Élaboration d’une échelle des représentations sociales négatives concernant les auteurs de violences sexuelles

Abstract

IntroductionThe prototype of the “recidivist pedophile-child murderer” widely portrayed in the media is that of a (moral) monster. The horror and incomprehension of acts that are considered to be immoral, abnormal, and pathological, lead to the view that sex offenders must be “crazy”, “sick” or “perverse”. Attitudes towards sex offenders are generally very negative, and most people think they should be punished severely and locked up for as long as possible, especially child molesters. Women are slightly more understanding. The professionals who work with sex offenders (criminal justice system, care-workers) tend to have more positive perceptions. The aim of this study is to develop French-language tools to assess negative attitudes towards sex offenders. A further aim is to compare the attitudes of professionals, including people working in a CRIAVS (a regional center that provides guidance to professionals working with sex offenders), with those of other people. We will factor in history of sexual abuse, personality traits and emotional distress of the respondents. MethodParticipants and procedure. The sample consisted of 405 people (mean age 25.51±9.70years, 15–70; 58% women). One-third of the respondents were care-workers, of whom 20% (n=29) worked in a CRIAVS or in a treatment center for sex offenders. They were recruited via a web-based questionnaire created using Sphinx software. MaterialThe scale of negative social representations of sex offenders comprised 27 items, mostly worded in a derogatory way (e.g. “People who engage in acts of sexual violence are really monstrous”, “… have no place in society”; “… are people just like us”; “… should above all be given treatment”; “… do things that are totally incomprehensible”; “… are obviously very violent”; “… can never stop”). This questionnaire was the subject of a pre-test study. We also translated the Attitudes Towards Sex Offenders (ATS 21) scale, which is structured around three factors (Trust, Intent and Social Distance), each with 7 items. The material also included a personality trait scale (Big Five Inventory-10 items), an emotional distress scale (General Health Questionnaire-12 items) and questions about any history of sexual abuse experienced personally or by a close friend or relation. ResultsA principal component factor analysis of responses to items of negative attitudes towards sex offenders yielded a two-factor varimax-rotated solution explaining more than 45% of total variance. The first factor, “Segregation of sex offenders”, concerned items conveying the view that sex offenders should be excluded from society, that they cannot live with other people, that they are monstrous, etc. The second factor, “Sick People”, concerned items giving the view that sex offenders needed above all to be treated, but also related to the fear they inspire, and the impulsive and serious nature of their acts. The Cronbach's alpha coefficients were respectively 0.94 and 0.67 (0.93 overall). The results showed strong correlations between ATS (ATS and its 3 factors: Trust, Intent and Social Distance) and the “Segregation of sex offenders”, as well as a significant correlation between Trust (ATS) and “Sick People”. The results showed an effect of age and level of education on the social representations of sex offenders, with less favorable attitudes among the youngest and those with the lowest level of education. There were weak links with personality traits (lower scores on Conscientiousness and higher scores on Neuroticism) and with emotional distress (higher scores on Anxiety-depression). There were also differences between women and men, with women showing greater tolerance than men, although they also scored higher on the “Sick People” factor. There were differences between people living in rural areas, whose attitudes were more negative than those living in urban areas. Finally, the attitudes of care-workers, particularly those working in a CRIAVS or treating sex offenders, were less negative than those of the other participants. DiscussionThis study is the first step in the development of a scale of negative attitudes towards sex offenders (with satisfactory internal and external psychometric qualities). Results are consistent with previous data. Pejorative attitudes are an obstacle to the care and rehabilitation of sex offenders. This tool could be used by CRIAVS professionals to evaluate the attitudes of the people or professionals attending their awareness or training programs. This study extends work on the “monster” figure and the segregation of “social deviants”.