Sexual Offending: Theory, Research, and Prevention

Acceptability of a Self-Help Programme to Address the Use of Indecent Images of Children

Sarah Wefers — 2024-12-03

The use of indecent images of children (IIOC) is of continued concern and growing prevalence. A multi-agency approach to this online crime is necessary, as it cannot be eradicated by law enforcement alone. Previous research has examined the pathways to offending for this population, and prevention strategies that could be used to deter offending in the first instance, or to stop behaviour once it has begun. The current qualitative study aimed to explore acceptability of a prevention initiative; a self-help focussed service (a website and calls with a professional). Semi-structured interviews with eight individuals who had accessed IIOC and engaged in this self-help focussed service were conducted. Transcripts were analysed using qualitative framework approach, using the Theoretical Framework of Acceptability (TFA) domains as deductive codes. All seven domains of the TFA were identified in the transcripts, indicating the applicability of the framework. Overall, participants reported mixed acceptability of and satisfaction with the self-help programme and calls with practitioners, but high perceived effectiveness in the service supporting them stop their illegal behaviours. The implications of the study are considered in line with improvements that could be made to this existing self-help prevention initiative.

Examining Whether Risk Factors Influence Student Perceptions of Campus Sexual Violence

Madison Wesenberg — 2024-11-27

The present study examined university students’ perceptions of a campus sexual violence scenario, and specifically determined whether the presence of known risk factors for sexual perpetration would influence their views of an individual who caused harm. Two hundred and seventy-five student participants read a vignette that either included the present or absence of the following three risk factors: Frequent alcohol use, attitudes supportive of rape, and negative peer influence. The findings indicated that the risk factors did not have a significant relationship with students' risk perceptions, indicating that students’ perceptions of risk may not be influenced by the presence of known risk factors. The results suggest that students may use intuition or other non-scientific approaches when assessing instances of interpersonal violence, at least in campus settings. Implications for students, post-secondary institutional safety, and prevention of campus sexual violence are discussed.

A New Identity: Enhancing Life Skills and Work-Readiness for Those With a Sexual Offending History

Rachel Ogden — 2024-10-15

The purpose of this research was to examine the experiences of individuals, with a sexual offending history, who have engaged with a community-based life skills and work-readiness programme. With a view to understand the impact of such programmes on their rehabilitation and to inform a growing body of research around the approaches needed for promoting rehabilitation within this group. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with four participants about their experiences of accessing a community-based charity and three themes were identified using Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis: “a place to belong without fear or judgement;” “creating an identity away from offending;” and “space and time to realise own potential.” These findings were discussed in relation to the Good Lives Model; previously identified protective factors for people with a history of sexual offending; and desistance research. The research offers a number of recommendations for practice which can be used by organisations to help them develop an inclusive and meaningful approach to supporting individuals with a history of sexual offending.

Vulnerability to Incest – Findings From a Comparative Single-Case Study of the Onset of Intrafamilial Child Sexual Abuse

Judith A. Iffland — 2024-10-08

Previous research about intrafamilial child sexual abuse was not able to identify specific risk factors that distinguish this unique subgroup from other sexual offending subgroups. In comparison to other groups of sexual offenders, men convicted of intrafamilial sexual child abuse (ICSA) are found to exhibit more similarities to non-offending fathers than extrafamilial sexual offenders. Consequently, the risk assessment of sexual recidivism among “incest offenders” lacks evidence-based evaluation criteria. Given the suggestion that family system factors should be included in research on the onset of ICSA, we employed the Vulnerability to Incest Model proposed by Trepper and Barrett (1989, https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203776605) in a qualitative single-case analysis. A comparative analysis of ten court evaluations of ICSA offenders revealed that all families in which ICSA has occurred demonstrated at least two vulnerability factors. The analyzed offenders exhibited comparable patterns of masculine sexual entitlement. The utility of this recently developed construct for sexual violence research is discussed and implications for further research proposed.

What’s God Got to Do With It? The Relationship Between Religion, Sadism, and Masochism

Brooke Davis — 2024-09-30

Although “BDSM” (i.e., bondage, discipline, dominance, submission, sadism, and masochism) has become increasingly present in popular media in recent years, much remains unknown about the etiology and correlates of BDSM. Research has demonstrated a relationship between religion and sexual behaviours/attitudes; therefore, religion could also be associated with sadism and masochism. To address gaps in existing knowledge, we conducted an online survey of 515 participants who answered a questionnaire on sexual life and behaviour, including questions on arousal in response to sadism and masochism scenarios, associated negative impacts, and religion. We found a higher prevalence of arousal in response to sadism scenarios amongst non-religious participants (64.6%; n = 228/353) than religious participants (54.7%; n = 88/161) with a small, but potentially meaningful effect size (Φ = -.095, p = .032). Increased impact of religious beliefs on sex life was associated with slightly lower sadism arousal, r(499) = -.080, p = .075. This association was strong enough to be considered a potentially meaningful factor but was not statistically significant. There was also a small negative correlation between masochism arousal and impact of religious beliefs on sex life and behaviour, r(500) = -.129, p = .004. Based on these findings, we conclude that there could be a limited but meaningful relationship between religion and sadism/masochism arousal. Further research should explore specific religious affiliations and beliefs as potentially associated with sadism and masochism arousal.

Assessing the Agonistic Continuum Scale as a Measure of Sexual Sadism in a Sample of Community Members and BDSM Practitioners

Myles Davidson — 2024-09-10

Sexual sadism refers to a sexual preference for fantasies and behaviours involving the infliction of humiliation, degradation, and suffering onto others. The conceptualization of sexual sadism remains a contentious issue in the literature, with some believing sexual sadism is qualitatively distinct from other deviant sexual preferences, while others suggest it lies on a continuum of sexually aggressive behaviours. This second approach, known as the Agonistic Continuum, is a relatively novel conceptualization of sexual sadism. Its companion scale, The Agonistic Continuum Scale (TACS), was created to measure sexual sadism as a dimensional construct in both forensic and community samples. Despite several validation studies being conducted, the factor structure of the TACS has yet to be independently assessed. As such, the current study sought to assess the factorial validity and measurement invariance of the TACS in a community sample made up of primarily BDSM practitioners using a series of confirmatory factor analyses and latent profile analyses. 248 Canadian adults (65.3% females, 75.6% BDSM practitioners) completed a survey containing a demographic questionnaire and several measures of paraphilic interest including the TACS. Results of the factor analyses suggested a four-factor model provided the best fit to the data. However, incorporating sex as a multigroup analysis factor rendered this model a significantly worse fit. Further, latent profile analysis results supported the ability of the TACS to identify groups differing in sexual sadism severity but returned significantly different fit statistics across sex groups. Taken together, while the results of past studies were partially replicated, our findings call into question the appropriateness of the TACS in mixed-sex and non-community samples.

Exploring Community Attitudes Towards People Labelled as Institutional Child Sex Offenders

Tiffany E. Taylor — 2024-07-31

The sexual abuse of children perpetrated by persons who gain access to the child through their roles within child serving institutions, referred to here as institutional child sexual abuse, appears underexplored within the research community despite gaining considerable attention in the media. This study is a preliminary exploration of the stigmatization of individuals labelled as institutional child sexual offenders (ICSO). We recruited 347 community-based participants for an online survey regarding their desired social distance from, and attitudes towards, people labelled as ICSO as compared to those labelled as sexual offenders (SO). We utilized the CATSO, an 18-item attitudinal scale that measures attitudes towards people labelled as sex offenders, and the Bogardus social distance scale which measures the desired level of distance from outgroups. ICSO condition scores were higher than SO scores on the CATSO and lower than SO scores on the Bogardus. Scores for both scales indicate more negative attitudes and increased social desistance towards people labelled as ICSO than towards those labelled as SO. These preliminary findings support the identification of people labelled as ICSO as unique SO subgroup.

Understanding and Deterring Online Child Grooming: A Qualitative Study

Sarah Wefers — 2024-02-15

The prevalence of online child sexual grooming offenses has been on the rise, posing significant risks to children. Child sexual grooming involves sexual communication with minors. This study aims to understand motivations and pathways of individuals who have engaged in online grooming behaviour, as well as propose effective prevention and intervention strategies. A sample of 14 male participants who had engaged in online child grooming were interviewed. Five themes were identified through thematic analysis: Social aspects, Mental health and psychological aspects, Justification for offending, Secrecy and Technology. Within all five themes risk factors and protective factors relating to online grooming behaviour were identified. Three pathways into online grooming behaviour were hypothesised: social connection, addictive behaviour, and fantasy/roleplay. Additionally, the study highlights the complex relationship between online grooming and other child sexual abuse offences, including the sharing and distribution of indecent images of children. The study underscores the need for greater education and awareness about the risks and harms associated with online grooming for those at risk of engaging in this behaviour as well as wider support and situational prevention approaches, including monitoring and use of warning messages on relevant online platforms.

First Steps in the Development of a New Measure of Attitudes Toward Sexual Offending Against Children

Kevin L. Nunes — 2023-12-20

It is unclear whether existing measures of attitudes and cognitive distortions regarding sexual offending against children (SOC) reflect evaluative attitudes toward SOC (i.e., how negatively or positively one views SOC). The purpose of the current study was to take the first steps toward creating a self-report measure of evaluative attitudes toward SOC. We created 30 items and asked 157 incarcerated people in a sexual offense treatment program to complete them. We retained the 13 items that were the least positively skewed (i.e., lowest endorsement of the most negative response option) and non-redundant (i.e., not too highly correlated with other items) for inclusion in the new measure, which we called the Evaluative Attitudes Toward Sexual Offending Against Children (EASOC) Scale. As an initial test of the relevance of the EASOC Scale, we examined its association with SOC. Participants with SOC (n = 58) reported more positive evaluative attitudes on the EASOC Scale than did those without SOC (n = 22). This expected association is a necessary (but not sufficient) indication that the EASOC Scale may be relevant for predicting and explaining SOC. Future research using more rigorous methodology should build on our modest first steps to revisit item selection and test the validity and relevance of the EASOC Scale.

Examining the Effect of Awareness-Raising Efforts and Rape Myths on Attitudes Toward Survivors of Sexual Assault

Melike Avcı — 2023-12-05

The aim of this study is to measure the effect of rape myths and an awareness raising video on attitudes toward survivors of sexual assault. Participants were exposed to rape myths presented in nontraditional, traditional, and neutral conditions, followed by an awareness video explaining these myths. Attitudes were measured both before and after the video in each scenario condition, with a total of N = 101 participants from Turkey. A 3x2 factorial design was employed, utilizing the Illinois Rape Myth Acceptance Scale (Payne et al., 1999, https://doi.org/10.1006/jrpe.1998.2238) and Attitudes toward Rape Victim Scale (Ward, 1988, https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1471-6402.1988.tb00932.x). The results indicated a positive shift in attitudes following the awareness video, with significant effects observed in the traditional and nontraditional scenario conditions but not in the neutral condition. Positive correlations were found between rape myths and attitudes toward rape victims, suggesting that an increase in rape myths was associated with more negative attitudes toward survivors. Gender differences were not observed in terms of rape myths, but females exhibited a positive change in attitudes after the awareness video, while males did not.