Psychological aspects of sexual functioning among cleric and noncleric alleged sex offenders

Cleric sexual misconduct with minors is a problem receiving increased attention from the media, victims groups, and church authorities. Mental health professionals are increasingly being asked to assist church and civil authorities to help better understand the problem of cleric sexual misconduct with minors. In the current study we compared self-reported sexual functioning among cleric alleged child molesters, noncleric alleged child molesters, and normal control subjects. We hypothesized clerics would differ from nonclerics and normals in reported sexual functioning. Our sample included 30 Roman Catholic clerics and 39 nonclerics who were alleged to have engaged in sexual misconduct with minors, and 38 normal control subjects, all of whom took the Derogatis Sexual Functioning Inventory (DSFI) as part of their forensic psychiatric evaluation. Our results indicated clerics were more likely to report fewer victims, older victims, and victims of male gender than noncleric alleged child molesters. Clerics differed from nonclerics and normal control subjects on several dimensions of self-reported sexual functioning. Lower offense rate histories among clerics suggest that, as a group, clerics may be less seriously psychologically disordered than noncleric child molesters. Low DSFI scores among Roman Catholic clerics may be accounted for in part by their unique training and socialization process. Future studies should attempt to study the influence of social desirability on DSFI scores. Normative data from nonoffending celibate clergy are needed.     

The assessment and treatment of child molesters: A review.

A review of the literature indicates that men who perform sexual acts with children do not form a homogeneous group. Compared to heterosexual child molesters, homosexual offenders choose older (pubescent) victims, are more likely to be recidivists, and are less numerous. Incestuous child molesters are almost always heterosexual and least likely to be recidivists. Most child molesters are not physically dangerous, but there is little consensus about how to identify persons who will use force in their offense. Psychophysiological measures, in particular penile responses to visual stimuli, have been useful in assessment. Several therapeutic interventions appear useful, but there is a lack of studies which compare different treatments. (French summary) (65 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Men who molest their sexually immature daughters: is a special explanation required?

Child molesters who target their own children have been described as low risk and not pedophilic. Men who had molested a daughter or stepdaughter (n=82) were compared to 102 molesters whose only female victims were extrafamilial. Men who offended against their own daughters had less deviant sexual age preferences and were less likely to commit new violent and sexual offenses. However, the father-daughter molesters exhibited an average absolute phallometric preference for prepubertal children and had a violent recidivism rate of 22% in a follow-up of less than 5 years. Actuarial risk assessment instruments (the Violence Risk Appraisal Guide and the Sex Offender Risk Appraisal Guide; V. L. Quinsey, G. T. Harris, M. E. Rice, and C. A. Cormier, 1998) worked as well for intrafamilial child molesters as for other sex offenders. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Sexual fantasies of child molesters.

Investigated the mood accompanying sexual fantasies, and the way in which the other person in the fantasy was perceived, by 21 child molesters, 19 rapists, and 19 non-sexual offenders. Child molesters did not differ from other Ss in their perceptions of adults in their fantasies, and the adult fantasy was perceived more positively than the child fantasy. Child molesters were more likely to fantasize about children when in a negative emotional state than when in a positive mood, and these fantasies were likely to produce a negative mood state. Child molesters may fantasize about a child as an inappropriate way of coping with dysphoric moods, thus enhancing that dysphoria and leading to further inappropriate fantasies. Results suggest that sexual fantasy monitoring should become an important component in the treatment of child molesters. (French abstract) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Penile plethysmography and biofeedback in the treatment of a transvestite-exhibitionist

Describes an innovative application of penile plethysmography and analog biofeedback procedures for the successful direct modification of chronic deviant sexual arousal. The target of treatment was the compulsive transvestite-exhibitionistic sexual behavior of a 45-yr-old married male. Preliminary clinical interviews and laboratory assessment (baseline) sessions were followed by 12 treatment sessions while the patient was hospitalized in a psychiatric inpatient facility. Sexual arousal was monitored during treatment by a mercury-in-rubber strain gauge. The patient's response to a videotape of the target behavior (transvestite-exhibitionist videotape) was gradually eliminated through the use of analog biofeedback procedures. The posttreatment and 4 follow-up laboratory assessments provided direct evidence of lasting treatment effects. Assessment of appropriate heterosexual arousal revealed a consistent specific treatment effect not attributable to habituation or generalized suppression of sexual arousal. After 2 yrs of apparently successful follow-up, the client's wife disclosed that he had resumed cross-dressing and exposure and had deliberately deceived the therapists during the greater part of the follow-up period. This is a dramatic example of the unreliability of self-report as a treatment-outcome measure. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of alcohol and cognitive set on sexual arousal to deviant stimuli.

48 undergraduate male social drinkers were randomly assigned to 1 of 2 expectancy set conditions in which they were led to believe that the beverage they were administered contained alcohol or no alcohol. For half of the Ss in each expectancy condition, the beverage was an alcoholic malt liquor; the others drank a nonalcoholic malt beverage. After their drinks, changes in penile tumescence (PT) in response to normal and deviant tape recordings and to self-generated fantasy were measured physiologically by a mercury-in-rubber strain gauge. The cognitive set (expectancy) significantly increased PT in response to the various erotic recordings. Alcohol did not significantly influence levels of sexual arousal. Ss who believed they had consumed an alcoholic beverage evidenced significantly more arousal to the forcible rape recording and to the sadistic stimuli than Ss who believed that they had consumed a nonalcoholic beverage, regardless of the actual contents of the beverage. The cognitive set, as well as the alcohol, significantly influenced heart rate, skin temperature, and subjective reports of sexual arousal. Self-report measures of sexual arousal were positively correlated with PT. Mosher Forced-Choice Guilt Inventory scores were not significantly correlated with PT, although the Sex Guilt subscore was negatively correlated with the subjective measure of sexual arousal for the heterosexual intercourse and forcible rape tapes. (35 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of alcohol and expectancy set on male sexual arousal.

Assigned 48 undergraduate males to 8 experimental groups. The 6 Ss within each group received 1 of 4 dose levels (.08, .4, .8, or 1.2 g/kg body weight) of beverage alcohol and 1 of 2 different sets of expectancy instructions regarding sexual arousal. Changes in penile tumescence, in response to an erotic film, were measured physiologically by a mercury-in-rubber strain gauge. Muscle tension levels were also monitored during the film viewing. The following adjunctive measures of sexual arousal were also employed: (a) sexual imagery, (b) the subjective report of arousal, and (c) the estimation of the extent of penile erection. Alcohol significantly reduced the levels of penile tumescence (negative linear relation). The expectancy instructions regarding alcohol's effect did not significantly influence the penile response. Sexual imagery was negatively correlated with penile tumescence, whereas the subjective reports of sexual arousal and the estimations of penile erection were positively correlated with the physiological measure of sexual arousal. Muscle tension levels were not significantly influenced by alcohol or the expectancy set; neither was muscle tension correlated with penile tumescence. (20 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Child pornography offenses are a valid diagnostic indicator of pedophilia.

This study investigated whether being charged with a child pornography offense is a valid diagnostic indicator of pedophilia, as represented by an index of phallometrically assessed sexual arousal to children. The sample of 685 male patients was referred between 1995 and 2004 for a sexological assessment of their sexual interests and behavior. As a group, child pornography offenders showed greater sexual arousal to children than to adults and differed from groups of sex offenders against children, sex offenders against adults, and general sexology patients. The results suggest child pornography offending is a stronger diagnostic indicator of pedophilia than is sexually offending against child victims. Theoretical and clinical implications are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Aversion therapy for sexual deviation: Contingent shock and covert sensitization.

Studied 2 different aversion therapy approaches to the treatment of sexual deviation (e.g., homosexuality) in 6 clinical referrals. Covert sensitization, which provides an imagined aversive event following imagined sexual behavior, was compared with contingent shock, which provides a physical aversive event following erection to slides depicting sexually deviant material. Replicated, counterbalanced within-S presentations of each technique were used. Treatment effects were monitored by measurement of penile circumference changes during slides presented prior to treatment sessions, and by daily subjective recording of sexual urges and fantasies as well as masturbation and sexual acts. No clear difference was found between the treatments on the penile circumference measure. On suppression of subjective measures of sexual arousal, however, covert sensitization appeared to be more effective than contingent shock. Follow-up of 4-18 mo. is reported for the individual cases. (37 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Maximizing the discriminant validity of phallometric assessment data.

Independent data sets from phallometric assessment studies were analyzed to examine methods of maximizing the discriminant validity of phallometric testing. Community volunteers and non-sex-offender patients were compared with rapists and child molesters recruited primarily from a maximum security psychiatric institution. The results indicate that the discriminant validity of phallometric assessment was enhanced by the use of (1) z (rather than raw) scores to compensate for individual differences in responsivity, (2) deviance indexes (computed by calculating the difference in responsivity between deviant and nondeviant stimuli) rather than responses to deviant categories alone, (3) stimuli depicting brutal sexual coercion, and (4) pubescent stimuli for assessing sexual age preferences. Discriminant validity was unimpaired by including Ss with low levels of response. The implications for clinical practice and future research are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The discriminative validity of a phallometric test for pedophilic interests among adolescent sex offenders against children.

The authors examined the responses of adolescent sex offenders against children on a phallometric test of pedophilic interests. Participants were 40 adolescent sex offenders against children, 75 young adult sex offenders against children, and 39 young adult comparison participants. The responses of adolescents with female victims resembled those of comparison participants; adolescents with any male victims had larger relative responses to child stimuli than comparison participants. Young adult offenders, regardless of victim sex, had larger relative responses to child stimuli than comparison participants. Using a cut score of 0 (indicating equal or greater arousal to children than to adults), sensitivity was 42% for adolescents with any male victims, and specificity was 92% for the comparison participants. Results suggest phallometric testing can identify pedophilic interests among these adolescent sex offenders. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Long-term recidivism of child molesters.

Examined the long-term recidivism rates of 197 child molesters released from prison between 1958 and 1974. Overall, 42% of the total sample were reconvicted for sexual crimes, violent crimes, or both, with 10% of the total sample reconvicted 10–31 yrs after being released. Incest offenders were reconvicted at a slower rate than were offenders who selected only boys, with offenders against girls showing a rate intermediate between these 2 groups. Other factors associated with increased recidivism were (1) never being married and (2) previous sexual offenses. None of the mental health and personality tests used in this study (e.g., the Eysenck Personality Inventory and the MMPI) was significantly associated with recidivism. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Heterosexual social skills in a population of rapists and child molesters.

Compared the performance of 20 rapists and 20 child molesters (inmates in a federal maximum-security prison) on in vivo, questionnaire, and cognitive assessments of social skill with the performance of 20 non-sex-offender inmates and 20 nonincarcerated high- and low-SES males on the same measures. In behavioral assessments, Ss were asked to engage in a conversation with a female confederate for as long as they felt comfortable doing so. Questionnaires and self-report scales included the Quick Test, Survey of Heterosexual Interactions, and Social Avoidance and Distress Scale. Results indicate that behavioral ratings provided by the S, confederate, and 2 independent judges showed good convergence and portrayed low-SES males as generally less skilled and more anxious than their high-SES counterparts. Within the 2 sex-offender groups, child molesters presented a clearer profile of heterosocial inadequacy than did rapists: These Ss rated themselves as less skilled and more anxious in heterosexual interactions and less assertive in accepting positive feedback from others. Rapists were more similar to low-SES males than were child molesters. It is concluded that the identification of heterosocial inadequacy in a population of sex offenders has etiological implications and points to an area in need of remediation with respect to inmates' postrelease social adjustment. (32 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Judicial decision making in timely and delayed prosecutions of child sexual abuse in Canada: A study of honesty and cognitive ability in assessments of credibility.

Child sexual abuse is an alarmingly common criminal offense. Whether prosecutions occur shortly after the alleged offense or after a lengthy delay, complainant credibility is often the central issue at trial. In both law and in psychology, credibility is said to be a function of two relatively distinct factors: honesty and cognitive ability. Complainant age informs evaluations of both such that younger children are seen as more honest but less cognitively competent than older children and adults. When a complainant describes a recent event, current age may be used to assess honesty and cognitive ability. However, when a complainant describes an event that occurred in the distant past, we argue that current age is most informative in evaluations of honesty, whereas age at the time of the alleged offense should inform evaluations of cognitive ability. In this research, we analyzed judicial assessments of complainants' credibility in 52 timely (child complainant) and 49 delayed (adult complainant) criminal prosecutions of child sexual abuse. Judicial comments concerning cognitive ability suggest that adults were viewed more positively than children, despite the fact that all complainants were children when the alleged offense occurred. As expected, comments related to honesty suggested that children were seen to be more honest than adults unless they had been exposed to suggestive influences. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Alcohol, sexual arousal, and intentions to use condoms in young men: Applying alcohol myopia theory to risky sexual behavior.

Data from 7 studies were aggregated to examine how reported sexual arousal and alcohol intoxication interact to affect attitudes and intentions toward engaging in unprotected sexual intercourse in college-age men (N?=?358). When participants were in a sober or placebo condition, their self-reports of sexual arousal had no effect on their responses. When participants were intoxicated, however, those who felt sexually aroused reported more favorable attitudes, thoughts, and intentions toward having unprotected sex than did those who did not feel aroused. These findings support alcohol myopia theory (C. A Steele & R. A. Josephs, 1990), which states that alcohol intoxication restricts attentional capacity so that people are highly influenced by the most salient cues in their environment. It is suggested that sexual arousal is a powerful internal cue that interacts with alcohol intoxication to enhance attitudes and intentions toward risky sexual behaviors. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Contingent negative variation (CNV) and erotic preference in self-declared homosexuals and in child sex offenders

Contingent negative variation (CNV) was recorded bilaterally from central electrodes using a "match/mismatch" paradigm in (Study 1) samples of heterosexual men (N = 6), gay men (N = 10) and lesbian women (N = 14) and (Study 2) in samples of child sex offenders (N = 34) and heterosexual control men (N = 19). Sexual orientation was assessed using the Multidimensional Scale of Sexuality (MSS) and the Human Sexuality Questionnaire (HSQ). Separate CNV averages were formed for each condition of stimulation: for Study 1, slides of adult male and female nudes; for Study 2, slides of child, pubescent and adult male and female nudes. Penile plethysmographic (PPG) data were also obtained from 15 of the child sex offender sample while they viewed stimuli of the same categories as were used in the CNV recording. On the basis of their PPG responses to children, child sex offenders were classified as either "pedophiles" or "non-pedophiles". In Study 1 significant Group x Sex (of slide) and Group x Electrode interactions indicated that: (i) heterosexual men (but neither homosexual group) showed significantly larger CNVs to female than to male slides; (ii) both homosexual groups showed significantly asymmetrical (R > L) CNVs. In Study 2, controls showed significantly greater CNVs to adult females than to both adult males and female children. Child sex offenders showed no significant differences in CNV to male and female slides for any age. "Non-pedophiles" showed significantly larger CNVs to female adults than to female children, but "pedophiles" did not. It is concluded that CNV has promise as a measure of both deviant and non-deviant sexual preference.