The Relationship of Deviant Sexual Arousal and Psychopathy in

20 Pages·2005·0.06 MB·English

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Runninghead:DEVIANTAROUSALAND PSYCHOPATHY
The Relationship of Deviant Sexual Arousal and Psychopathy in Incest
Offenders, Extrafamilial Child Molesters and Rapists
Philip Firestone, Ph.D.,JohnM.Bradford, M.B., Ch.B.,F.R.C.P.C.,David M.
Greenberg, M.B.,Ch.B.,F.R.C.P.C.&GerisA. Serran,B.A.
Journalof theAmericanAcademyofPsychiatryandtheLaw,(2000) 28,303-308.
Drs. Firestone,BradfordandGreenbergareaffiliatedwiththeDepartmentofPsychiatry,TheUniversityof
Ottawa,andtheForensicService,RoyalOttawaHospital. Dr.FirestoneandMs.Seranareaffiliatedwith
theSchoolofPsychology,UniversityofOttawa. Addressallcorrespondenceto:Dr.PhilipFirestone,
Professor,SchoolofPsychologyandDepartment ofPsychiatry,120UniversityPrivate,Ottawa,Ont.,
Canada,K1N6N5. Tel:[phone]#4444Fax:[phone]E-Mail:[email protected]
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Abstract
Therelationshipbetween deviantsexualarousalas measuredbyauditoryphallometric
stimuli,andpsychopathy,asmeasured bythePsychopathyChecklist-Revisedwas
examinedin156incestoffenders,260extrafamilialchildmolestersand123rapists.
Replicatingpreviousresearch,rapistswere morepsychopathicthanincestoffenders,and
childmolesters. Deviantsexualarousaltoauditorystimuliwasevidentonlyonthe
PedophileIndex forchildmolesters. Whentherelationshipbetweenpsychopathyand
deviantsexualarousalwasevaluatedinthethreegroups combinedseveral significant
correlations emerged. However,afiner analysis ofthesecorrelationsrevealedthatchild
molesters evidencedasignificantcorrelationbetweenpsychopathyandtheRapeIndex
andpsychopathyandthePedophileindex. Therewerenosuchsignificantfindings inthe
incestoffenderor rapistgroups.Implicationsfor offendermanagementarediscussed.
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RelationshipbetweenDeviantSexualArousal andPsychopathy
Effective managementofsexualoffendersrequiresknowledge ofvariables that
indicateriskofreoffenseanddangerousness.Previousresearchhas establishedthat
variables such asphallometricresults,scores onthePsychopathyChecklistRevised
(PCL-R),1 alcoholproblems,andpreviouscriminalhistoryarepredictiveof recidivismin
sexualoffenders.2 Furthermore,differentfactors maybemorecriticalfordifferenttypes
ofsexualoffenders.3-5 In particular,sexualdevianceandpsychopathyhave been
associatedwithsexuallycoercivebehaviourinmales.6
Phallometricassessmentsindicatethatdeviantsexualpreferences and fantasies
mayplayanimportantroleinmotivatingsexualoffenses,particularlyforextra-familial
childmolesters andrapists.6,7 Researchersdisagreeas totheextentthatrapists are
sexuallydeviant.Some researchers reportthatrapists,asa group, exhibitdeviantpatterns
ofsexualpreferences inphallometricassessments,8,9whileothersconcludethatsexual
arousalpatterns arenot effectiveindistinguishingrapistsfromnon-rapists.10Marshall,
Barbaree,andEccles11 andQuinsey,Rice,andHarris12 suggestthatincestoffenders
exhibitmorenormalsexualagepreferencesthan childmolesters.
PsychopathyasmeasuredbythePCL-R ishighlypredictiveofboth generaland
violentrecidivismincorrectionalandpsychiatricpopulations.7,13,14 Insexualoffending
populations,theprevalenceofpsychopathyappearstobeparticularlyhighamong
offendersdesignated as “sexuallydangerous”bythecourts.Psychopathicsexual
offendersshowhigher recidivismrates,andtendtorecidivate morequicklythannon
psychopathicsexualoffenders.12 Mostdangerous ofallarethepsychopathssexually
arousedbyviolence.15,16,17,18 Infact,psychopathy, as measuredbythePCL-R,has
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predictedsexualrecidivismamonginstitutionalizedrapists12 aswellasviolentrecidivism
amongincestoffenders andchildmolesters.3-5
Asignificantrelationship betweendeviantsexualarousalandpsychopathyina
particulargroupofsexualoffenders wouldrequire attentionfromthoseinvolvedinthe
treatmentand managementdecisionsconcerningthoseoffenders. Inthisregardsome
studieshavereportedthataninteractionbetween psychopathyandsexualdeviance
predictedsexualrecidivismamongrapists.19 Somestudies havereportedsignificant
correlations of.20and.28betweenpsychopathyandsexualdevianceinrapistsandmen
convictedofsexuallymolestingchildren (acombined groupofincestandextrafamilial
childmolesters).12,20 Whendifferentiatingbetweenthegroups,therelationshipappeared
tobestrongestwithextrafamilialchild molesters, followedbyrapists,and anegative
relationshipwithincestoffenders.However,noneofthesecorrelationswerestatistically
significant,possiblyduetosmallsamplesizes.
Aliteraturereviewrevealedthat,with respecttopsychopathyanddeviantsexual
arousal,thesubjectsstudiedwere allassessed whileincarceratedorshortlyafterrelease
whileonprobation. Inaddition,theliteraturereviewrevealedthatthesemenhave
generallybeenclassified onthebasis oftheirindex offense,irrespectiveof thetypeof
previoussexualconvictions. Inourinvestigationswediscoveredthatover 30%of
convictedrapists,incest offendersandchild molesters,inourjurisdiction,didnotreceive
jailsentences.3-5 Studyingonlyincarceratedsubjectsmaynotprovidecomprehensive
informationonthelarger populationofmen convictedofsexualoffenses. Furthermore,
theexperienceofincarcerationmayaffectthesubsequentassessmentofthesemen.
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Inthepresentinvestigationsubjectswereassessedduringtheadjudication or
sentencingprocessattherequestofthe courts. Furthermoretheywereconsideredincest
offenders,childmolesters orrapistsonlyiftheyhadnotcommittedanothertypeof
sexualoffense.Specifically,this studywas designedtoa)comparetheprevalanceof
psychopathyandphallometricindexesofdeviant sexualarousaland,b)studythe
relationshipbetweenphallometricallyassesseddeviantsexualarousalandpsychopathy,
asmeasuredbythePCL-R,amongalargesampleofincestoffenders, childmolesters and
rapists.
Method
Participants
SubjectswereassessedattheRoyalOttawaHospital,SexualBehaviours Clinic
(SBC)between1982and1992.TheSBCisatrainingandresearch centreforthe
UniversityofOttawa. Assuch,allaspectsoftheresearchrequired approvalbythe
hospitalethicscommittee. Eachparticipantsigned aconsentformindicatingheagreed
thathis resultscouldbeusedanonymously, aspartofgroupdata, forresearchpurposes.
Subjectswereassessedbyfortrialorsentencingpurposes. Theywereessentially
consecutivemalereferrals,18 yearsofageorolderatthetimeoftheiroffense,andthe
groupswereconstitutedsoastobepureas farassex offensesareconcerned. The123
rapistshadcoercedorforcedsexualactivityon an unrelatedfemaleagedsixteenorover
andhadnopolicerecord ofahistoryofsexualoffensesagainstchildren.The260child
molestershadallbeen convictedofahands-onsexualoffenseagainstanunrelated male
orfemalechildwhowas undertheageof16atthetimeoftheoffense. Ifthepolice
records indicatedasubjecthadeverbeen charged withorconvictedofasexualoffense
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againstanadult,oragainstafamilymember,theywerenotincluded. The156incest
offendershadallbeenconvictedofahands-onsexualoffense againstoneormorerelated
maleorfemalefamilymembers(biological,stepchild,niece,grandchild,orsibling)who
wasunderthe ageof16atthetimeoftheoffense. Ifthepolicerecordsindicatedasubject
hadeverbeen chargedwithorconvictedofanoffenseagainstanadult,or againstan
unrelatedchild,theywerenotincluded.
Procedure
Psychopathy
ThePsychopathyChecklist-Revised(PCL-R)1 isa20-itemratingscale(scores
rangefrom0to40)designedtoassess behavioursandpersonalitycharacteristics
consideredfundamentaltopsychopathy.Psychometricproperties havebeenwell-
establishedwithmaleoffenders and forensicpatients,andindexes ofinternalconsistency
andinterraterreliabilityarehigh;thereportedalphacoefficientwas.87.ValidPCL-R
ratings canbe madeonthebasisofhighqualityarchivalinformation.21,12 ThePCL-Ris
beginningtoreceive widespreaduseinsex offender.12,20 Factoranalyseshave
consistentlyrevealedtwo stablefactors; Factor1(F1)consistsofitems havingtodowith
theaffective/interpersonalfeaturesofpsychopathy,whileFactor2(F2)reflectsfeatures
associatedwithanimpulsive,unstable,antisocial lifestyle(Hareetal.,1990).22 Using
fiveprisonsamples (N=925)andthreeforensicsamples (N=356),thecorrelationbetween
thetwofactors averaged .48.Previous studies havefoundtheinterrater reliabilityand
internalconsistencyofbothfactorstobehighdespitethesmallnumberofitemsper
factor.
MeasurementofSexualArousal
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Changesinpenilecircumferenceinresponsetoaudio/visualstimuliwere
measuredbymeansofan Indium-Galliumstrain gaugeand monitoredbyaFarrell
Instruments CAT200.Thesedatawerethenprocessedinan IBMcompatiblecomputer
forstorageandprintout.
Participantswerepresentedwithoneormoreofthreeseriesofaudiotapes,
accordingtothenatureofthesexualoffense.The audiotapes consistedof120-second
vignettes whichdescribedsexualactivitiesvaryinginage,gender,anddegreeof consent,
coercion, and/orviolenceportrayed.23 Eachsubjectwaspresentedwithafullset
containingonevignettefromeach categoryfollowinginstructionstoallownormal
arousaltooccur.Thefemalechildseriesconsistedofdescriptionsofsexualactivitywith
afemalepartner/victimbutalsoincludedonescenarioinvolvingan adultfemalepartner.
Foreachofthefemalechildandmalechildseries, twoequivalentscenarios foreach
categorywereincluded. Categories were:childinitiates,(b)childmutual,(c)nonphysical
coercionofchild,(d)physicalcoercionofchild,(e)sadisticsex withchild,(f)nonsexual
assaultofchild,(g)consentingsex withadultfemale,(h)sex withfemalechild relative.
Theaudiotapeseriesusedtoidentifysexualattractiontorapeincludedtwo scenariosof
two-minutedurationfor eachofthreecategories:(a)consentingsex withadultfemale,
(b)rapeofadultfemale, (c)non-sexualassaultofadultfemale.
ThePedophileIndex (PI)was computedbydividingthehighestresponsetothe
childinitiatesorchildmutualstimulusbythehighestresponsetoan adultconsenting
stimulus.ThePedophileAssaultIndex (PAI)was calculatedbydividingthehighest
response toan assaultstimulusinvolvingachildvictim(non-physicalcoercionofchild,
physicalcoercionofchild,sadisticsex withchild,ornonsexualassaultofchild)bythe
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highestresponseofthechildinitiates orchildmutualstimulus.TheRapeIndex (RI)was
calculatedbydividingtheresponsetotherapestimulusbytheresponsetotheadult
consentingstimulus.The AssaultIndex (AI)was computedbydividingtheresponseto a
nonsexualassaultstimulusbytheresponsetotheadultconsentingstimulus.
StatisticalAnalysis
Datawas screenedtoensureassumptionsweremet.Outliersweredetected by
usingacriterionofplus orminus3.29standarddeviationsfromthemean,andadjusted
upwardsordownwards dependingonthedirectionoftheproblem.24 Cases withmissing
datawereexcludedfromtheanalyses.Differences between groupsonthePCL-R andthe
indexesofdeviantsexualarousalweretestedbyAnalysesofCovariance(ANCOVAs),
usingageasacovariate,sinceagemayaffectscores onthePCL-Randphallometric
measurements.SignificantANCOVAswerefollowedbyposthocBonferroni
comparisonstoidentifyspecificdifferences between groups.AmodifiedBonferroni
adjustment25 tothedegreesoffreedomwas appliedtocontrolfortype Ierrorrate;the
correctedalphalevelwas .014.
Duetolackofassessments usingchildstimuli,rapists wereexcludedfrom
analysesinvolvingthe PAIandthePI.
Results
Age,PsychopathyandDeviantArousal
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AsdescribedinTable1,aone-wayANOVAwas conductedtocomparetheages
ofthegroups. Incestoffenderswerefoundtobe significantlyolderthantherapists and
childmolesters,andchildmolesters weresignificantlyolderthanrapists.
ForthePCL-R three ANCOVAs,usingageasacovariate,wereconducted and
achievedstatisticalsignificance for Factor1 F(2,384)= 5.84, p = .003, Factor2 F(2,
279)= 7.52,p = .001andtheTotalScore F(2,386)= 17.77,p = .001. Post-hocanalyses
revealedthatineachcasetherapist groupwasscoredsignificantlyhigherthantheother
two groupswhichdidnotdifferfrom eachother.
The ANCOVAsonthePhallometricscorewereconducted,usingageas a
covariate, andstatistical significantwasachieved onlyonthePIF(2,345)= 4.75,p =
.009,withchildmolesters,on average,scoringhigherthanincestoffenders.
RelationshipbetweenPsychopathyandDeviantSexualArousal
ThePearsoncorrelationmatrix betweenthemeasuresofpsychopathyand deviant
sexualarousalarepresentedinTable2.FortheTotalPopulation, thereweresignificant
correlations between F2 andtheRI, r (268)= .20,p< .01and F2 andthePAI, r (219)=
.178,p < .05.Therewas alsoasignificantcorrelationbetweenthePCL-R TotalScore
andRI,r (369)=.107,p < .05. However,afollow-upanalyses withintheoffending
groups,revealedsignificantcorrelations onlyforchildmolesters. Factor1, Factor2 and
theTotalScore correlatedsignificantlywiththeRIandthePAI.Therewas alsoa
significantcorrelationbetweentheTotalScoreand thePIinthis group.
Discussion
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Theresults inthepresentinvestigationaregenerallysupportiveofprevious
research. Incestperpatrators,tendtobeoldersince,as agroup,theirsexualoffenses are
moreopportunisticinnature. Theydonotoffenduntilaftertheyaremarriedandhave
children. Ontheotherhandchildmolesters,whotendtobemoresexuallyarousedto
childrenthanincestoffenders,tendtobemorepredatoryintheiroffensepatternsand
thereforeoften are youngerwhentheystart theirsexualoffenses. Rapists,asagroup,
tendtobemoreantisocialthantheothertwo groupsandpresent ata youngeragehaving
hadnumerouscontactswiththelegaljusticssystem.
ThePCL-R scores oftherapistgroupweresignificantlyhigherthanthose ofthe
incestoffendersandthechildmolestersindicatingthatrapistswere morepsychopathic,a
findingconsistentwithpreviousreports.26 ThePCL-Rscoreforthethreeoffender
groupsinthepresentinvestigationweresimilarto thoseinotherpublicationswhohave
studiedrapists,incestoffenders and childmolesters.12,19 Thepsychopathyscoreswere
notashighasthosefoundinserialrapists orrapistswhokilledtheirvictims.26
Thefindings concerningdeviantsexualarousalarealso generallysupportiveof
theliteratureconcerningtheutilityofphallometricscoresintheassessmentofsexual
offenders.Deviantsexualarousalcutoffscoresof1.00identifyasubstantialnumberof
offendersassexuallydeviantwithfewfalsepositives.9,27-29 Inthepresentinvestigation
thechildmolesters,onaverage,scored above1.00onthePI,indicatingthepresenceof
deviantsexualarousal.However,sinceclinicians oftenconsiderscores betweenaround.8
or.9tobeclinicallysignificant11 itisimportanttonotethatchildmolesters displayed
clinicallysignificantdeviantsexualarousalonthePAI,andincestoffendersonthePI.
Therapists inthepresentstudydidnotevidenceanydeviantsexualarousal. This