NCJ Number
215942
Journal
International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology Volume: 50 Issue: 2 Dated: April 2006 Pages: 139-147
Date Published
April 2006
Length
9 pages
Annotation
This study compared securely and insecurely attached child molesters in terms of the types of personality disorders from which they suffered.
Abstract
Overall, the findings suggest a link between attachment style, one type of personality disorder, and child molestation. Results indicate that the schizoid personality disorder is more likely to occur among insecurely attached child molesters. No other personality disorders were found to differentiate between the securely and insecurely attached groups of child molesters. The findings are significant because previous research has found evidence that the schizoid personality disorder is a very strong predictor of child molestation. Implications for treatment are discussed in light of the fact that attachment style seems to play a significant role in the development of child molestation. Psychotherapists are advised to integrate interpersonal tools into the therapeutic method, especially when working with insecure child molesters. Data were drawn from two samples of child molesters selected between November 1999 and February 2001. One sample of 84 child molesters was selected from a community-based educational training program as an alternative sanction while the other sample of 33 child molesters was selected from a Belgian prison. Participants completed measures of adult attachment styles and personality disorders. Nonhierarchical clustering algorithms, independent sample t tests, and binary logistic regression models were used to analyze the data. Future research should examine the developmental antecedents of personality disorders to determine which ones exhibit patterns of insecure attachment and which ones are independent of attachment style. Tables, note, references