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

Against a backdrop of legislative change that sees the taking of private sexual images underneath the clothing of a non-consenting other being made a criminal offence - upskirting - there is a need to understand the public's judgments of and motivations to perpetrate said behavior. In this study (N = 490), we investigated whether judgments of upskirting differed as a function of the sex of the person who was upskirted (male, female) and their perceived attractiveness (attractive, unattractive), as well as how variation in voyeuristic interest, belief in a just world, and dark personality traits predicted judgments of and proclivity to engage in upskirting. We consistently observed more lenient judgments of upskirting behavior when the person who was upskirted was attractive and male, with such judgements predicted by older age across all conditions. Moreover, proclivity to engage in upskirting was predicted by past voyeuristic behaviors, higher psychopathic personality, and being male and of older age. We discuss our findings in the context of needing to qualitatively understand the rationale underpinning these judgments, combating barriers to disclose victimization, and practitioner implications.

"Sexually violent predator" (SVP) legislation requires, in part, that an individual has a mental abnormality that causes difficulty in controlling sexual behavior. Previous research has found paraphilia not otherwise specified (NOS) as one of the most prevalent diagnoses proffered in SVP evaluations. However, the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM-5) modified paraphilia NOS diagnosis in two ways. First, this diagnosis was divided into two new diagnostic categories: other specified paraphilic disorder (OSPD) and unspecified paraphilic disorder. Second, OSPD required an added specifier to indicate the individual's source of sexual arousal. To date, no study has systematically explored how the revision to paraphilia NOS has affected diagnoses within SVP evaluations. The current study explored the frequency and diagnostic reliability of paraphilic disorders in a sample of 190 adult men evaluated for SVP civil commitment using the DSM-5. Results indicated that OSPD was the second most common paraphilic disorder, next to pedophilic disorder. However, there was poor to fair agreement (kappa = 0.21, p < .01) between independent evaluators in providing this diagnosis. Additionally, the two most common OSPD specifiers were non-consent and hebephilia, despite recent debate and rejection of these constructs from the DSM-5. While these constructs were the most prevalent, the specifiers contained quite varied terminology, suggesting vague diagnostic tendencies within these evaluations. Given that the presence of a mental abnormality is the cornerstone to the constitutionality of SVP commitment, diagnostic practices should be based in reliable and valid techniques.

The main objective of this research is to study the relationships of offense-supportive cognitions and sexual fantasies with sex crime. The research involved 48 men: 26 convicted of sexual offenses against minors and 22 convicted of sexual offenses against adults from different prisons in the Community of Madrid, Spain. We used the RAPE Scale and the Sex With Children Scale to evaluate offense-supportive cognitions and an ad hoc adaptation of the Multidimensional Developmental, Sex and Aggression Inventory to evaluate sexual fantasies with minors and sadomasochistic fantasies. The results show that both groups present similar offense-supportive cognitions, while each group had significantly more sexual fantasies related to their specific crime. Participants who had sexual fantasies about minors presented significantly more offense-supportive cognitions justifying child sexual abuse than those who did not present these fantasies, while participants with sadomasochistic fantasies did not present more offense-supportive cognitions about rape. After collecting this information, we ran four mediation models to assess potential relationships between fantasies, offense-supportive cognitions, and specific sexual crime. The mediation models showed that both sexual fantasies with minors and sadomasochistic fantasies had direct relationships with sex crimes. Upon further confirmation with studies with larger sample sizes, our findings support the importance of dealing with sexual fantasies in treatment of people convicted of sexual offenses and imply a need for differentiated treatment, since the content of sexual fantasies was different in each group.

Many convicted individuals do not enter or complete treatment programs in prisons, which limits effective rehabilitation and prevention of recidivism. Treatment readiness is suggested to be an important construct when addressing this problem. Nevertheless, the underlying processes (e.g., how readiness factors interact) are not well studied, and even less is known regarding readiness in the sub-population of individuals convicted of sexual offenses. This paper aims to open up the "black box" and explore psychosocial and context-specific processes behind treatment readiness from the vantage point of the individuals' lived experiences. In-depth interviews were conducted with 19 adult men convicted of sexual offenses in Swedish prisons, treatment participants (N = 13) as well as non-participants (N = 6). The thematic analysis illustrates readiness obstacles in terms of unintended antagonistic forces in the correctional system operating in the opposite direction of rehabilitative objectives. Nonetheless, a hypothesized relational mechanism, looping disruption, initiated by a non-punitive and supportive response (from prison staff, therapists, close ones, or inmates) to the convicted individual's negative behaviors or emotions, appeared to reverse such negative, punitive loops, contributing to the mobilization of treatment readiness. Implications for theory, policy, and practice are discussed.

The current study investigates the criminal career of individuals involved in intimate partner sexual violence (IPSV). Specifically, the goal is to determine whether men who engage in IPSV can be distinguished from those who engage in intimate partner non sexual violence (IPNSV) only and whether criminal trajectories in the resulting subgroup are heterogeneous. The sample comes from a Canadian database including a total of 12,458 individuals involved in IPSV and 32,474 individuals involved in IPNSV). Bivariate and multivariate analyses are performed to examine the differences in the two groups while latent profile analysis allows examining the heterogeneity of characteristics of men who engaged in IPSV. Findings indicate that the criminal career of men who engage in IPSV follows a pattern that is clearly distinct from that of men who engage in IPNSV only and is more specialized in terms of sexual offenses. Results also show that the criminal trajectories followed by the men who engage in IPSV are heterogeneous. Four profiles of different trajectories were identified. Both theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

Sexual victimization of students endures-especially in secondary schools-and women's perpetration in this setting is increasingly recognized. Nonetheless, our understanding of this population and contemporary cases remains limited, and research in the Australian context is lacking. This study contributes to the evidence base and represents the first Australian study of its kind. We draw on (1) legal documents (N = 19) describing 18 established cases of female-perpetrated sexual abuse against 20 adolescent students (aged 13-17 inclusive) and (2) semi-structured expert interviews with professionals possessing specialized experience of female-perpetrated cases involving adolescent students (N = 8). These data are integrated in a reflexive thematic analysis to identify the personal, contextual, and situational antecedents of female-perpetrated cases thereby exploring the 'why' and 'how' of their perpetration. Taken together, the results indicate a key interaction between individual emotional and relational needs, environmental opportunities, and contextual tolerance. Practical implications for targeting and disrupting these dynamics are discussed.

Purpose: Contrary to public opinion, empirical studies have consistently shown that persons convicted of a sexual offense (PCSO) are less likely to recidivate with a general offense. While researchers often point toward the surreptitiousness of sexual offending to explain low rates of recidivism, this paper tests a novel explanation: SOs recidivate at lower rates than persons convicted of a non-sexual offense (PCNSO) because they are more often revoked to prison before they are able to commit a new crime, perhaps owing to more restrictive post-release supervision guidelines.

Methods: Using a sample of 196,468 unique male releases, the difference in general and sexual recidivism between PCSO (n = 29,420) and PCNSO was assessed through survival analyses (Cox regression models).

Results: Results demonstrated that PCSO were significantly less likely to be reconvicted for a general crime, but more likely for a sex offense. They were also more likely to be reincarcerated due to a revocation without a new sentence. Accounting for revocations, the difference in reconviction risk lessens between the groups but does not disappear.

Conclusions: This analysis provides evidence that differences in community supervision are contributing to the difference in recidivism rates between PCSO and PCNSO. Implications and future research are discussed.

While studies indicate that individuals with intellectual disabilities (ID) and borderline intellectual functioning (BIF) are overrepresented among those incarcerated for sexual offenses, there is a paucity of research with respect to risk assessment for this population, particularly among incarcerated U.S. samples. This gap is concerning given that individuals perceived as high risk may be denied bail, given harsher sentences, or subject to civil confinement. The present study examined the predictive validity of the Static-99 and Static-99R, which rely on historical predictors, and the MnSOST-R, which includes a dynamic subscale. Archival records were used to compare individuals with (n = 459) and without (n = 459) ID/BIF released from New Jersey state prisons between 1996 and 2007, with an average follow-up period of 5.7 years. All three instruments demonstrated good predictive validity for those without ID/BIF, while only the MnSOST-R produced a significant AUC value for those with ID/BIF. Reincarceration rates for those with ID/BIF within high-risk groups ranged from 0% to 8%, similar to the overall recidivism base rate of 4%. Results highlight the need for additional research to determine which risk factors should be considered for those with ID/BIF.

Recent research indicates that the consequences of sexual offenses extend beyond target victims, including to non-offending partners of individuals with sexual offense histories. However, little research has focused on non-offending partners' wellbeing and relationships with persons with sexual offense histories leading up to and following acts of sexual aggression. Non-offending partners may be secondary victims of their partners' offenses in managing psychological difficulties (e.g., guilt, shame), social stigma and isolation, fear for their safety, or difficulties in their romantic relationships resulting from their partners' sexual offenses, often with minimal supports. The current study examined key correlates of individual and interpersonal adjustment among 207 non-offending partners of individuals with histories of sexual offenses who were residing in Canada (n = 36) or the United States (n = 171). Findings indicate that positive changes due to the offense (i.e., improved finances), self-esteem, interpersonal adjustment, instrumental support, lower levels of acceptance, and humor positively predicted individual adjustment. Interpersonal adjustment was predicted by trust, intimacy, partner's stress communication, and problem-focused and emotion-focused common dyadic coping. Findings highlight the need for services for non-offending partners, including interventions that address self-esteem and practical difficulties resulting from the offense, and couples therapy to address trust issues, intimacy concerns, and shared coping with stressors related to the offense.

Hookups can result in sexual assault when men do not listen to requests from women to stop. It is thus important to identify factors that influence men's decisions to override direct refusals in these situations. Presently, we administered first-person vignettes depicting a prototypical hookup wherein the woman refuses the man's attempt to escalate intimacy. Using a national sample of emerging adult men (N = 420), we found that they on average did not completely rule out coercive or forcible tactics, but those elevated on rape myth acceptance, hypermasculinity, and psychopathy were uniquely at risk of assault when controlling for several other traits known to correlate with rape. Participants also reported being likelier to use coercive sexual practices when refusals occurred at higher levels of sexual intimacy already attained. Notably, diagnostic analyses revealed that a subset of men had a disproportionate influence on the regression estimates, and that these men were not only elevated across a range of assault-relevant traits, but also endorsed higher likelihoods of using coercion and force in the face of female sexual refusal. Although removal of these cases did not substantively alter the results, exploratory analyses revealed that these individuals responded differently to situational factors in ways that suggested sexual opportunism. Theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed.