Recidivism risk assessment in sex offenders

Violent behaviour risk assessment is one of the most relevant research areas in current Psychology of Crime. Various scales for violence risk assessment have recently been developed from research about crime careers and risk factors. One of these instruments is the Sexual Violence Risk Assessment-20 (SVR-20), translated and adapted to Spanish by the Group of Advanced Studies in Violence of the University of Barcelona. The goal of this study is to verify the predictive capacity of the SVR-20 to predict sexual violence recidivism in a Spanish sample of sexual offender inmates. The method used was a retrospective study based in 163 sexual offender files and a 4-year time lag. The data were analysed with the logistic regression technique. Of the sample, 79.9% non-recidivist individuals were correctly classified, and 70.8% recidivist individuals. The ROC curve obtained for the model shows a very good discriminant capacity for the SVR-20, with a 0.83 AUC value. The main conclusion of this study is that the Spanish adaptation of SVR-20 is a good instrument to predict the risk of sexual violence.     

Efficacy of a psychological treatment for sex offenders

The aims of the present paper are the following: firstly, to describe the psychological treatment administered to sexual offenders in Spain; secondly, to assess the effectiveness of the application of this psychological treatment in the prison of Brians (Barcelona). For this purpose, two equivalent groups were selected: a treatment group of 49 subjects who received the whole treatment program, and an untreated control group of 74 subjects. These groups were selected taking into account various risk factors in order to guarantee group comparability. The main results not only show the efficacy of the cognitive-behavioural program for sexual offenders but also that the effectiveness of this program exceeds the average of similar programs in the meta-analytic reviews performed to date.     

Attention and executive function deficits in adolescent sex offenders.

Thirty male adolescent sex offenders and 20 age-matched male adolescents completed an extensive battery of attention and executive function tests. Controls were obtained from adolescents from a socially and economically deprived background, typical of the offending group. The attention battery was based on Mirksy, Anthony, Duncan, Ahearn, and Kellam (1991) and the executive function battery on Kelly (2000a). Successful matching for IQ was not achieved and therefore ANCOVA comparisons were made between the groups, with IQ as the covariate. In attention a highly significant difference was found on the focus-execute factor and a significant difference on the shift factor. In executive function there was a highly significant difference only on the response speed factor. In all cases better abilities were demonstrated by the control group. The importance of thorough neuropsychological investigation in the clinical assessment of this forensic group is supported. The clinical implications of neuropsychological deficits in terms of risk assessment and clinical management are discussed.     

Student evaluation of sex education programs advocating abstinence.

This research examined the attitudes of students who were enrolled in three different sex education programs that emphasize abstinence. Data were examined to determine whether secondary school students responded positively to the programs. The programs examined were Values and Choices, Teen Aid, and Sex Respect. Results of the study indicated that all three programs were rated positively, with female, younger (junior high school age), and virgin-naive students rating the programs more highly.     

Relapse dynamics during smoking cessation: recurrent abstinence violation effects and lapse-relapse progression

Smoking cessation is a process that unfolds over time and is characterized by intermittent lapses. We used parametric recurrent event survival analyses to better understand the dynamic relationship between a set of Abstinence Violation Effect (AVE, Marlatt & Gordon, 1985) responses to lapsing and subsequent lapse-relapse progression. Participants were 203 smokers who achieved abstinence and responded to items assessing three core components of the AVE (internal attribution, abstinence self-efficacy and guilt) following a total of 1,001 lapse episodes in near real time. Neither self-blame, self-efficacy, nor guilt following participants' first lapse predicted relapse. Controlling for responses to their first lapse, responses to each additional lapse did prospectively predict lapse progression, such that drops in self-efficacy were associated with accelerated progression to a subsequent lapse (HR = 1.09, CI = 1.02-1.15), while increases in internal attributions of blame actually protected against lapsing (HR = 0.98, CI = 0.97-0.99). Treatment with nicotine patches slowed recurrent lapse progression (HR = 0.58, CI = 0.48-0.70), but this effect dissipated over multiple lapses, and was moderated by elevated ratings of postlapse guilt (HR = 1.08, CI = 1.01-1.18), which predicted accelerated progression within the active patch group, while protecting against lapse in the placebo group. Results highlight the dynamic nature of lapse responses during smoking cessation, indicating that self-efficacy predicts progression from one lapse to the next, while attributions of self-blame and guilt influenced progression in unexpected ways.     

Legal issues raised in treating sex offenders

For the past 50 years the criminal justice system has distinguished sex offenders from other criminals. This has resulted in their differential treatment, with the goal being to eliminate their inappropriate behavior. This article discusses the history and status of mentally disordered sex offender (MDSO) statutes. A review of the legal issues which arise when treating a sex offender without statutory authorization is provided. A discussion of problems raised in treating the offender on both an inpatient and outpatient setting is presented. The article concludes with an analysis of the legal problems confronting the treatment provider in working with this group of individuals.     

The medico-legal status of young sex offenders: forensic psychiatric evaluations in Sweden 1988-1995.

Young sex offenders (YSOs) attract significant public and professional concern. YSOs might be perceived as more psychologically deviant or dangerous than other offenders. This study focused on how often YSOs subjected to forensic psychiatric investigation (FPI) were declared medico-legally insane as compared to young non-sex offenders and adult sex offenders. Logistic regression models were applied to data from all major FPIs performed in Sweden between 1988 and 1995 (N=4354) to explore factors affecting the likelihood of receiving a medico-legal insanity declaration. When we adjusted for the statistical effects of age, sex offender status, and psychopathology, YSOs (n=47) were three to four times more likely to be declared insane in the medico-legal sense. The results indicate that YSOs in Sweden constitute a medico-legally distinct subgroup of forensic psychiatric examinees.     

The predictive value of the triad for sex offenders

This study examined the predictive value of the triad (enuresis, firesetting, cruelty to animals) in a group of incarcerated sex offenders. The most salient positive finding in this investigation was the association between one or more components of the triad and a highly abusive home environment. There was no compelling evidence to support the prognostic value of the triad of behaviors for predicting adult criminal outcome. The triad appeared to be primarily a maladaptive response to the turmoil and abuse in the home prior to and during adolescence. Finally, it is noteworthy that this study revealed a much lower frequency of triad behaviors than has been reported in the literature.     

The theory of uncertainty orientation: a mathematical reformulation

In this paper, we present a mathematical formulation derived from the theory of uncertainty orientation (In R.M. Sorrehtino, & E.T. Higgins (Eds.), the handbook of motivation and cognition: Foundations of social behaviour, Vol. 1 (pp. 379-403). New York: The Guilford press; The uncertain mind: Individual differences in facing the unknown. London: Erlbaum (UK), Taylor & Francis). This formulation integrates affective and informational influences on thought and action. It is a model of self-regulation where the need to maintain clarity and the need to attain clarity are considered as two independent informational tendencies. These informational tendencies are influenced by the degree of self-relevance and the amount of perceived situational uncertainty. In addition, they are multiplicative with affective approach and avoidance tendencies, leading to accentuation or inhibition of behaviors expressed in action. It is further demonstrated that when the nondominant action tendency is instigated, secondary sources of motivation are expressed. This model not only accounts for past data, but also permits exploration using computer simulation. In addition, many new and testable hypotheses, including those related to affect and dynamical decision theory, are generated.     

Factors associated with erection in adolescent sex offenders

A majority of adult child molesters report that their deviant interest began prior to the age of 18. This illustrates the need to evaluate adolescents who have molested children. Since self-report of deviant interest is rare in adolescent offenders, psychophysiologic assessment is necessary to help to determine the extent for a deviant interest pattern. The current study was designed to determine what factors are associated with erectile responding to age-inappropriate stimuli in an adolescent sex offender population. Factors studied were (a) admit/deny, (b) history of physical abuse, (c) history of sexual abuse, (d) history of nonsex arrests, and (e) incest/nonincest. The dependent variables were two pedophile indices, a relative measure of deviant to nondeviant arousal. Results indicated that history of sexual abuse was associated with more deviant erectile responding in those adolescents who had molested young boys. The possibility of adolescents modeling their own victimization is discussed.     

Assessment of accused juvenile sex offenders in Germany: a comparison of five different measures

The present study examines the relationship between risk and protective factors among young alleged sexual offenders (N = 66) in pre-trial and pre-treatment settings. For risk assessment purposes, the Screening Tool for the Assessment of Young Sexual Offenders' Risk (STAYSOR), the Structured Assessment of Violence Risk in Youth (SAVRY), and the Structured Assessment of Protective Factors for violence risk (SAPROF) were used. Psychopathological indicators measured with the Basis Raads Onderzoek (BARO) and the German adaption of the Reynolds Adolescent Adjustment Screening Inventory (RAASI) were used to examine the relationship between the risk assessment scales and instruments measuring risk-relevant psychopathological constructs. Risk and protective factors were significantly negatively correlated. Psychopathological measures were positively correlated with risk factors and negatively with protective factors. Although further studies on the predictive validity of the instruments are needed, the results of the present explorative pilot study indicate that the use of all five instruments may be clinically meaningful for the assessment of young persons who are at risk of sexual offending.     

Prevalence of childhood and adolescent sexual abuse among sex offenders.

A simple nonstandardized questionnaire was developed and administered to 150 men convicted of various sexual offenses currently on probation or parole, living in the community, admitting their offenses and attending treatment. The hypothesis that men who engaged in sexual activity as adolescents with women would be at a higher risk of committing statutory rape-type sexual offenses was not substantiated.     

Chronic pain: a reformulation of the cognitive-behavioural model.

The last few decades has seen psychological theories of chronic pain dominated by behavioural concepts and particularly, by the operant model as described by Fordyce et al. (1968: Fordyce, W., Fowler, R., & DeLateur, B. (1968) An application of behavior modification technique to a problem of chronic pain. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 6, 105-107, 1976: Fordyce, W.E. (1976) Behavioral methods for chronic pain and illness. St Louis, MO: C. V Moseby). More recently, cognitive constructs have been included, giving the impression that the operant theory of chronic pain has been replaced by a cognitive-behavioural theory (CBT). Given the fact that CBTs were introduced essentially to overcome some inherent problems with operant theory, it is notable that they are still very much based on operant theory and continue to be founded upon operant principles. Further, the extent to which CBTs (at this stage) have included contemporary cognitive research has been limited. This paper argues that it is of questionable validity to continue to include problematic concepts (e.g., operant principles) into a revised theory (e.g., CBT). Instead, consistent with research from other areas (particularly the anxiety disorders), chronic pain and the problems associated with it may be better explained by a reformulated cognitive-behavioural theory which although not ignoring the observable behaviours of pain patients and their associations with social reinforcers, interprets these phenomena from a cognitive perspective. Thus, a modified CBT is proffered, focusing more directly on patients' thoughts about, and appraisals of, their pain. Evidence in support of such a theory is provided, as are suggestions for further research and the implications such a theory has for treatment.     

Sadistic personality disorder in sex offenders: relationship to antisocial personality disorder and sexual sadism.

To investigate the relationship of sadistic personality disorder (SPD), as defined in the appendix of DSM-III-R, to other personality disorders and to sexual sadism, 70 sex offenders (27 child molesters, 33 rapists, and 10 murderers) were assessed by the International Personality Disorder Examination. In 19 subjects (27.2%) from the total sample, SPD was diagnosed. The highest overlap appeared with borderline personality disorder (31.6%) and antisocial personality disorder (42.1%). However, in four cases SPD was the only personality disorder diagnosed. Factor analysis of the antisocial and sadistic criteria resulted in four major factors--one factor with high loadings on the sadistic criteria and the violent criteria of antisocial personality disorder, two factors with different forms of adult and juvenile aggression, and a fourth factor with high loadings on the antisocial criteria covering exploitative behavior. The results do not support SPD as a discrete disorder. Nevertheless, SPD may be seen as an important subdimension of antisocial personality disorder, distinct from more exploitative forms of antisocial behavior with less violence. Of those patients with SPD, 42.1% also had a DSM-III-R diagnosis of sexual sadism, which may be the most dangerous configuration.     

The competent community: Toward a vital reformulation of professional ethics

Psychologists are ethically obligated to ensure their own competence. When problems of professional competence occur, psychologists must take appropriate steps to regain competence while protecting those they serve. Yet conceptualizations of the competence obligation are thoroughly intertwined with Western ideals of individualism and a model of the person as self-contained, self-controlled, and perpetually rational. Research in health care, education, and multicultural and social psychology raise serious doubts about psychologists' capacity for consistently accurate self-assessments of competence. To address this problem, the authors advocate that education, training, professional ethics standards, and credentialing criteria be infused with a robust communitarian ethos and a culturally pervasive ethic of care. The authors propose a shift in discourse about competence to incorporate both competent individuals and competent communities. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved).     

Research directions in the evaluation and treatment of sex offenders: An analysis

A review of the research on early and current techniques for evaluating and treating male sex offenders is presented, with emphasis on biological and behavioral therapies. Biological techniques found to be most promising include two types of antiandrogen hormone therapy: medroxyprogesterone acetate and cyproterone acetate. Behavioral techniques which have produced evidence of effectiveness include methods to eliminate deviant sexual behavior and methods to increase appropriate sexual behavior. The methodological shortcomings in the research of both biological and behavioral therapies are discussed, and new directions for future research are proposed.