TY - JOUR
T1 - Aggression and Social Anxiety Are Associated with Sexual Offending Against Children
AU - Kanters, Thijs
AU - Hornsveld, Ruud H. J.
AU - Nunes, Kevin L.
AU - Zwets, Almar J.
AU - Buck, Nicole M. L.
AU - Muris, Peter
AU - van Marle, Hjalmar J. C.
N1 - Open Access
PY - 2016
Y1 - 2016
N2 - The current study examined a number of risk factors that are thought to be related to sexual offending. More specifically, we investigated differences in self-reported aggression, anger, hostility, social anxiety, and social skills between child sexual abusers (n = 28), rapists (n = 36), and nonsexual violent offenders (n = 59) who were detained under hospital order. In addition, differences between inpatient (n = 28) and outpatient child sexual abusers (n = 61) on the pertinent constructs were evaluated. Consistent with our expectations, we found that child sexual abusers reported themselves as lower on the aggression-related measures and higher on social anxiety than nonsexual violent offenders. In contrast with our hypotheses, however, the results also indicated that the inpatient child sexual abusers reported lower levels of aggression, anger, hostility, and social anxiety than the outpatient child sexual abusers. The observed differences between child sexual abusers, rapists, and nonsexual violent offenders are generally consistent with theories about the etiology of sexual abuse. The differences between the inpatient and outpatient child sexual abusers were not in the expected direction, but may be due to a number of methodological limitations of this research.
AB - The current study examined a number of risk factors that are thought to be related to sexual offending. More specifically, we investigated differences in self-reported aggression, anger, hostility, social anxiety, and social skills between child sexual abusers (n = 28), rapists (n = 36), and nonsexual violent offenders (n = 59) who were detained under hospital order. In addition, differences between inpatient (n = 28) and outpatient child sexual abusers (n = 61) on the pertinent constructs were evaluated. Consistent with our expectations, we found that child sexual abusers reported themselves as lower on the aggression-related measures and higher on social anxiety than nonsexual violent offenders. In contrast with our hypotheses, however, the results also indicated that the inpatient child sexual abusers reported lower levels of aggression, anger, hostility, and social anxiety than the outpatient child sexual abusers. The observed differences between child sexual abusers, rapists, and nonsexual violent offenders are generally consistent with theories about the etiology of sexual abuse. The differences between the inpatient and outpatient child sexual abusers were not in the expected direction, but may be due to a number of methodological limitations of this research.
KW - Sexual offenders
KW - aggression
KW - anger and hostility
KW - social anxiety
KW - social skills
KW - self-report questionnaires
U2 - 10.1080/14999013.2016.1193073
DO - 10.1080/14999013.2016.1193073
M3 - Article
SN - 1499-9013
VL - 15
SP - 265
EP - 273
JO - International Journal of Forensic Mental Health
JF - International Journal of Forensic Mental Health
IS - 3
ER -