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

Distinguishing factors between pedohebephebophilic actors and non-actors remain a critical area of research for understanding offending behavior and developing targeted interventions. This meta-analysis synthesizes evidence on motivating, facilitating, situational, and other factors that differentiate individuals who have committed sexual offenses against children from those who have not. Following PRISMA guidelines, systematic searches were conducted across PsycNet, ProQuest, Web of Science, PubMed, and PSYNDEX, supplemented by manual searches. Data were analyzed using fixed and random effects models. From 2,185 records screened, 34 studies from 22 datasets met inclusion criteria. We conducted meta-analyses for 50 potential distinguishing factors. The strongest effect sizes were discovered for intelligence (g = -.86), stigma (g = .61), male sex (g = .51), age (g = .48), therapy attendance (g = .43) and interest (g = .43), and sexual (g = .38) and non-sexual (g = .38) adverse childhood experiences. The average quality score was 11.13 (SD = 1.82) out of maximum score of 16. Findings provide support for some motivating, facilitating, situational, and other factors distinguishing pedohebephilic actors from non-actors. These findings offer opportunities for improved risk assessment, prevention strategies, and therapeutic interventions, however, they are limited by the cross-sectional nature of the results.

We tested the discriminant and incremental validity of scores on the Attitude toward Sexual Aggression against Women (ASAW) scale, a self-report measure that asks men to evaluate (very bad to not at all bad) a range of sexually aggressive behaviors against women. An online panel of 647 men completed the ASAW scale and self-report measures of other offense-supportive cognitions (rape myth acceptance, cognitive distortions, and beliefs regarding rape) and sexually aggressive behavior (past sexual aggression, likelihood of engaging in sexually aggressive behavior, and likelihood to rape). We hypothesized that (a) the ASAW would be distinct from other measures of offense-supportive cognition and (b) the ASAW would be independently associated with sexual aggression after accounting for the other measures. Supportive of discriminant validity, exploratory factor analyses revealed that ASAW items clustered together to form a distinct factor from other measures of offense-supportive cognition. Supportive of incremental validity, hierarchical multiple regression analyses indicated that the ASAW explained an additional 5% of the variance in past sexually aggressive behavior (ΔR² = .05, p < .006) and 4-6% of the variance in likelihood of engaging in sexual aggression (ΔR² = .04-.06, p < .006) after accounting for other measures of offense-supportive cognition. If future research finds further support for the construct validity of its scores, the ASAW should be used to study the potential causal role that attitudes may play in sexual aggression against women, and whether changing them can reduce the likelihood of engaging in this type of behavior.

High rates of trauma are documented among individuals convicted of a sex offense. Public attitudes toward these individuals tend to be negative and often shape legislative responses and policies regarding sex offending sentencing and treatment. However, less is known regarding whether public attitudes may consider trauma and its relevance as a potential treatment target for those convicted of a sex offense. This study explored community member attitudes toward individuals convicted of a sex offense with histories of trauma. 295 participants were recruited via Prolific and responded to qualitative questions assessing their attitudes about the link between trauma and sex offenses, and whether trauma should influence sentencing and treatment outcomes. Analyses revealed main themes, including (1) Role of Childhood Trauma; (2) Outcomes and Management; and (3) Differences Between Individuals Convicted of Sex Offenses with versus Without Trauma History. Findings underscore the complexity of public attitudes toward this population and suggest trauma-informed interventions for those who commit sex offenses may receive public support if they also include emphasis on accountability for criminal sex behaviors. Implications highlight the need for trauma-informed interventions and public education to reduce stigma and support sex offending rehabilitation.

Individuals engaging in child sexual abuse often present pedophilic interest, but the other psychiatric morbidities among undetected users of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) are largely unknown. We mapped the psychiatric profile of 160 mainly male and primarily non-convicted anonymous Darknet-recruited adult CSAM users. The participants' psychiatric morbidities were analyzed descriptively, and correlations between sexual pathologies known as risk factors for committing child sexual abuse (paraphilias, hypersexuality) and CSAM offense behavior (viewing time, content) were examined in a series of exploratory linear regression models. Pedophilic interests, hypersexuality, autism traits, ADHD, and depression were commonly reported. Further, hypersexuality was associated with CSAM viewing time (r = .295, b = 0.07, p = .001), zoophilic interest was associated with CSAM severity (r = .195, b = 0.46, p = .003) and both zoophilic and pedophilic sexual interest were associated with the age of the youngest child in CSAM viewed (r = -.218, b = -0.56, p = .01 and r = -.273, b = -1.01, p < .001). We conclude that CSAM users presented sexual pathologies, some related to their CSAM-use behavior, as well as multiple other mental health needs.

We developed a new measure designed to facilitate research on the potential role of men's attitude toward sexual aggression against women in gender-based sexual violence: the Attitude toward Sexual Aggression against Women (ASAW) scale. We created a large pool of items, in which participants were asked to evaluate how bad it would be if they engaged in various sexually aggressive behaviors in a variety of scenarios. Three independent samples of men recruited from online panels (N = 380, 149, and 322) completed these items. Based on their responses, we retained 13 non-redundant items that had the most variance and covered a wide range of sexually aggressive behaviors (e.g., unwanted sexual touching; non-consensual sex), tactics (e.g., threatening to damage her reputation; using physical force), and contexts (e.g., the woman previously agreed to some sexual activity; the woman is intoxicated). An exploratory factor analysis found that all 13 ASAW items loaded strongly onto one factor, which suggests a unidimensional structure. If future research finds evidence for the construct validity of its scores, potential uses for the ASAW include risk assessment, treatment-related attitude-change, and research into the potential causal role of attitudes in sexual aggression against women.

This research aimed to develop a typology of individuals adjudicated for child sexual exploitation material (CSEM) offenses in South Korea, based on court judgments under Article 11 of the Act on the Protection of Children and Youth Against Sex Offenses. A total of 135 judgments from district courts (courts of first instance in South Korea) spanning 2014 to 2023 were systematically collected and examined through latent class analysis (LCA). The LCA results revealed three distinct subgroups of offenders-Versatile Sextortion, Physical Exploitation, and Coercing Younger Victims-each exhibiting unique offending profiles and behaviors. Significant differences between the groups were also found for several factors, such as the age of the victim, instances of sextortion, and the additional creation of CSEM. This study constitutes an initial empirical exploration of CSEM offenses in South Korea, provides evidence of a heterogenous group, and has substantial implications for crafting customized intervention strategies for people who commit CSEM offenses.

Victim age polymorphism describes a pattern of sexual offending in which individuals target victims from multiple distinct age categories (e.g., both child and adult victims). Research on victim age polymorphism and its association with risk-related domains - namely atypical sexuality and antisociality - and recidivism is mixed, potentially due to methodological differences across studies (e.g., how victim age is classified). This meta-analysis (k = 23, N = 12,333) examined associations between victim age polymorphism, the two main risk-related domains (atypical sexuality, antisociality), and recidivism. Meta-regression and the between-level Q statistic were used to examine various methodological differences that might contribute to disparate findings. Results indicated that victim age polymorphism was associated with multiple paraphilias, psychopathy, and recidivism. Moderator analyses were limited due to the small number of studies and did not consistently explain the variation in effect sizes. Overall, individuals who are polymorphic share more clinically relevant similarities to individuals who offend exclusively against adults than those who exclusively offend against children. These findings suggest that a greater focus on generalist criminogenic needs (e.g., antisociality) may be warranted in the management of individuals who are polymorphic.

Techniques aimed at modifying or managing paraphilic sexual interests have been a mainstay of many sexual offending treatment programs internationally for a number of decades, based largely on behavioral traditions. However, research interest and innovation with regard to these techniques has notably stagnated over time. The current narrative review aimed to explore arousal management techniques used in contemporary rehabilitative practice, to consider current evidence regarding the effectiveness of such methods, as well as to overview available guidance regarding the suitability of therapeutic applications of the techniques with different populations of those who have been apprehended for perpetrating sexual offenses. Overall conclusions support the inclusion of some form of arousal modification and management targets in programs for selected individuals, largely based on recent meta-analytic findings regarding the effectiveness of relevant techniques in reducing paraphilic interest, as well as their empirical association with reduced sexual reoffending. The need for fresh research in this area is also highlighted.

Research regarding community re-entry of individuals with sexual offending histories (SOH) focused on preventing sexual re-offending through surveillance and support interventions. However, most individuals with SOH, serving shorter incarceration sentences, often lack surveillance and support upon community re-entry. This is especially concerning for young adults with SOH as they often are subjected to a negative social reaction in addition to have psychosocial needs and a high level of risk and criminogenic needs, which might result in not receiving tailored interventions, and therefore re-entering the community in a precarious context. Using prospective longitudinal data from a cohort of 1,054 young adults sentenced to shorter incarceration terms in Quebec, Cox regressions were conducted to determine whether there were contextual factors conducive to re-incarceration specific to individuals with SOH (n = 69). Findings indicate that there were none specific to individuals with SOH, and rather that persons with and without SOH are similar in many aspects, notably the high re-incarceration rate. These observations raise questions about the context surrounding community re-entry of young adults, regardless of criminal histories. Implications are discussed in the light of the low-risk assumption among individuals sentenced to shorter incarceration terms and the scope of community risk management.

In the field of child sexual abuse prevention, there is a need for risk assessment tools that are time-sensitive and can predict an individual's risk of acting on sexual urges, whether this is watching child sexual abuse material (CSAM), interacting socially with a child for sexual purposes, or committing sexual abuse. We evaluated the predictive ability of the Sexual Child Molestation Risk Assessment (SChiMRA+), a self-report scale that assesses current motivation to act on sexual urges toward children (Part A) and captures past-week sexual behaviors toward children (Part B). Longitudinal data from two clinical trials aiming to reduce sexual behaviors toward children were analyzed; Priotab (testosterone-lowering medication; n = 52 men with pedophilic disorder; pseudonymized) and Prevent It (internet-delivered cognitive behavioral therapy; n = 160 active CSAM users; anonymous). A ROC analysis identified an optimal cutoff of 4.5 on Part A for indicating a clinically significant heightened risk for sexually abusive acts (same week: specificity 63.7%, sensitivity 83.7%, AUC = .802; next week: specificity 53.1%, sensitivity 83.0%, AUC = .727). These results indicate that SChiMRA+ part A can be used to identify increased risk for future offending behavior as well as probable ongoing CSAM use among self-identified help-seekers.