Correlates of Emotional Congruence with Children in Sexual Offenders Against Children: A Test of Theoretical Models in an Incarcerated Sample

• NCJ Number: 246703
• Journal: Child Abuse and Neglect Volume: 38 Issue: 2 Dated: February 2014 Pages: 336-346
• Author(s): Ian V. McPhail; Chantal A. Hermann; Yolanda M. Fernandez
• Date Published: February 2014
• Length: 11 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Research (Applied/Empirical); Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This Canadian study assessed the relationship between emotional congruence with children and offense characteristics, victim demographics, and psychologically meaningful risk factors in a sample of incarcerated sexual offenders against children (n=221).

Abstract

The findings indicate that emotional congruence with children is associated with higher levels of deviant sexual interests, problems with sexual self-regulation, cognitions that condone and support child molestation, and social rejection accompanied by loneliness. Thus, multiple risk factors co-occur in influencing the sexual abuse of children by persons who have high emotional congruence with children. The sexual deviance model received the most support in the sample. High emotional congruence with children was associated with higher levels of sexual interests; using sex as a means of coping with negative emotional states; deviant sexual interests; and sexual arousal to male children. The latter was measured with circumferential phallometry. High emotional congruence with children was also associated with higher levels of attitudes that condone and support child molestation. For such sexual offenders against children, treatment should focus on improving motivation and investment in adult social interactions and interventions that promote healthy sexuality with adult partners, as well as the management of sexual behaviors. Participants were drawn from an archival dataset of 419 adult male sexual offenders who had been assessed upon entry to the Canadian Federal penitentiary system in Ontario, Canada, between 2000 and 2007. Participants were included in the study if they had at least one victim younger than 14 years old and were 18 years old or older at the time of the assessment. Data on the final sample of 221 participants were obtained from file reviews, a semi-structure interview, and phallometric assessment. 2 tables and 61 references