sexual behavior, PSBs, transgression of interpersonal boundaries, conceptual model, victimization experiences, intergenerational cycle.

Research investigating potential pathways from Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) to later self-harming and offending behaviours has inconsistent findings. Past research, however, has not fully explored the interplay between ACEs and modifiable psychological factors, such as shame and self-compassion. The present study explored the relationship between ACE, shame, and self-compassion to identify their role in explaining the variance in later harm in a sample of individuals who have committed sexual offences. Two hundred and fifty adults incarcerated for sexual offences participated. Multiple Regression and Mediation Analyses were applied to establish if ACE, shame and self-compassion explained the variance in harm and explore potential psychological pathways between ACE and harm, with shame and self-compassion as potential modifiable mediators. ACE, shame and self-compassion explained 55% of self-harm and 52% of psychological and physical harm variance. A more complex relationship was indicated for sexual harm, with only 19% of the variance explained by the model. The study increases our understanding of the relationship between variables and potential modifiable pathways between ACEs and later harming behaviours in a sample of individuals with sexual convictions. These modifiable psychological factors could be targeted to increase resilience, post-traumatic growth and reduce the risk of harm in later life.

Experiencing erotic feelings towards a patient is a fairly common occurrence, not pathological per se, during phases of psychotherapy. This study aims to analyze associations between, on the one hand, the presence in therapists of romantic attraction (RA), sexual attraction (SA), or flirting behavior (FB) toward patients and, on the other hand, a series of characteristics of therapist, patient, and treatment. Between April and June 2022, 547 psychotherapists completed an online survey investigating their affective and behavioral responses toward their most recently treated patient. Compared to female therapists, males showed significantly higher prevalence of SA alone (p < .001) or in combination with RA (p < .01), FB (p < .01), or both (p < .05). Multivariate adjusted regression models showed that RA was associated with patient age ≤40 years (OR:39.49 for age 18-29; OR:28.44 for age 30-39), male sex (OR:10.40), and diagnosis of mood disorder (OR:14.08). Furthermore, RA was associated with intense countertransference feelings of tenderness towards the patient (OR:79.77) and hostility towards significant figures in their life (OR: 77.93). SA was associated with the therapist's male sex/gender (OR: 16.14), psychoanalytic orientation (OR:13.34), post-license experience ≤20 years (OR:6.12 for 1-9 years; OR:6.08 for 10-19 years). Lastly, FB was associated with the therapist's male sex/gender (OR:16.94).

Public campaigns offer an opportunity to prevent child sexual abuse by raising awareness and promoting help available to bystanders, victims, and those at risk of perpetrating the abuse. This paper explores the impact of The Lucy Faithfull Foundation's 'Stop It Now!' campaign in the UK (2015-2018) on help-seeking. Helpline calls (11,190 unique callers), website analytics (109,432 new website visitors) and three website-hosted surveys (N = 252) provided data on help-seeking, awareness, and self-reported behavior. Results indicated that there were more visitors to the help website during active campaigning periods, and helpline callers and website visitors were more likely to seek help after viewing campaign materials during active than non-active campaign periods. Help-seekers were predominantly men concerned about their own behavior. Survey 2 respondents concerned about their own behavior (n = 53) indicated that their awareness of the law (75.5%), and legal and personal consequences (67.9%) had changed after hearing about the campaign, and 66% reported a change in behavior. Public health campaigns may be an effective way to promote help-seeking and prevent abuse.

Individuals convicted of a sexual offense are subject to considerable levels of stigmatization that should lead to internalization of the criminal label according to some versions of labeling theory (Becker, 1963). Recent research has begun to explore how individuals resist and otherwise negotiate their identities in response to stigma, although this research has not yet been applied to the study of stigma associated with the "sex offender" label. Such research is significant because a noncriminal identity is important to facilitating and maintaining desistance from crime. Using in-depth interviews with 20 individuals previously convicted of a sexual offense in a southern U.S. state, this paper investigates the strategies individuals have used to resist stigma associated with the "sex offender" label and how these strategies may help to interrupt the process of self-stigmatization. Results suggest these individuals employ a variety of resistance strategies, which may serve as another tool for managing a "spoiled identity."