NCJ Number
218291
Journal
Criminal Justice and Behavior: An International Journal Volume: 34 Issue: 4 Dated: April 2007 Pages: 454-475
Date Published
April 2007
Length
22 pages
Annotation
This study used an adapted Implicit Association Test (IAT) to measure cognitions regarding self and children among 27 male child molesters and 29 male nonsexual offenders.
Abstract
Results of the IAT indicated that the child molesters viewed children as more sexually attractive than did the nonsexual offenders. According to the Static-99, child molesters who viewed children as more sexually attractive were at greater risk for sexual recidivism. Additionally, the Rapid Risk Assessment for Sexual Offense Recidivism (RRASOR) indicated that child molesters who viewed children as more powerful were at heightened risk of sexual recidivism. The findings lend preliminary support to the use of the IAT for measuring the cognitions associated with the sexual abuse of children. The authors suggest that the IAT may serve as a useful complement to other assessments related to recidivism risk in sexual offenders. Participants were all adult male inmates residing in Federal penitentiaries in Ontario. Data were gathered from a review of their files in the Correctional Service of Canada’s automated database. Additionally, the 27 child molesters and 29 nonsexual offenders completed a series of measures, including the IAT, the Static-99, the RRASOR, and the Balanced Inventory of Desirable Responding. The Static-99 and the RRASOR were taken from offenders’ intake assessments. The analysis used one-way and mixed-design two-by-two ANOVAS. Future research should focus on the effectiveness of the IAT using larger samples. Figures, tables, appendix, references