Incest Offenders Research Articles

Homicidal sex offenders: psychological, phallometric and diagnostic features

Homicidal sex offenders represent an understudied population in the forensic literature. Forty-eight homicidal sex offenders assessed between 1982 and 1992 were studied in relation to a comparison group of incest offenders. Historical features, commonly used psychological inventories, criminal histories, phallometric assessments, and DSM diagnoses were collected on each group. The homicidal sex offenders, compared with the incest offenders, self-reported that they had more frequently been removed from their homes during childhood and had more violence and forensic psychiatric contact in their histories. On the self-report psychological inventories, the homicidal sex offenders portrayed themselves as functioning significantly better in the areas of sexuality (Derogatis Sexual Functioning Inventory) and aggression/hostility (Buss-Durkee Hostility Inventory). However, on the Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R), researchers rated the homiciders significantly more psychopathic than the incest offenders on Factor 1 (personality traits) and Factor 2 (antisocial history). Police records revealed the homicidal subjects also had been charged or convicted of more violent and nonviolent nonsexual offenses. The phallometric assessments indicated that the homicidal sex offenders demonstrated higher levels of response to pedophilic stimuli and were significantly more aroused to stimuli depicting assaultive acts to children, relative to the incest offenders. Despite the homiciders' self-reports of fairly good psychological functioning, DSM-III diagnoses reliably discriminated between the groups. A large number of homicidal sex offenders were diagnosed as suffering from psychosis, antisocial personality disorder, paraphilias, sexual sadism, sexual sadism with pedophilia, and substance abuse. Seventy-five percent of the homicidal sex offenders had three or more diagnoses compared with six percent of the incest offenders. The article addresses the role of hard versus soft measures in the assessment and treatment of violent sex offenders. In addition, the usefulness of phallometric assessments and the PCL-R and its subscales are considered.

Prediction of Recidivism in Incest Offenders

Approximately 6.5 years after their conviction, the percentage of incest offenders who had committed a sexual, violent, or criminal offense of any kind was 6.4, 12.4, and 26.7, respectively. The sexual recidivists scored higher on the Michigan Alcohol Screening Test (MAST), and the Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R). The violent recidivists had higher MAST and PCL-R scores as well as more violence in their police records. Regarding any criminal recidivism, recidivists were older and reported higher rates of being physically abused, and being removed from their homes prior to 16 years of age. They demonstrated more hostility on the Buss-Durkee Hostility Inventory, and higher MAST and PCL-R scores. They also had more previous charges or convictions for sexual, violent, and criminal acts. A combination of total criminal offenses, PCL-R, age, and the number of previous sexual offenses correctly classified 97.6% of the nonrecidivists and 35.4% of the recidivists for any reoffense.

The sexual preferences of incest offenders.

The sexual preferences of incest offenders.

Sibling abuse trauma: assessment and intervention strategies for children, families, and adults

Contents Foreword (David Finkelhor) * Preface * Acknowledments * Introduction * Part I: The Context of Sibling Development and Abuse * 1. The Sibling Domain * Systems Theory and Abuse Trauma * Definitions and Terminology * A Focus on Sibling Victims * Key Points* 2. Sibling Development Across the Lifespan * Sibling Development in Infancy and Early Childhood * Adolescent Sibling Development * Sibling Relations and Family Development* Adult Sibling Ties * Key Points * 3. Abusive Sibling Relationships * Overlapping Risk Factors for Sibling Assault and Incest Trauma * Key Points * Part II: Sibling Incest and Assault* 4. Sibling Incest * Characteristics of Sibling Incest Families * Male Victims * Brother-Brother Incest * Sister-Sister Incest * Sibling Incest Offenders * Traumatic Effects * Key Points * 5. Sibling Assault * Pandemic Family Violence * A Precursor for Future Violence * Psychological Maltreatment * Characteristics of Sibling Assault Families * Gender Differences * Traumatic Effects * Key Points * Part III: Assessment and Intervention with Children, Families, and Adult Survivors * 6. Assessment of Sibling Abuse * The Sibling Abuse Interview * Key Points * 7. Clinical Considerations with Children and Families * Cultural Influences * Abuse Trauma * Family-Based Approaches * Conjoint Therapy with Nonabusive Siblings * Key Points * 8. Specific Intervention Strategies with Children and Families * Sibling Abuse Family Configurations * Pseudoconsentual Sibling Incest * Peripheral-Parent Sibling Abuse * Pseudoparent Sibling Abuse (Two-Parent Family) * Pseudoparent Sibling Abuse (Single-Parent Family) * Pseudoparent Sibling Abuse (Stepfamily) * The Disorganized Family * 9. Psychotherapy with Adult Survivors of Sibling Incest or Assault * Case Illustrations * Family-of-Origin Sessions * Key Points * Afterword * Appendixes * Appendix A: About the Research Project * Characteristics of the Participants * Frequency of Sibling Incest and Assault, by Category of Abuse * Appendix B: Sibling Abuse Interview * Sibling Victim * Sibling Offender * Nontargeted Siblings * Sibling Subsystem * Individual Parent Interviews * Parental Subsystem * Family Interview * Appendix C: The Sibling Family-of-Origin Cartoon * Appendix D: Semistructured Adult Sibling Abuse Survivor Questionnaire * Interview Questions * References * Index

The sexual preferences of incest offenders.

Inclusive fitness theory suggests that discriminative solicitude and inbreeding avoidance are important mechanisms regulating parent-children interactions. From an inclusive fitness perspective, sex with one's biological children is paradoxical. The authors hypothesized that incest can occur when these mechanisms are not activated (e.g., if a father is uninvolved in child rearing) or are overwhelmed by another factor, such as pedophilic interest. They predicted that biological fathers, who presumably have been the most involved in the rearing of their victims, would show greater phallometrically measured pedophilic interest than would other incest offenders against children (e.g., grandfathers, uncles, stepfathers). The prediction was not supported. A testable alternative hypothesis to explain biological father incest is presented and the importance of assessing pedophilic interest among incest offenders is discussed.

Emotional congruence in sexual offenders against children.

The tendency of some sexual offenders against children to display an exaggerated cognitive and emotional affiliation with childhood has been labeled "emotional congruence" by Finkelhor (1984) and as overidentification with childhood by others. This study consisted of an evaluation of emotional congruence in 194 men--homosexual and heterosexual pedophiles (N's = 41 and 31), heterosexual nonpedophilic incest offenders (N = 62), sexual offenders against women (N = 27), and nonsexual offender criminals (N = 33). A revised version of the Child Identification Scale (CIS-R) was used in combination with a semistructured interview (SSI) also intended to measure the construct. Maximum-likelihood factor analysis of the CIS-R generated eight factors. All subjects, particularly the nonsexual offenders, scored high on a factor indicating a wish to restart their lives. With respect to emotional congruence, results showed that only the homosexual pedophiles' scores indicated a preference for interacting with children on the child's level, while the incest offenders seemed to prefer to elevate their victims to adult status rather than fixating on the child role themselves. The group of heterosexual pedophiles, however, seemed to be motivated more by sexual gratification than by an emotional or relationship interest in their victims or children.

Psychosocial profile of Swiss sexual offenders

Background data on psychosocial characteristics of sexual offenders are sparse in Europe. From 67 experts' reports done between 1982 and 1995 in Geneva, Switzerland, demographic, criminological and psychiatric characteristics were collected for three groups of sexual offenders: offenders against adults, offenders against non-relative minors (< 18 yr), and offenders against minors with incest. The results showed that the offenders against adults were younger (p = 0.02), more frequently single (p = 0.0007) and with a lower educational level (p = 0.05) than the offenders against minors. Incest offenders had no prior conviction compared with 50% of the other offenders. Violence was more often used by offenders against adults (86%) than by offenders against minors (45%) (p = 0.005). About two-thirds of the sexual offenders had no psychiatric history, but a personality disorder (mainly borderline) was diagnosed in half of the offenders. A history of sexual abuse during childhood was reported by a third of the offenders against minors and by 5% of the offenders against adults (p = 0.04). It is concluded that a low socio-economic status and social isolation characterized offenders against adults, whereas offenders against minors had a relatively normal psychosocial profile.

A Psychometric Typology of Child Abusers

A psychometric battery of measures, assessing a range of problem areas, was completed by 140 convicted untreated child abusers. Measures were adjusted for social desirability. Cluster analysis of the data identified men on the basis of deviancy (levels of pro-offending attitudes and social inadequacy) and denial (self-reported levels of offending behaviors). Examination of offense histories found that high-deviancy men, compared to low-deviancy men, were more likely to have been convicted of a previous sexual offense; to have committed offenses against boys, or both boys and girls; to have committed extrafamilial, or both extra-and intrafamilial, offenses; and to have had many victims. A method of identifying deviancy, which showed good cross-validation, also was derived. Although low-deviancy men were much more likely to be incest offenders than were high-deviancy men, nearly 40% of high-deviancy men were found to be intrafamilial offenders, suggesting that identifying deviancy level may be a useful adjunct to any risk assessment.

Psychosocial Profile of Swiss Sexual Offenders

Background data on psychosocial characteristics of sexual offenders are sparse in Europe. From 67 experts' reports done between 1982 and 1995 in Geneva, Switzerland, demographic, criminological and psychiatric characteristics were collected for three groups of sexual offenders: offenders against adults, offenders against non-relative minors (< 18 yr), and offenders against minors with incest. The results showed that the offenders against adults were younger (p = 0.02), more frequently single (p = 0.0007) and with a lower educational level (p = 0.05) than the offenders against minors. Incest offenders had no prior conviction compared with 50% of the other offenders. Violence was more often used by offenders against adults (86%) than by offenders against minors (45%) (p = 0.005). About two-thirds of the sexual offenders had no psychiatric history, but a personality disorder (mainly borderline) was diagnosed in half of the offenders. A history of sexual abuse during childhood was reported by a third of the offenders against minors and by 5% of the offenders against adults (p = 0.04). It is concluded that a low socio-economic status and social isolation characterized offenders against adults, whereas offenders against minors had a relatively normal psychosocial profile.

Development of a Denial Scale for Male Incest Offenders

ABSTRACT Objective assessment of denial among sexual offenders is important. The purpose of this study was to develop a valid and reliable scale to measure the denial of adult male incest offenders. There are four subscales in the instrument that measure the construct of denial: denial of facts, denial of awareness, denial of impact, and denial of responsibility. This report outlines a four-stage procedure to develop the denial scale and includes data supporting its validity and reliability.

Sexual recidivism in sex offenders.

To examine the recidivism rates of the various types of adult sex offenders including incest offenders, extrafamilial child molesters, exhibitionists, and rapists. An examination of the literature over the past 4 decades and the data from our own study group. Methodological shortfalls and differences across the studies make statistical appraisal of the results difficult. Nevertheless, there is a consensus that incest offenders are less likely to reoffend compared with extrafamilial child molesters. Rapists and exhibitionists are thought to be at a higher risk for recidivism. A combined actuarial predictive approach in conjunction with empirically guided clinical assessment is probably the best method to predict recidivism of sex offenders.

How Incest Offenders Overcome Internal Inhibitions Through the Use of Cognitions and Cognitive Distortions

This study explored the victimization process of incestuous child sexual abuse, focusing specifically on the cognitions incest offenders use to overcome their initial inhibitions against offending and to maintain their offending behavior once begun. The research design was a qualitative, grounded theory approach, involving a series of three intensive, in-person interviews with eight Caucasian, male incest offenders currently in treatment for a sexual offense. All the offenders abused a biological, step-, or adoptive daughter. The cognitions identified are grouped into four separate categories: (1) cognitions related to sociocultural factors; (2) cognitions used to overcome the fear of disclosure; (3) cognitions used to diminish responsibility; and (4) cognitions related to permission seeking. Findings are discussed within the context of new theory on the role of cognitions in sexual offending.

The link between incest abuse and sexual addiction

In their search to understand factors that influence incest offenders to engage in their criminal behavior, researchers have investigated a number of avenues, such as feelings of powerlessness, repressed anger, unresolved conflicts, and a variety of others. Few have systematically explored the possibility that sexual addiction plays a significant role. In this study, a sample of 132 self-confessed incest offenders completed the Sexual Addictions Screening Test (SAST) and the Self-Assessment Survey (SAS), and a control group of 100 men completed the SAST. Results found significant differences between offenders and controls on all 25 items on the SAST (with the majority of t values greater than 10), suggesting obsessive involvement with sexual ideation and sexual activities by the offenders. On the SAS, offenders were significantly more likely to be involved in sexual fantasies, masturbation, pornography, voyeurism, harassment, forced sex, and seduction than SAS norms. Results from both tests suggest that sexual addiction may be a significant factor that drives incestuous behavior.

Characteristics and Treatment of Incest Offenders

SUMMARY Sexual abuse of children has emerged as a widespread, multifaceted social problem. This article presents a summary of the professional literature on one aspect of sexual abuse, namely incest offenders. It begins with a description of the characteristics of incest offenders, including gender, personality, sexual orientation, number of victims, patterns of sexual arousal, and neurological anomalies. A discussion then follows of treatment options for incest offenders, including individual, group, and family therapy, psychoeducational skills training, behavioral treatments, chemical castration, and relapse prevention. The article concludes with a review of available data on recidivism.

The Psychosocial Development of Sex Offenders: Differences between Exhibitionists, Child Molesters, and Incest Offenders

A number of studies have shown that there are differences between how offenders who have committed different crimes perform in therapy. This article aims to shed some light on these differences by exploring differences in the psychosocial development of exhibitionists extra-familial child molesters, and incest offenders. Eighty-one men completed the Measures of Psychosocial Development at intake into an outpatient sex offender treatment program. Profile analysis indicated that exhibitionists tended to have issues of trust, shame, and immediate gratification, which were similar to those experienced by extra-familial child molesters. Incest offenders showed consistently higher levels of development than the other two groups. These findings have implications for the ability of offenders to develop therapeutic alliances, the intervention strategies that would be effective, and the ultimate effects of those interventions.

Spouses of incest offenders: Coaddictive tendencies and dysfunctional etiologies

Abstract A study of spouses of incest offenders was conducted to discover if (a) these women had significantly more severe coaddictive tendencies than a matched group of controls, (b) whether spouses played a supportive role in encouraging offender's behavior, and (c) whether incest offenders and spouses of incest offenders had similar dysfunctional etiologies. Three samples were selected from among long-time residents of Central Alberta: 132 incest offenders, 155 spouses of incest offenders, and a control group of 100 women. Instruments used to assess various qualities of these groups included the Abuse Survey, the Coaddictive Inventory, and the Coaddictive Consequence Survey. Results supported all three experimental questions, that is, spouses demonstrated severe coaddictive tendencies, often played a supportive role in hiding or encouraging the offender's behavior, and both incest offenders and spouses experienced a wide variety of physical, emotional, and sexual abuse during childhood. These and other...

Sex Offenders in Treatment

Abstract This research is an extension of a grounded theory study conducted to explore incest offender perceptions of treatment in order to generate an explanatory theory of the sexual abuse treatment process. In the original study, methodology included 20 audio-taped interviews, direct observations of 65 therapy groups, and record analysis. The subjects were a theoretical sampling of 20 adult male incest offenders currently in, graduates of, and drop-outs of, a community sexual abuse treatment program. Constant comparative analysis (Glaser and Strauss, 1967; Strauss and Corbin, 1990) was used to collect and analyze the data concurrently. A remodeling process was identified by the men involving the offenders' worlds falling apart, the offenders taking on the project of remodeling themselves, tearing out the damaged parts, rebuilding themselves, their relationships, and their environments, doing the upkeep to maintain the remodeling that has been accomplished and, moving on to new remodeling projects as they progress through treatment. Further analysis of these data as well as an additional 22 interviews, observations, and record analysis of other types of sex offenders indicate that offenders experience the remodeling process in a variety of ways with implications for treatment strategies and outcomes.

Co-Morbidity of Alcoholism and the Paraphilias

Alcoholism has been related to a wide variety of crimes. Various authors have studied the prevalence of alcoholism in relationship to incest, rape and pedophilia. This study evaluates the co-morbidity of alcoholism and the specific paraphilias including sexual sadism, fetishism, incest, pedophilia, exhibitionism and transvestism. Rapists were included although by definition it is not strictly a paraphilic disorder. Seven hundred and twenty eight paraphilic individuals were evaluated. More than 50% of sexual sadists were alcoholics. Alcoholism in association with sexual sadists was statistically significant as compared to transvestites, rapists, pedophiles, and incest offenders. Transvestism had the lowest relative rate of alcoholism. The authors discuss these findings and the role alcoholism plays in causing violent sexual behavior in individuals with paraphilias.

The treatment of incest offenders—a hypnotic approach: A brief communication

Incest has become more prominent in public awareness over the past 15 years. The major focus of this interest has been on the incest survivor. The incest offender has received less attention. A hypnotic approach to treating incest offenders is outlined that involves a seven-stage approach. A case example is presented and future research directions suggested.

Sibling incest offenders

Sibling incest is the least investigated but probably the most common form of incest. This study describes a predominantly Caucasian, middle-income sample of sibling incest offenders from primarily intact families. Demographics, behavioral dysfunction, psychiatric diagnoses, history of victimization, family characteristics, and abuse characteristics are presented. Findings included that 92% of the offenders had a history of being physically abused, whereas only 8% had a history of sexual victimization. Issues of parental denial and minimization and intergenerational transmission of abusive patterns are discussed. Sibling incest demands further attention from clinicians and researchers.