Efecto del tratamiento sobre la reincidencia de delincuentes sexuales: un meta-análisis.

This meta-analysis has the aim of measuring the effect of treatment on sex offenders. After a systematic review of the recent literature, seventeen studies were selected, containing a total sample of 6,681 sex offenders. The rates of sexual recidivism (13.12% vs. 17.94%), violent ─including sexual─ (25.5% vs. 29.1%) and general ─any type of recidivism─ (46.53% vs. 52.41%) of treated offenders were less than those of the control groups. The effectiveness of the treatment was clear in reducing the rates of sexual (OR = .69; p < .05) and general (OR = .66; p < .05) recidivism of the subjects treated, but not the rates of violent recidivism. This results demonstrated the abilty of psychological treatments for reducing the risk of sexual and general recidivism of sex offenders. However, the interpretation of such results requires caution, given that an independent analysis of the studies of a good methodological quality did not show significant effects of treatment. The need for new and better comparison studies to assess treatment effect is clear, especially in Europe.Este meta-análisis tiene por objetivo medir el efecto del tratamiento en delincuentes sexuales. Tras una revision sistemática de la literature reciente, fueron seleccionados diecisiete estudios, contando con una muestra tota de 6,681 delincuentes sexuales. Las tasas de reincidencia sexual (13.12% vs. 17.94%), violenta ─incluyendo la sexual─ (25.5% vs. 29.1%) y general ─cualquier tipo de reincidencia─ (46.53% vs. 52.41%) de los delincuentes tratados fueron inferiores a las de los grupos control. Se evidenció la eficacia del tratamiento en la reducción de las tasas de reincidencia sexual (OR = .69; p < .05) y general (OR = .66; p < .05) de los sujetos tratados, pero no en las tasas de reincidencia violenta. Estos resultados confirman la capacidad de los tratamientos psicológicos para reducir el riesgo de reincidencia sexual y general de los delincuentes sexuales. No obstante, la interpretación de tales resultados requiere cautela, pues el análisis independiente de los estudios con buena calidad metodológica no mostró efectos significativos del tratamiento. La necesidad de nuevos y mejores estudios resulta evidente, especialmente en Europa

Effect of treatment on sex offenders' recidivism: a meta-analysis

This meta-analysis has the aim of measuring the effect of treatment on sex offenders. After a systematic review of the recent literature, seventeen studies were selected, containing a total sample of 6,681 sex offenders. The rates of sexual recidivism (13.12% vs. 17.94%), violent ─including sexual─ (25.5% vs. 29.1%) and general ─any type of recidivism─ (46.53% vs. 52.41%) of treated offenders were less than those of the control groups. The effectiveness of the treatment was clear in reducing the rates of sexual (OR = .69; p < .05) and general (OR = .66; p < .05) recidivism of the subjects treated, but not the rates of violent recidivism. This results demonstrated the abilty of psychological treatments for reducing the risk of sexual and general recidivism of sex offenders. However, the interpretation of such results requires caution, given that an independent analysis of the studies of a good methodological quality did not show significant effects of treatment. The need for new and better comparison studies to assess treatment effect is clear, especially in Europe

Psychometric Properties of the Spanish Version of the Online Sexual Addiction Questionnaire: An Exploratory Study Using a Sample of Convicted Sex Offenders

This study explored the psychometric properties of the Online Sexual Addiction Questionnaire (OSA-Q). In total, 100 sexual offenders completed the OSA-Q Spanish version, along with the Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory-III (MCMI-III) for the assessment of related impairment. 34 individuals with social-desirability bias were extracted from the sample. A four-factor structure accounted for 77% of the variance and internal consistency was strong (α = .97). Additionally, correlations with related clinical scales were statistically significant. Overall, online sexual offenders showed higher scores on the OSA-Q than contact-exclusive offenders. According to our results, the OSA-Q shows promise as a screening in forensic samples

Spanish Validation of the Child Pornography Offender Risk Tool

The current study examined the validity of the Child Pornography Offender Risk Tool (CPORT) in a sample of 304 men arrested in Spain for child pornography (CP) offenses, distinguishing between CP-exclusive offenders (n = 255) and CP offenders with other criminal involvement (n = 49). In our 5-year fixed follow-up analysis, we observed a 2.3% sexual recidivism rate for the whole sample (2.0% new CP offenses, 0.3% new contact sexual offenses). ROC analyses detected some relative predictive ability of the CPORT for CP recidivism outcomes when the Correlates of Admission of Sexual Interest in Children (CASIC) was used to replace missing CPORT Item 5. Specifically, both CPORT and CASIC total scores might help predict new CP offending among CP-exclusive offenders (AUC = .57 and .70 respectively). Calibration analyses found that the observed recidivism rates were much lower than the expected recidivism rates presented by the tool developers, and, thus, suggest caution over the use of these norms for applied risk assessment. Our findings provide, to some extent, preliminary evidence of CPORT cross-cultural validity

Criminological differences between child pornography offenders arrested in Spain

Background. Lack of studies on CP offenders from non-English speaking countries motivated the analysis of the profile of adult men arrested in Spain for such crimes (N = 347). Objective. The current study examined differences between groups of CP users according to their criminal history (i.e., CP-only offenders, CP offenders with other nonviolent or non-sexually violent crimes, and dual offenders). Methods. Analyses of case investigation files were performed across seven key areas: (1) sociodemographic characteristics, (2) criminological data, (3) characteristics of index CP offending, (4) characteristics of CP collections, (5) access to children, (6) indication of pedophilic or hebephilic interests, and (7) recidivism outcomes. Results. CP-only offenders presented with fewer prior criminal records and lower general (6.7%) and violent (1.1%) recidivism rates. They were also less likely to be arrested for CP production, although they had greater access to children living in their residence. CP offenders with other nonviolent or non-sexually violent crimes exhibited characteristics on a continuum between the other two groups. Dual offenders were more likely to have prior criminal records for sexual offenses and higher sexual recidivism rates (16.7%). 55.6% had produced their own CP material, and they were more likely to have content depicting boys. They were also more likely to admit or be diagnosed with pedophilic/hebephilic interests, and they also had the largest proportion of legal childrelated content (72.2%). Conclusions. Authors conclude there are significant differences between dual and CP-only offenders which suggests a need for specialized treatment and risk assessment tools

Male perpetrators of intimate partner violence against women: A Spanish typology

approaches in research of intimate partner violence against women (IPVAW) have been discussed on the basis of their validity and applicability in professional practice; yet, most of the published studies on offender typologies are limited due to the use of relatively small, non-representative samples. The current study explored typologies of IPVAW perpetrators in a large-scale representative Spanish sample (N = 9,731 cases extracted from the Comprehensive Monitoring System of Gender-Based Violence Cases; VioGén System), according to classic batterer typologies proposed by Holtzworth-Munroe and Stuart (1994). To this end, the risk factors measured by the most extended Spanish police recidivism risk assessment tool (Valoración Policial del Riesgo; VPR) were used as clustering variables. Multiple correspondence analyses revealed the appropriateness of a bi-dimensional model to conceptualize IPVAW offender typologies. Our four-group solution may be described based on the levels of instability and antisociality of IPVAW offenders, as objectively measured by VPR5.0 risk indicators. Statistically significant differences between the IPVAW suggested typologies were found on all indicators, except for the presence of perpetrators younger than 24 years old and the presence of bidirectional intimate partner violence, which were equally distributed across the four groups. High Instability/Low Antisociality (HiLa) and High Instability/High Antisociality (HiHa) individuals shared most risk indicators related to the aggressor's psychological instability; whereas HiHa and Low Instability/High Antisociality (LiHa) men endorsed more antisociality indicators than statistically expected. The Low Instability/Low Antisociality group (LiLa) was characterized by the less presence VPR risk indicators. Although the four subtypes identified in our study resembled classic typologies, we propose a new subtype, with high levels of instability and antisociality (i.e., HiHa). This work contributes to existing knowledge of the heterogeneity of these men, by providing useful typologies that can help inform prevention and treatment

Consumidores de pornografía infantil: dificultades en el acceso a tratamiento psicológico

El presente estudio analiza el contenido de 13 entrevistas realizadas a consumidores de pornografía infantil, con el fin de conocer sus experiencias respecto al acceso voluntario a servicios psicológicos, previo a su detención. El 46,15% de los entrevistados no había buscado ayuda profesional, por este u otro motivo, con anterioridad. En las entrevistas de aquellos que sí lo hicieron, se detectaron cinco temas principales: (1) experiencias previas positivas; (2) secretismo y estigma; (3) dificultades en el acceso y adherencia al tratamiento psicológico; (4) falta de especialización de los profesionales; y (5) problemática psico-social relacionada con el delito. La falta de motivación intrínseca para el tratamiento antes de la detención, junto con el miedo a una posible denuncia por parte de los profesionales, dificultó su disposición a la búsqueda de ayuda profesional y su adherencia al tratamiento. Por otro lado, muchos de ellos acudieron a consulta por problemática psico-social relacionada con el delito, pero no por su uso de pornografía infantil. Se discute la necesidad de instaurar un servicio de atención preventivo para este colectivo en nuestro país; así como la necesidad de formación especializada a los profesionales de la Psicología, asegurando su neutralidad y correcta praxis, dentro de los límites del secreto profesional

Intimate Partner Homicide Against Women Typology: Risk Factor Interaction in Spain

This investigation studied the interaction between seven risk factors included in the police risk assessment of the VioGén System and found that these factors formed groups based on the dimensions of violence and psychopathology. The 171 femicides analysed were categorised into four groups: normalised (23.4%), violent (25.7%), pathological (18.7%), and pathological/violent (32.2%). These groups exhibited significant differences concerning their psychosocial profile and relationship dynamics. One of the main findings is the identification of the pathological type that had not been detected in previous typologies, thus highlighting the importance of the psychological factor when classifying the perpetrators of femicide. These results have important practical implications, as the classification of the aggressor could be a preliminary step taken before the risk assessment, which would make it possible to individualise predictions and improve the protection of the victims as well as the therapies and intervention programmesOpen Access funding provided thanks to the CRUE-CSIC agreement with Springer Natur