Sexual offending

Question 1

Risk factors to SO (8) acronym

Answer 1

Some People
Dont Say Interesting
Engaging Conversations
Like Am Right
I ^
Surly Random
People Say
Heck!

• Sexual Preoccupation
• Deviant Sexual Interest
• Emotional Congruence with children (see themselves as children or think children are mature)
• Lack Adult Relationships
• Impulsivity
• Self-Regulation problems
• poor Problem-Solving
• Hostility

Question 2

Single factor theories

Answer 2

Deviant sexual preferences
- acquired biologically ( dopamine, serotonin) and/or through learning (OP/CC – paired deviant stimuli with arousal)
- if it’s learned, it can be reconditioned - see Tx
-

Intimacy deficits
- related to attachment styles, and view of self-versus view of others
- attachment styles may map onto types of offences (e.g., dismissive (self +ve others -ve)- hostility/violent against women; preoccupied (self -ve, others +ve) - child sexual offending)

Question 3

Multi-factorial theories

Finkelhor Preconditions

Answer 3

4 Preconditions that need to be there:

1. Motivation to sexually abuse …motivation may be due to:
   a. Sexual arousal to children
   b. Need for Emotional satisfaction
   c. Unable to meet sexual needs/Blockage – not able to get there needs met in appropriate ways, could be fear of rejection, lack of social skills, marital problems, guilt due to sexual norms
2. Overcoming internal inhibitors
   a. Substance intoxication/ Psychosis
   b. Poor impulse control
   c. Severe stress
   d. Cognitive dissociations – I’m not doing anything wrong, it’s just touching, it’s not harmful

Once they overcome the top two then they are motivated to offend and seek it out

3. Overcoming external inhibitors – not always malicious or deliberate
   a. Gaining caregiver trust
   b. Child alone/ Limited/poor supervision
4. Overcoming victim resistance
   a. Gifts
   b. Gradual sexual desensitisation
   c. Threats/Violence

Question 4

Pathways (Ward & Siegert)

Answer 4

(I’d Dance S S every day at church men don’t mind)

• Vulnerability comes from = family environment, learning history, biological factors, cultural issues

1. Intimacy deficits
   - Normal sexual scripts but problems with intimacy
   - Insecure attachment
   - Social isolation/ adult rejection
   - Child less hostile
2. deviant sexual scripts
   - Deviant sexual script
   - Premature sexualisation
   - Intimacy confusion
3. emotional dysregulation
   - Normal sexual scripts
   - but problems with emotional dysregulation
   - Sex = soothing strategy/punish the partner
4. Antisocial cognitions
   - Normal sexual script but pro-criminal attitude
   - About self-gratification
   - Don’t care about others
   - Hostile masculinity
5. Multiple dysfunctional mechanisms
   - Deviant sexual script
   - Sexual offending makes them feel good
   - Cognitive distortions think everyone is happy no harm

Question 5

ITSO-R (Ward & Beech)

Answer 5

• Biology and brain = predispose to sexual offending
  o Some people are genetically weaker/are disadvantaged may have sexual aggression
  o Deficits in neurotransmitters and sex hormones
• Ecological niche (personal, social and cultural)
  o Distal: E.G poor problem-solving, poor perspective taking
  o Proximal: E.G environmental factors that change behaviour (substance use)
• These two go to the neuropsychological systems:
  o Motivation/emotion – problems in upbringing + attachment = disruption in internal working model which impacts how we manage our emotion and motivation
  o Action selection and control – ability to plan and execute action, deal with stress, self-control
  o Perception and memory – memory of past abuse for example
   These three all work together to help a person make a decision

Question 6

Motivation-Facilitation (Seto)

Answer 6

• Three primary motivations:
  1. Paraphilias – intense, recurrent, unusual sexual interests [not just paedophile]
  2. High sex drive – is there distress or impairment to this
  3. Intense mating effort (energy, resources invested in finding a new mate/novelty) – this isn’t satisfied in a relationship

Facilitators
- factors that overcome inhibitions
- Motivation alone is insufficient – need situations to act too (likely to seek out or create opportunities)

Facilitation
Trait facilitation factors:
- Self-regulation problems
- Hostile masculinity
State facilitation factors:
- Negative affect
- Alcohol use
- High sexual arousal

Situational factors
- Vulnerable victims (e.g., father absence/blended families-(step dad), lower income/family stressors, social isolation)
- Lack of guardians to intervene
- Time and place factors (afternoon/evening, victim or perpetrator’s home most common)

Question 7

Psychometric

Answer 7

● VRS-SO (static and dynamic)
= Violence Risk Scale Sexual Offending Version
● Stable & Acute
= often done together
● ASRS-R
= developed by NZ Corrections

Question 8

Treatment

Answer 8

Reconditioning
Verbal satiation
- repeated verbalisation without reinforcement
Masturbatory reconditioning
- thematic shift before orgasm
Directed masturbation
- instructed to masturbate to non-deviant themes
Aversive condition
- pairing deviant fantasy with aversive stimulus
Covert sensitisation
- pairing deviant fantasy with imagined neg.ve outcome