Is childhood sexual victimization associated with cognitive distortions, self-esteem, and emotional congruence with children?

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

Factor Structure of the Bumby RAPE Scale: A Two-Factor Model

Rape-supportive cognition is both theoretically and empirically related to rape. Several types of rape-supportive cognition (cognitive distortions) have been identified in the literature, suggesting that rapists' rape-supportive cognition may be multidimensional. The Bumby RAPE Scale is one measure of rape-supportive cognition. The authors conducted an exploratory factor analysis using polychoric correlations to examine the types of rape-supportive cognition assessed by the Bumby RAPE Scale with a sample of 280 adult male sex offenders. A two-factor model was found; the two factors were labeled Excusing Rape and Justifying Rape. The current study suggests that the Bumby RAPE Scale is multidimensional. This factor structure may provide greater precision and clarity in the assessment of rape-supportive cognition, which may facilitate more informative research and, ultimately, contribute to more effective sex offender treatment and management

An Evaluation of the Reliability, Construct Validity, and Factor Structure of the Static-2002R

The fundamental psychometric properties of the subscales found in the Static-2002R, an actuarial measure of sexual recidivism risk, were evaluated in the current study. Namely, the reliability, concurrent and construct validity, and factor structure of the Static-2002R subscales were examined with a sample of 372 adult male sex offenders. In addition to using validated measures of sexual violence risk to examine concurrent validity, construct-related measures taken from extant risk measures and psychometric tests were correlated with three of the subscales to assess overall construct validity. Moderate support was found for the reliability of the Static-2002R. The concurrent and construct validity of the General Criminality, Persistence of Sexual Offending, and Deviant Sexual Interest subscales were supported. Generally, these findings further support the Static-2002R as a valid sex offender risk appraisal instrument that encompasses multiple distinct, clinically relevant, risk domains