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Theory and evidence suggest that attitudes toward violence are relevant for the explanation, prediction, and reduction of violent behavior. The purpose of the present study was to adapt a measure of violent attitudes—the Evaluation of Violence Questionnaire (EVQ)—for use in Portugal, test the cross‐country equivalence, and test the validity of both versions. We found the expected one‐factor structure, high internal consistency, and cross‐country measurement invariance for the Portuguese and original EVQ with men in Portugal (N = 320) and Canada (N = 298). We also found the expected pattern of correlations with measures of more versus less theoretically relevant constructs: both versions of the EVQ showed the strongest correlations with overall aggression and reactive aggression; slightly lower correlations with proactive aggression; negative correlations with self‐control; and the smallest correlations with self‐esteem. Our results support the equivalence, reliability, and validity of the Portuguese and original versions of the EVQ. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although self-control is frequently comorbid with other antisocial features, some individuals who exhibit psychological risk factors for antisocial conduct nevertheless have relatively high self-control. With this complexity in mind, the current study examined self-control as a potential moderator of antisociality/criminality features and violent attitudes using a community sample of 354 adult participants from Portugal. We found significant evidence that self-control moderates the dark core of personality when predicting antisociality/criminality, but not when predicting violent attitudes. We also found self-control moderates psychopathy when predicting antisocialty/criminality, but self-control had more robust moderation effects for violent attitudes. Specifically, self-control moderated narcissism, psychopathy, and sadism. Self-control did not moderate Machiavellianism in either model. Findings corroborate the notion that self-control plays an important role in moderating some dark traits of personality that are significant predictors for antisocial/criminal behaviors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

PRACTICE IMPACT STATEMENTThe purpose of the current study was to examine whether professionals who work with people who have sexually offended are biased towards accepting ambiguous evidence as supportive of the effectiveness of treatment for these clients. In an online survey, professionals who work with people who have sexually offended (N = 58) were randomly assigned to receive a brief summary of ambiguous correlational evidence about either treatment for sexual offending or treatment for people who have cancer. Participants were then asked to select from causal and alternate interpretations of the evidence, whether they would recommend implementation of the treatment, and the proportion of funding they would allocate to implementation of the treatment. More than half of the participants incorrectly drew causal inferences and recommended implementing the treatment. However, there was limited evidence that this bias was specific to treatment for people who have sexually offended and there was no evidence that this bias was greater for participants who were more involved versus less involved in treatment for people who have sexually offended. Overall, our results most clearly suggest the operation of the pervasive, general critical thinking error of inferring causation from correlation rather than a self-serving or otherwise motivated bias.The current study raises awareness of a common critical thinking error that can lead to the implementation of ineffective or even harmful practices and policies. We make recommendations to help reduce this error, which would facilitate more effective practice and policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we sought to capture implicit attitudes toward violence by administering response latency measures. We then examined their associations with explicit (e.g., assessed with self‐report) attitudes toward violence and self‐reported violent behavior in a combined sample of males from a Canadian university and males from the general community (N = 251; 156 students and 95 community members). To date, there have been mixed findings regarding these associations; some of this inconsistency may be due to the difficulty in accurately conceptualizing and assessing implicit attitudes toward violence. Therefore, we administered three response latency measures to assess this construct: a violence evaluation implicit association test (VE‐IAT), a personalized VE‐IAT (P‐VE‐IAT), and a violence evaluation relational responding task, along with three self‐report measures of explicit attitudes toward violence and three self‐report measures of violent behavior. More positive implicit attitudes toward violence were related to more positive explicit attitudes toward violence (for VE‐IAT and P‐VE‐IAT; r = 0.18 to 0.22), greater likelihood of violence (for VE‐IAT; r = 0.18 and for P‐VE‐IAT; r = 0.16), and greater propensity for violence (for the VE‐IAT; r = 0.16). All measures of explicit attitudes toward violence and violent behavior were moderately to strongly associated with one another (r = 0.42 to 0.81). Furthermore, implicit attitudes toward violence explained additional variance in some violent outcomes above explicit attitudes alone. Our findings suggest that scores on certain reaction time measures are important for understanding likelihood and propensity for violence, especially when combined with explicit attitude measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rape-related cognitions (typically defined as encompassing any number of cognitive constructs) are thought to play a role in sexual aggression. However, rape-related cognition scales often assess these cognitive constructs as one. The purpose of this study is to explore the factor structure of these measures using a sample of 191 community men. We found that items from the Rape Myth Acceptance, RAPE, and Illinois Rape Myth Acceptance (IRMA) scales formed one factor, which was significantly related to sexual aggression. We further found that four and six IRMA subscales were significantly related to past and likelihood of sexual aggression, respectively. Additionally, one IRMA subscale was independently related to past and likelihood of sexual aggression. The results are discussed in terms of implications and direction for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Evaluative attitudes toward violence refer to the extent to which violence is viewed negatively or positively. The purpose of the present study was to replicate and extend previous research to test the extent to which items in typical measures of violent attitudes reflect evaluative attitudes toward violence. Method: A cross-national online panel of men from the community (N = 342) completed self-report measures of attitudes toward violence and violent behavior. Two of the attitude measures were drawn from the forensic/correctional area (Violence Scale of the Measures of Criminal Attitudes and Associates–Revised [MCAA-R-V] and Criminal Attitudes to Violence Scale [CAVS]), whereas the other two focused on evaluative attitudes toward violence (Semantic Differential Scale [SDS] and Evaluation of Violence Questionnaire [EVQ]). Violent behavior was measured with two self-report measures: Violent Behaviour Scale (VBS) and the Violent Behavior Vignette Questionnaire (VBVQ). Results: Replicating previous results, the items of the SDS formed a separate factor from the items of the MCAA-R-V and the CAVS, and the SDS was independently correlated with violent behavior as measured by the VBS. The extension with the EVQ and VBVQ yielded similar results with the exception that the EVQ items did not form a distinct factor from the MCAA-R-V items. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that violent attitude scales differ in the extent to which they measure evaluative attitudes toward violence or the aspects of evaluative attitudes toward violence that they measure and that these different scales provide complementary information relevant to violent behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is unknown whether existing intimate partner violence (IPV) risk assessment tools can predict recidivism within threat assessment samples. We examined the predictive validity for IPV, any violent, and general recidivism of four commonly used IPV risk appraisal tools (Ontario Domestic Assault Risk Assessment [ODARA], Spousal Assault Risk Assessment version 2 [SARA-V2], SARA version 3 [SARA-V3], and Brief Spousal Assault Form for the Evaluation of Risk [B-SAFER]) with 247 men charged with IPV and referred to a threat assessment service. Total scores of the ODARA and SARA-V2—but not SARA-V3 or B-SAFER—significantly predicted IPV recidivism and any violent recidivism. The SARA-V2 Criminal History subscale and the B-SAFER subscale of "Past" events—but no other subscales of the SARA-V2, B-SAFER, or SARA-V3—significantly predicted IPV recidivism. Although effect sizes were smaller than in past research, our results support the use of the ODARA and SARA-V2 with threat assessment IPV populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is unclear whether existing measures of attitudes and cognitive distortions regarding sexual offending against children (SOC) reflect evaluative attitudes toward SOC (i.e., how negatively or positively one views SOC). The purpose of the current study was to take the first steps toward creating a self-report measure of evaluative attitudes toward SOC. We created 30 items and asked 157 incarcerated people in a sexual offense treatment program to complete them. We retained the 13 items that were the least positively skewed (i.e., lowest endorsement of the most negative response option) and non-redundant (i.e., not too highly correlated with other items) for inclusion in the new measure, which we called the Evaluative Attitudes Toward Sexual Offending Against Children (EASOC) Scale. As an initial test of the relevance of the EASOC Scale, we examined its association with SOC. Participants with SOC (n = 58) reported more positive evaluative attitudes on the EASOC Scale than did those without SOC (n = 22). This expected association is a necessary (but not sufficient) indication that the EASOC Scale may be relevant for predicting and explaining SOC. Future research using more rigorous methodology should build on our modest first steps to revisit item selection and test the validity and relevance of the EASOC Scale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inferring causation from correlation can lead to erroneous explanations of violent behavior and the development and implementation of ineffective or even harmful interventions and policies. This article explores the inferences that violence researchers draw from evidence related to violent offending. We invited authors of articles published in violence journals to complete an online survey in which they were asked to identify a factor that may be a cause of violence, cite a study that demonstrates the factor is associated with violence, and provide their inferences from that study. We read each study and coded its research design (description of a sample [n = 9], cross-sectional/retrospective non-experiment [n = 18], single-wave longitudinal non-experiment [n = 10], multi-wave longitudinal non-experiment [n = 0], or randomized experiment [n = 5]) and the appropriate inferences (inter-rater reliability was adequate; κ = 0.73–1.00). Reassuringly, participants (N = 42; 57.1% in United States; 59.5% women) rarely indicated that their identified study demonstrated that their factor was a cause of violence (0.0%–16.7%) when the study was not a randomized experiment. However, many participants failed to acknowledge any plausible alternate interpretations (e.g., reverse causality, third variable) of the results from non-experimental studies (50.0%–88.9%). Moreover, most participants incorrectly selected a causal implication as following from the results of non-experimental studies (77.8%–100%). Our results suggest that even among authors of articles published in peer-review scientific journals on violence, many appear to infer causation from correlation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Attitudes toward violence are important in theoretical explanations of violent behavior and efforts to reduce violent behavior. Though an association between attitudes and violent behavior has been demonstrated, most studies have used correlational/observational research designs. We conducted a randomized experiment to test the effect of attitudes toward violence on violent behavior with 285 men from the community. Participants were randomly assigned to receive material to make attitudes toward violence more negative or to a control condition. Violent behavior was then approximated by asking participants to select from a range of violent and nonviolent options in response to a series of interpersonal conflict vignettes. Participants in the negative attitude condition responded with less violence on the vignette questionnaire than did participants in the control condition (Cohen's d = −0.23, 95% CI [−0.46, 0.01]). Participants also completed a measure of attitudes toward violence at the end of the experiment; more positive attitudes toward violence showed a strong association with more violent responding on the vignette questionnaire (r =.62, 95% bootstrapped CI [.54,.69]). Consistent with theory and practice, our findings suggest that attitudes toward violence may play a role in violent behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Violent Behavior Vignette Questionnaire (VBVQ) is a self-report measure of current violent behavior. It consists of a series of interpersonal conflicts to which participants respond by selecting from a range of violent and nonviolent options. Though there is initial evidence for the convergent validity of VBVQ scores, other important aspects of construct validity have not yet been tested. In the current study, we conducted a secondary analysis of a dataset of 471 men from the general community to explore the factor structure of the VBVQ and its distinctiveness from other measures of violence and aggression (i.e., Violent Behaviour Scale [VBS] and the Physical Aggression scale of the Aggression Questionnaire [PA-AQ]). An exploratory factor analysis (EFA) indicated that the VBVQ vignettes fit a one-factor structure. Partial correlations indicated that the VBVQ was independently correlated with the PA-AQ (controlling for the VBS), and with the VBS (controlling for the PA-AQ). Furthermore, a second EFA indicated that the VBVQ vignettes formed a distinct factor from the VBS and PA-AQ items. These results suggest that the VBVQ measures one construct and that it provides non-redundant information about violent behavior relative to the other measures of violence and aggression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Uncertainty is unavoidable in work with people who have sexually offended, but the particular challenges, standards, and strategies regarding uncertainty can differ widely across the many different roles and contexts of that work. In this manuscript we discuss uncertainty from four perspectives: evidence-based practice, risk assessment, law, and research. Though the manifestations and contingencies regarding uncertainty varied between our different perspectives, we identified some conceptually similar strategies for dealing with uncertainty: recognise uncertainty as much as possible and thoughtfully deal with it in a way that best balances competing personal, professional, legal, and ethical goals and responsibilities. We hope that our discussion highlights the diverse challenges, standards, and strategies regarding uncertainty in work with people who have sexually offended, and thereby fosters greater mutual respect, communication, cooperation, and success in our shared goal of reducing sexual offending. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current study examined the extent to which evaluative attitudes toward sexual aggression (i.e., positive or negative evaluative judgments about sexually aggressive behavior) mediate the association between injunctive norms (i.e., extent to which peers approve or disapprove of sexually aggressive behavior) and self-reported sexual aggression against women. Participants were 200 male undergraduate students. Approximately one in four males reported engaging in at least one sexually aggressive act since the age of 16. Participants with a history of sexual aggression also reported the highest likelihood of engaging in sexually aggressive behavior in the future. We tested two separate mediation models to examine the extent to which evaluative attitudes account for the link between injunctive norms and sexual aggression: one model with self-reported history of sexual aggression as the outcome and the other with likelihood of engaging in sexually aggressive behavior as the outcome. Results showed that more positive evaluative attitudes toward sexual aggression accounted for the association between injunctive norms and self-reported history of sexual aggression. Similarly, evaluative attitudes accounted for the link between injunctive norms and self-reported likelihood of engaging in sexually aggressive behavior in the future. Overall, these findings are consistent with theoretical and empirical explanations of sexual offending and general criminal behavior; however, this is the first study to explore the relationship between injunctive norms and evaluative attitudes in the context of explaining sexually aggressive behavior. If more rigorous research establishes a causal relationship between injunctive norms, evaluative attitudes, and sexually aggressive behavior, this would suggest that targeting these factors in prevention programs may reduce sexual aggression by male undergraduate students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

According to the sexually abused-abuser hypothesis, childhood sexual victimization (CSV) among males increases the likelihood of later sexual offending against children. Why CSV is related to sexual offending against children, however, has yet to be determined. To explore mechanisms that may link CSV to sexual offending, we tested the relationship between CSV and the two main risk domains: pedophilic interest and antisocial orientation. In four studies, men convicted of sexual offences against children under 15 who reported experiencing CSV were generally more sexually interested in children—especially male children—and were more antisocial than those who did not report experiencing CSV. A meta-analysis of the results across our four studies showed that CSV was moderately associated with greater antisociality, but less so with pedophilic interests. Future research should test the extent to which pedophilic interest and antisocial orientation explain the relationship between CSV and sexual offending against children among convicted sexual offenders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We examined the extent to which evaluative attitudes toward sexual aggression are distinct from other cognitions regarding sexually aggressive behavior. Evaluative attitudes toward sexual aggression refer to the extent to which sexual aggression is viewed negatively or positively. In a secondary analysis of online survey data from 495 community men, exploratory factor analysis revealed that items from a measure of evaluative attitudes formed a distinct factor from items designed to measure cognitive distortions regarding rape. These findings suggest that evaluative attitudes may be distinct from cognitive distortions. Furthermore, hierarchical regression analyses indicated that evaluative attitudes explained unique variance in self-reported past sexual aggression, proclivity for sexually aggressive behavior, and likelihood to rape. If future research finds support for a causal relationship between evaluative attitudes and sexual aggression, well-established evaluative-attitude-change procedures from the social psychological literature could be adapted to address evaluative attitudes toward sexual aggression in interventions aimed at reducing sexually aggressive behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The measurement of violent behavior presents serious challenges for research on violence. In the current article, we present initial tests of the construct validity of scores on the Violent Behavior Vignette Questionnaire (VBVQ), which consists of a series of interpersonal conflict vignettes with response options in a multiple-choice format designed to measure current violent behavior. Violent responses on the initial version of the VBVQ generally corresponded to independent indicators of physical aggressiveness and violent behavior among male university students, men in the community, and incarcerated male offenders. We then refined the VBVQ and again tested the validity of its scores in new samples of men in the community and incarcerated male offenders. In both samples, men who selected a violent response option on the VBVQ generally had much higher levels of physical aggressiveness and violent behavior than did men who selected non-violent response options. However, VBVQ responses were not associated with the number of violent offenses in offenders' official criminal records. Our findings provide some support for the use of the VBVQ in lab and correctional/forensic research, but further research is required to determine whether it offers advantages over other measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: We quantitatively reviewed the construct validity evidence for all cognitively based indirect measures of sexual interest in prepubescent children (pedophilic interest) and pubescent children (hebephilic interest) using meta-analysis. Method: Studies were included if they presented scores on a cognitively based indirect measure of pedohebephilic interest for a sample of adolescent or adult males who had committed a sexual offense against a child 16 years of age or younger, or who reported sexual interest in children, and for a comparison group. Studies were also included if they reported on the strength of association between scores on an indirect measure and an independent indicator of pedohebephilic interest in a sample of males. We used meta-analysis with robust variance estimation to summarize effect sizes and metaregression to test potential moderators. Results: Cognitively based indirect measures of pedohebephilic interest showed a moderate difference between pedohebephilic (n = 2,552) and nonpedohebephilic males (n = 2,434), d = 0.61, 95% CI [0.46, 0.76], k = 39. A small-to-moderate correlation was also observed between indirect measures and independent indicators of pedohebephilic interest, r =.23, 95% CI [0.17, 0.28], k = 23, n = 3,623. These effects were qualified by substantial heterogeneity; however, most moderators we tested did not account for a significant amount of heterogeneity. Conclusions: Findings suggest that publication bias did not substantially distort the results. However, the lack of significant moderators suggests more research is needed to understand the conditions under which indirect measures best reflect pedohebephilic interest. Public Health Significance Statement: The body of evidence on cognitively based indirect measures of sexual interest in children (e.g., viewing or reaction time measures) suggests that they are promising and worthy of continued research, but more evidence is required before we can rely on these measures alone to make decisions that impact public safety or civil liberty. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sexual recidivism risk measures are primarily scored using official documentation (e.g. criminal records), but such reviews are time-consuming, and limited by the quality and availability of relevant information. In this study, we examined the agreement between self-reported and official file information. We conducted secondary analyses on two datasets in which 24 and 27 adult males convicted of sexual offences provided self-report information under confidential conditions, which we used to score the Static-99 and the Screening Scale for Pedophilic Interests. Criminal history information was reliable across both studies, whereas victim characteristics were not. We also used self-reports to create a self-report risk scale – the Sexual Offence Self-Report Risk Scale, which was positively correlated with the Static-99 across both studies (r =.73 and.56). Our results suggest that some self-report information gathered under confidential conditions can be reliable and provide acceptably valid estimates of relative risk for research purposes when official documentation is limited. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Valid assessment of pedohebephilic interests (i.e., sexual interest in children) is fundamental to forensic clinical practice. Phallometric testing—which measures changes in penile circumference or volume, while stimuli depicting different ages and sexual activities are presented—is widely used in clinical and research settings to detect such interests. This meta-analysis summarizes studies comparing sexual offenders against children and various types of controls on phallometric tests for pedohebephilic interests (37 samples; N = 6,785) and studies examining the relationship between phallometric test scores and sexual reoffending (16 samples; N = 2,709). The findings suggest that several phallometric testing procedures are valid indicators of pedohebephilic interest. Certain methodological features of phallometric tests were associated with greater validity, such as, slide or audio-plus-slide stimuli and z-score-based indices. In addition, phallometric tests for pedohebephilic, pedophilic, and hebephilic interests predicted sexual reoffending which provides further evidence that phallometric test scores are valid indicators of sexual interest in children. In general, the interpretation of phallometric test scores as indicators of pedohebephilic interests is supported. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Identifying causes of sexual offending is the foundation of effective and efficient assessment, intervention, and policy aimed at reducing sexual offending. However, studies vary in methodological rigor and the inferences they support, and there are differences of opinion about the conclusions that can be drawn from ambiguous evidence. To explore how researchers in this area interpret the available empirical evidence, we asked authors of articles published in relevant specialized journals to identify (a) an important factor that may lead to sexual offending, (b) a study providing evidence of a relationship between that factor and sexual offending, and (c) the inferences supported by that study. Many participants seemed to endorse causal interpretations and conclusions that went beyond the methodological rigor of the study they identified. Our findings suggest that some researchers may not be adequately considering methodological issues when making inferences about the causes of sexual offending. Although it is difficult to conduct research in this area and all research designs can provide valuable information, sensitivity to the limits methodology places on inferences is important for the sake of accuracy and integrity, and to stimulate more informative research. We propose that increasing attention to methodology in the research community through better training and standards will advance scientific knowledge about the causes of sexual offending, and improve the effectiveness and efficiency of practice and policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current paper examined the association between childhood sexual victimization (CSV) and constructs thought to be relevant for sexual offending in secondary analyses of three samples of adult males who committed sexual offences against children (N = 16, 28, and 20). Compared to participants who reported no CSV, those who reported CSV exhibited slightly to moderately more cognitive distortions and moderately to largely less negative evaluations of sexual offending against children; slightly to moderately higher self-esteem, positive evaluation of people who commit sexual offences, and identification with people who commit sexual offences against children; and much more emotional congruence with children. Our findings suggest that CSV may be associated with variables presumed to play a role in sexual offending against children. However, given the small sample sizes and other limitations of our studies, our evidence does not permit conclusions regarding causal relationships and any novel findings require replication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current longitudinal study explored the extent to which implicit and explicit evaluations of sexual aggression predict subsequent sexually aggressive behavior. Participants (248 community men recruited online) completed measures of implicit and explicit evaluations and self-reported sexually aggressive behavior at two time points, approximately 4 months apart. Implicit and explicit evaluations of sexual aggression at Wave 1 had small significant and independent predictive relationships with sexually aggressive behavior at Wave 2, while controlling for sexually aggressive behavior at Wave 1. This is the first study to test whether implicit and explicit evaluations predict subsequent sexually aggressive behavior. Our findings are consistent with the possibility that both implicit and explicit evaluations may be relevant for understanding and preventing subsequent sexually aggressive behavior. If these findings can be replicated, evaluations of sexual aggression should be studied with more rigorous methodology (e.g., experimental design) and correctional/forensic populations, and possibly addressed in risk assessment and interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of the current study was to explore the relationship between implicit and explicit evaluations of sexual aggression and indicators of sexually aggressive behavior in samples of students and community men recruited online. Participants were male undergraduate students recruited online from a Canadian University ( N = 150) and men recruited from the community via an online panel ( N = 378). Participants completed measures of implicit and explicit evaluations of sexual aggression, cognitive distortions regarding rape, self-reported past sexually aggressive behavior, and self-reported proclivity to commit sexually aggressive behavior. We found that more positive explicit evaluations and more cognitive distortions were moderately to strongly associated with sexual aggression; however, this was not the case for implicit evaluations of rape. Our results suggest that explicit evaluations of sexual aggression and cognitive distortions may be relevant for understanding sexual aggression against adults, and that more research is needed exploring whether or not implicit evaluations are associated with sexually aggressive behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Buss-Perry Aggression Questionnaire (AQ) is a self-report measure of aggressiveness commonly employed in nonforensic and forensic settings and is included in violent offender pre- and posttreatment assessment batteries. The aim of the current study was to assess the fit of the four-factor model of the AQ with violent offenders (N = 271), a population for which the factor structure of the English version of the AQ has not previously been examined. Confirmatory factor analyses did not yield support for the four-factor model of the original 29-item AQ. Acceptable fit was obtained with the 12-item short form, but careful examination of the relationships between the latent factors revealed that the four subscales of the AQ may not represent distinct aspects of aggressiveness. Our findings call into question whether the AQ optimally measures trait aggressiveness among violent offenders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cognitive distortions are often referred to as attitudes toward rape in theory, research, and clinical practice pertaining to sexual aggression. In the social-psychological literature, however, attitudes are typically defined as evaluations; thus, in this context, attitudes toward rape are considered evaluations of rape (e.g., rape is negative vs. positive). The purpose of the current study was to explore whether a widely used measure of cognitive distortions (RAPE Scale; Bumby, 1996) assesses evaluation of rape, and, if not, whether evaluation of rape and the cognitions assessed by the RAPE Scale are independently associated with sexually aggressive behavior. Participants (660 male undergraduate students) completed the RAPE Scale as well as measures of evaluation of rape and sexually aggressive behavior. An exploratory factor analysis revealed that the RAPE Scale items formed a correlated but distinct factor from the Evaluation of Rape Scale items. Regression analyses indicated that the Evaluation of Rape Scale and the RAPE Scale had small to moderate independent associations with self-report measures of sexually aggressive behavior. Our results suggest that evaluation of rape may be distinct from cognitive distortions regarding rape, and both evaluation and cognitive distortions may be relevant for understanding sexual violence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although the Sexual Violence Risk-20 (SVR-20) is widely used, its psychometric properties have only been investigated in a limited number of studies. This study explored the factor structure of the SVR-20 and examined its psychometric properties. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was used to examine the fit of the original three-domain model of the SVR-20. The CFA showed that the original structure was not satisfactory. Exploratory principal components analysis (PCA) was conducted in search of a more optimal factor structure. Psychometric properties (i.e., internal consistency, predictive value, and convergent validity) of both the original domains and alternative factors were investigated. The PCA and subsequent CFAs pointed in the direction of an alternative, more optimal three-factor solution. The three alternative factors were labeled as Antisociality, Sexual deviance, and Problematic thinking and produced better internal consistency coefficients than the original domains. However, the validity of the SVR-20 was modest and no evidence was found indicating that the alternative factors were better in this regard as compared to the original domains. Despite the overall superiority of actuarial measures in predicting recidivism, the structured professional judgment of the SVR-20 proved to be more predictive of sexual, violent, and general recidivism than its actuarial scoring method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We examined the use of graphs as an aid to communicating statistical risk among forensic clinicians. We first tested four graphs previously used or recommended for forensic risk assessment among 442 undergraduate students who made security recommendations about two offenders whose risk differed by one actuarial category of risk for violent recidivism (Study 1). Effective decision making was defined as actuarially higher risk offenders being assigned to greater security than lower risk offenders. The graph resulting in the largest distinction among less numerate students was a probability bar graph. We then tested this graph among 54 forensic clinicians (Study 2). The graph had no overall effect. Among more experienced staff, however, decisions were insensitive to actuarial risk in the absence of the graph and in the desirable direction with the addition of the graph. Further research into the benefit of graphs in violence risk communication appears viable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Buss-Perry Aggression Questionnaire (AQ) is often used with sexual offenders, but its factor structure has never been examined in this population. The primary aim of this study was to assess the fit of the proposed four-factor model of the AQ reported in previous studies on a sample of incarcerated sexual offenders (N = 293). Results of a series of confirmatory factor analyses did not clearly support the four-factor structure of the full or short version of the AQ. Specifically, very large latent factor correlations suggested that the AQ may not measure a four-dimensional construct in the current sample. Only the physical aggression subscale was independently associated with estimated risk of sexual recidivism. Our findings suggest that the AQ is relevant to risk of sexual recidivism but call into question the appropriateness of the established subscales and their interpretation for sexual offenders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current study examined the discriminative and convergent validity of three Implicit Association Test (IAT) measures designed to assess sexual interest in girls, in boys or in children. Sex offenders against children (n =29) did not differ from non-sex offenders (n=28) on these IAT measures. The IAT measures were related to a physiological measure of sexual interest in children, but not to a file-based measure of sexual interest in children or the sexual preference item of the STABLE-2007. The relationship between the IAT measures and risk scales designed to predict sexual recidivism was counter-intuitive. Greater sexual interest in boys, as assessed by the IAT measure, was related to lower risk of sexual recidivism. The current study did not provide compelling evidence for the validity of IAT measures designed to assess sexual interest in children. A better understanding of construct validity of IAT measures is needed before their use in the assessment and management of sexual offenders against children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of the study was to examine whether scores on a widely used measure of hostility—the Buss–Durkee Hostility Inventory (BDHI)—and change on this measure predicted sexual recidivism in a sample of 120 adult male incarcerated sexual offenders. Pre- and posttreatment scores, simple difference scores, and clinically significant change were examined. The majority of participants had functional scores on the BDHI prior to treatment. Of those who had dysfunctional pretreatment scores, the majority remained unchanged. Higher posttreatment scores on the Assault and Verbal Hostility subscales significantly predicted sexual recidivism. The remaining pre- and posttreatment scores as well as change scores and classifications did not significantly predict sexual recidivism. Our findings suggest that the Assault and Verbal Hostility subscales may be useful for predicting sexual recidivism but were not clearly consistent with the notion that the BDHI assesses a dynamic risk factor(s) for sexual recidivism. Due to a number of limitations of the current study, however, more rigorous research is needed before firm conclusions can be drawn. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]