NCJ Number
227108
Journal
International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology Volume: 53 Issue: 3 Dated: June 2009 Pages: 316-333
Date Published
June 2009
Length
18 pages
Annotation
This study examined popular questionnaires of offense-supportive beliefs for the types of schemas commonly cited as treatment targets for child molesters.
Abstract
The examination of six offense-supportive belief questionnaires showed that current measures of child molesters' cognition under-represent the implicit theories of entitlement, dangerous world, and uncontrollability. In addition, although many of the questionnaires showed adequate representation of the implicit theories of children as sexual beings and nature of harm, five out of six questionnaires contained items that were unclassifiable. A core aim of conventional child molester treatment was to change men's offense-supportive cognition or cognitive distortions. However, results of questionnaire studies painted a confused picture of the extent to which child molesters hold offense-supportive beliefs. This study evaluated and examined six published and unpublished questionnaire measures that assess child molesters' offense-related beliefs for evidence of the five implicit schemas proposed: children as sexual beings, nature of harm, uncontrollability, entitlement, and dangerous world. Current treatment approaches assume that child molesters hold some, if not all, of these implicit schemas. Figures, table, notes, and references