NCJ Number
197957
Journal
International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology Volume: 46 Issue: 6 Dated: December 2002 Pages: 668-677
Editor(s)
George B. Palermo M.D.
Date Published
December 2002
Length
10 pages
Annotation
This study examined the interdiagnostician reliability of diagnosing sexual sadism in sexual offenders after a review and evaluation of several vignettes detailing various offender features diagnosed from a previous study.
Abstract
Prior research describes both the concept of sexual sadism and research related to the concept. However, there are inconsistencies among reports due to researchers using different definitions of sexual sadism. This study was conducted to specifically examine interdiagnostician reliability. Twelve cases were randomly selected of sexual offenders previously evaluated by psychiatrists, 6 of the 12 were diagnosed as sadists and the other 6 were not. Diagnosticians in the study consisted of 24 psychiatrists considered experts in forensic diagnoses. They were asked to make a series of decisions on sexual sadism based on viewing 12 vignettes describing in detail the features of 12 offenders previously diagnosed as sadists or not. Fifteen of the 24 psychiatrists completed the questionnaires. Results of the study do not encourage confidence in the reliability of the diagnosis of sexual sadism as it is applied to sexual offenders. The three features of the study where there was agreement regarding relevance to the diagnosis and reasonably matching both Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM)-IV criteria and the reports in the literature were cruelty or torture, sexual mutilation, and deviant sexual arousal. References