Test of Counterfeit Deviance: A Comparison of Sexual Knowledge in Groups of Sex Offenders with Intellectual Disability and Controls

• NCJ Number: 216214
• Journal: Sexual Abuse: A Journal of Research and Treatment Volume: 18 Issue: 3 Dated: July 2006 Pages: 271-278
• Author(s): Amanda M. Michie; William R. Lindsay; Victoria Martin; Alan Grieve
• Date Published: July 2006
• Length: 8 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

Two studies compared a sample of intellectually disabled sex offenders and intellectually disabled men who had not committed sex offenses, in order to determine whether the lack of sexual knowledge was a primary reason for inappropriate sexual behavior by intellectually disabled men.

Abstract

In both studies, the sex offender cohort did not have less sexual knowledge than control cohorts. In one study, results of 3 of the 13 scales that measured sexual knowledge showed that the sex offenders had significantly greater sexual knowledge than the controls. In the other study, data from 7 of the 11 scales showed the same patterns. This suggests that sexual knowledge was acquired and retained by the sex offenders, irrespective of their level of intellectual ability. These findings do not support the thesis of several authors that lack of sexual knowledge is a primary reason for inappropriate sexual behavior by men with intellectual disabilities. In the first study, male participants were drawn from a community service for people with intellectual disability. All sex offenders were referred for treatment related to their offenses. All assessments were conducted prior to the beginning of treatment, so no individual in the cohort had received either sex education or sex offender treatment that might have influenced their scores on the Socio-Sexual Knowledge and Attitudes Assessment Tool (SSKAAT). One group consisted of 17 male sex offenders, and the second group was composed of 20 males who had no recorded history of inappropriate sexual behavior or sexual abuse. The second study was conducted by different researchers in a different jurisdiction. Sixteen sex offenders were compared with 15 men who had no recorded history of inappropriate sexual behavior or sexual abuse. The same instrument and administration procedures used in the first study were also used in this study. 2 tables and 25 references