The Penile Plethysmograph, Abel Assessment for Sexual Interest, and MSI-II: Are They Speaking the Same Language?

Abstract

The assessment of sexual arousal, sexual interest, and cognitive distortion patterns in men accused of child molestation are significant elements in the detection and treatment of child sexual abuse perpetration. This study investigated chiefly whether there was a relationship between sexual interest (utilizing psychosexual measures—Abel Assessment for Sexual Interest and Multiphasic Sex Inventory-II), and sexual arousal (utilizing a psychophysiological device called the Penile Plethysmograph) in an outpatient sample of men, all of whom were accused of incest within divorces and/or child custody battles. Fifty three participants, all of whom were involved in civil and/or criminal litigation at the time they retained this researcher to consult on their legal cases, voluntarily underwent Penile Plethysmograph, Abel Assessment for Sexual Interest, and Multiphasic Sex Inventory-II testing under the direction and supervision of a clinical psychologist and board certified behavioral analyst. Results indicated that a strong correlation existed between the Abel Screen VRT and Penile Plethysmograph, Abel Questionnaire for Men and Penile Plethysmograph, and the Multiphasic Sex Inventory-II and Penile Plethysmograph, and that sexual interest, cognitive distortions, and sexual arousal were all linked to a high degree. The present within-subject, validation research study lends further credibility to the use of the Abel Assessment for Sexual Interest and Multiphasic Sex Inventory-II as possible replacement measures for the more controversial phallometric procedure—the Penile Plethysmograph.