NCJ Number
129541
Journal
Behavioral Sciences and the Law Volume: 9 Issue: 1 Dated: (Winter 1991) Pages: 61-71
Date Published
1991
Length
11 pages
Annotation
The Clarke Parent-Child Relations Questionnaire was administered to 181 men to compare parent-child relations between child sexual abusers and a control group. The sample included 66 heterosexual pedophiles, 29 homosexual pedophiles, 36 incest offenders, and 50 controls.
Abstract
Among the offenders, 20 percent had used force in committing their offenses, over 53 percent had been sexually abused as children, and 47 percent had been physically abused. The results indicate that, contrary to previous research that suggested disturbances in mother-son relations among sexual offenders, the offender group had more disturbances in father-son relations than the control group. The offenders who used force had been more aggressive toward their fathers as children, but otherwise did not differ from other offenders. Offenders who had suffered physical and sexual abuse as children showed more disturbances in relationships with their fathers than offenders who had not been abused. The authors concede that disturbances in father-son relations do not seem to be as significant in explaining the use of force by child sexual abusers as had been hypothesized. 7 tables and 23 references (Author abstract modified)