The role of moral disengagement and cognitive distortions toward children among sex offenders

Gender Differences in the Characterization of Child Sexual Abuse

Research on child sexual abuse (CSA) has increased in recent decades. However, the study of gender differences in this field is still scarce. The aim of this study was to analyze the differences in the characterization of CSA between Spanish adult men and women. The Juvenile Victimization Questionnaire was administered to 162 cisgender victims of CSA aged 18-63. Most of the abuses involved physical contact and were committed by a known person. Twenty percent of the victims indicated that they had developed a mental health problem that they believed was due to the CSA experience. Women suffered more CSA with physical contact and penetration, more types of abuse and more abuse by men, and were abused more frequently by a family member. Compared to women, men suffered more sexual abuse by women. Exploring gender differences in CSA could help to improve preventive strategies and interventions aimed at reducing the occurrence of this type of abuse and sequelae resulting from it.

Childhood Adversity and Offense-Supportive Cognitions Among Czech Adults with a Sexual Interest in Violence or Children

Individuals with paraphilic interests in sexual violence or children may be more likely to sexually offend if they possess offense-supportive cognitions. These cognitions may develop in response to childhood adversity. However, this idea is largely based on research in men convicted of sexual offenses and may not generalize to non-incarcerated adults with paraphilic interests. In a sample of 178 adults screened for paraphilic interests in violence or children (from the general Czech population), we hypothesized that childhood sexual abuse and emotional neglect would be associated with offense-supportive cognitions about rape and child molestation. Participants came from a nationally representative sample of Czech adults and were selected if they self-reported high levels of sexual interest in violence and/or children. Participants completed an online survey with self-report measures of sexual orientation, offense-supportive cognitions (Bumby RAPE and MOLEST scales), and childhood sexual abuse and emotional neglect (Childhood Trauma Questionnaire). Controlling for gender, age, and sexual orientation, we found that both rape-supportive cognitions and child molestation-supportive cognitions were significantly associated with higher levels of childhood sexual abuse, but not emotional neglect. These findings indicate that childhood sexual abuse may lead to offense-supportive cognitions among men and women with paraphilia.

Sexual Grooming Behavior and Processes of Women Who Commit Sexual Offenses Against Children

Individuals who sexually offend often engage in manipulative and coercive behavior to begin, conceal, and continue the sexual abuse of children over time, referred to as grooming behavior. The large majority of research regarding grooming behavior derives exclusively from male sex offending samples, which is problematic because male and female sex offenders vary widely in their offending patterns, motivations, and behaviors. For the present study, we examined the nature of sexual grooming and processes exhibited by a sample of 50 women convicted of sexual offenses against a child. We were guided by Craven et al. model of sexual grooming, which focuses on self, environmental, and child grooming. To date, this is the only proposed model of sexual grooming that includes self-grooming as a step in the grooming process. Data included narrative interviews with women who were arrested, convicted, and assessed for risk and community notification purposes between 2014 and 2019. We also examined interviews with victims, witnesses, and other guardians. The findings from the current study indicated that women who sexually offend utilize a variety of self, environmental, and child grooming behaviors. Self-grooming was an intricate, complex, and layered process that continued throughout the duration of the offense. Details provided by the women in our sample suggested that environmental and child grooming occurred simultaneously rather than two distinct steps. A better understanding of grooming behaviors can assist in the detection of grooming behavior, development of appropriate responses to child victims, and inform future legislation and its implementation. Theoretical and policy implications are discussed.

Relationships Between Early Maladaptive Schemas and Emotional States in Individuals With Sexual Convictions

This study seeks to add to the existing knowledge and available literature on schema therapy elements in forensic inpatient samples. Early maladaptive schemas and emotional states were assessed in Dutch individuals with sexual convictions and compared to individuals with nonsexual violent convictions. Self-ratings of the Young Schema Questionnaire and the Schema Mode Inventory of 95 patients with either convictions for child sexual abuse (N = 30), sexual violence against adults (N = 34), and nonsexual violent convictions (N = 31) were examined using one-way multivariate ANOVAs. Regardless of victim type, forensic patients convicted for sexual offending, and patients with convictions for nonsexual violent offending, seem to make equal use of specific maladaptive cognitive schemas and schema modes during mandated inpatient care. Other studies have shown that people with sexual offense histories are typically characterized by insecure attachment, overvigilance towards women, or a child-like self-concept. Our study indicates that forensic patient in Dutch mandated care may be qualitatively different from typical patients with sexual offense histories and that Dutch patients with violent or sexual offense histories are more similar than they are dissimilar.

Moral Disengagement in Adolescent Offenders: Its Relationship with Antisocial Behavior and Its Presence in Offenders of the Law and School Norms

This study focuses on understanding the relationship between moral disengagement mechanisms in adolescents who engage in law-breaking activities and those who violate school norms. To do so, we administered the Mechanisms of Moral Disengagement Scale (MMDS), which evaluates moral justification, euphemistic labeling, advantageous comparison, deflection of responsibility, diffusion of responsibility, distortion of consequences, dehumanization, and attribution of blame, to 366 adolescents (60.1% males (n = 220) and 39.9% females (n = 146)). Our results confirmed the hypothesis that law-breaking adolescents presented a higher degree of moral disengagement than those adolescents who violate school norms. Additionally, we found that adolescents who violated school norms displayed significantly higher levels of dehumanization than the controls, and law-breaking adolescents obtained the highest score in this domain. Our findings allow us to suggest that the presence of the dehumanization mechanism in adolescents who violate school norms could be used as an early indicator of the emergence of antisocial behaviors, since this was the only component of moral disengagement that significantly differentiated this group from the controls in the study.

"I'm Not a Child Molester, But a Victim Myself": Examining Rationalizations Among Male Sex Offenders Who Report Histories of Childhood Sexual Abuse

Persons convicted of sexual offenses (PCSOs) hold distorted attitudes and beliefs, or rationalizations that minimize the severity of their offending. Despite this, knowledge of rationalizations held by PCSOs remains limited, especially for offenders who report being sexually abused as children. The purpose of the study was to qualitatively assess post-conviction rationalizations of PCSOs who reported childhood sexual abuse (n = 40) and those who reported no sexual abuse (n = 40) focusing on account variations-a framework proposed by Scott & Lyman. Offenders were interviewed and assessed for risk and community notification purposes in 2014 in a southern state. The manner in which PCSOs use rationalizations to avert responsibility for their offenses provides insight into their motivations for offending, and therefore, can inform treatment initiatives for PCSOs with and without histories of sexual victimization. Results can help inform differentiated treatment for those with histories of sexual abuse and those without.

One pot sets another boiling: A case of social learning perspective about leader self-serving behaviour and followers self-serving counterproductive work behaviour

Self-Serving leadership is a global phenomenon and requires both literary and practical attention to understand how it unfolds and impacts organizations. More specifically the investigation of this underexplored dark side of leadership in Pakistani service sector organizations has its unique significance. So, in this regard, the current study took the initiative to investigate the relationship between a Leader's self-serving behaviour and a follower's self-serving counterproductive work behaviour. Moreover, the underlying mechanism of self-serving cognitive distortions was proposed, with followers' Machivellianism strengthening the indirect relationship between leaders' self-serving behaviour with self-serving counterproductive work behaviour through the self-serving cognitive distortions. The proposed theoretical framework was explained by the Social Learning theory. This study adopted a survey method with the collection of data by utilizing the convenience sampling method, in three-time waves with peer-reported self-serving counterproductive work behaviours. The data was analyzed by utilizing confirmatory factor analysis to establish discriminant and convergent validity. Moreover, the hypotheses testing was done utilizing Hayes Process Macro 4 (Mediation) and 7(Moderated Mediation). The results proved that the self-serving cognitive distortions mediated the relationship between the leader's self-serving behaviour and the follower's self-serving counterproductive work behaviours. Moreover, it was established that the High Mach tendencies strengthed the indirect positive relationship between a leader's self-serving behaviour with self-serving counterproductive work behaviour through the self-serving cognitive distortions. It is important to note that the current study provides a view to the practitioners that formulation of effective policies and systems for identifying and discouraging the tendencies of Leaders' self-serving behaviour and employing people with low Mach Tendencies can avoid the self-serving counterproductive work behaviours harming the overall welfare of the organization.

Treatment and Therapeutic Change of Individuals Imprisoned for Child Abuse in the Barcelona Study on Sex Offenders

The sexual abuse of children is a serious social problem that must be prevented through distinct measures. Among them is the application of treatments to those who have already committed sex crimes in order to prevent them from committing a new one. To assess the efficacy of sexual offense treatment, the most common method has been to compare the recidivism rates of treated and untreated groups. Several meta-analyses in this regard-as well as some specific studies in Spain-have shown that the application of treatment is associated with lower recidivism rates. However, the analysis of the subjects' recidivism alone does not reveal the therapeutic changes that the treatment may elicit in them. Some international studies have evaluated the therapeutic improvements resulting from the application of treatments to men who had sexually abused children. In this context, this study explores the therapeutic changes experienced by a sample of subjects imprisoned for child abuse (N = 145), after participating in the treatment program applied in the Spanish prison system. Nine therapeutic variables were assessed (such as anxiety, cognitive distortions, impulsivity, and social self-esteem), before and after treatment, using an instrument named the Psychological Assessment Scale for Sex Offenders (PASSO). The obtained results show that most of the assessed therapeutic variables improved after treatment, with strong correlations between them. The implications of the results for treatment practice are discussed, as well as the main methodological limitations of this research.

Give me your password! What are you hiding? Associated factors of intimate partner violence through technological abuse

The present study explored the associated factors of intimate partner violence through technological abuse (ITPV) in a sample of 1113 participants aged 18 to 65 (71.3% females). Our research's primary questions were the following: 1). Is there a significant link between relationship attachment styles and ITPV perpetration or victimization?; 2). Is there a significant link between participants' demographic and relationship characteristics (i.e., relationship length and partners' fidelity), online behavior (i.e., benign and toxic disinhibition), moral disengagement, psychological distress), and ITPV perpetration or victimization?; and 3). Did the COVID-19 pandemic increase ITPV perpetration or victimization?. We analyzed our data by creating three different groups, depending on participants' answers concerning ITPV, i.e., the overall sample, abusers' and victims' groups. Our main results suggested significant, positive correlations between ITPV perpetration and victimization, moral disengagement, psychological distress, and online disinhibition. Age negatively correlated with IPVT victimization and perpetration. We also found significant associations between participants' dominant relationship attachment style and their own and partners' cheating behavior, as well as ITPV-victimization and perpetration. Finally, 13.7% to 23% of participants in all three groups considered that the Covid-19 increased the frequency of ITPV behaviors (for both abusers and victims). Results are discussed considering their theoretical and practical implications for domestic violence and the potential related prevention and intervention strategies.

Hating Adolescents Test (HAT): a preliminary development of a measure to assess hating among adolescents

The phenomenon of haters is becoming common among adolescents. The aims of the present research were to evaluate the preliminary psychometric properties of the Hating Adolescents Test (HAT), an ad hoc questionnaire created to evaluate online and offline hate (Study 1), and possible risk factors connected with hate (Study 2). Participants (202 female and 200 male) of this study completed the HAT, the How I Think Questionnaire, the Buss-Perry Aggression Questionnaire, and the Penn State Worry Questionnaire. Descriptive statistics were calculated, and exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis were applied. Preliminary data suggest how males reported higher level of hate than females. Cronbach's alpha coefficient suggested excellent reliability of the measure. Results of this study also revealed satisfactory construct, convergent and divergent validity. Moreover, the results show a significant gender difference on the variables of the study (pathological worry and hostility aggressiveness). The mediation model suggests how hostile aggressiveness mediated the relationship between pathological worry and hate. HAT is a brief self-report questionnaire composed of 12 items scored on a 5-point Likert scale, with good psychometric properties.

Attenuation of Deviant Sexual Fantasy across the Lifespan in United States Adult Males

Deviant sexual fantasy is identified as a risk factor for sexual offending, yet no study has examined deviant sexual fantasy across the lifespan in nonoffending adult males. To bridge this gap, this study examined the frequencies of normative and deviant sexual fantasies among 318 nonoffending adult males in the United States. Participants were recruited via Amazon Mechanical Turk™. Participants took two inventories that assessed demographics and types of sexual fantasies. Normality tests, means tests, Kruskal-Wallis 1-way analyses of variance (ANOVAs), binary logistic regressions, and odds ratio post hoc analyses were conducted. Deviant sexual fantasies progressively declined across all three age groups, while normative sexual fantasy did not. Results suggest that deviant sexual fantasy changes across the lifespan. Applicability of the findings to applied settings, such as sexually violent predator evaluations, is discussed. Limitations and future considerations are addressed.