Developmental factors associated with inappropriate coping strategies among sexual aggressors of children

Abstract

BackgroundMany studies in the field of sexual offending focus on the presence of inadequate coping strategies prior to sexual offending, and the role these strategies play in the sequence of the offense. However, little is known about the development of strategies—such as substance abuse and, especially, deviant sexual fantasies—to manage daily difficulties. ObjectiveTo better understand the antecedents of the development of inadequate coping strategies, we conducted a series of structural equation modeling (SEM) analyses. Participants and settingsBased on 274 sexual aggressors of children, these analyses were based on components of Maniglio (2011a) theoretical model, in which victimization before the age of 18 leads to the development of psychological problems and, ultimately, the reliance on deviant sexual fantasies as a coping strategy. MethodsTwo models were created through exploratory factorial analysis: the first model comprised 19 manifest variables, while the second model consisted of 15 manifest variables. All the retained variables were related to Maniglio's (2011a) hypothesis. ResultsThe analyses not only confirm Maniglio's hypothesis but also produced two statistically significant models (RMSEA = 0.069, CFI = 0.93 and TLI = 0.92 for Model 1 & RMSEA = 0.074, CFI = 0.93 and TLI = 0.91 for Model 2) composed of three indirect trajectories and one direct trajectory on the one hand, and four indirect trajectories and one direct trajectory on the other hand. ConclusionsThese results are consistent with those of studies that have highlighted the heterogeneity of sexual aggressors of children.