Exploring Clinical and Personality Characteristics of Adult Male Internet-Only Child Pornography Offenders

Despite the dramatic increase in the number of convicted child pornography offenders, little is known about their potential clinical needs. The few studies that do explore this subgroup of sex offenders suggest clinical heterogeneity compared with other sex offender subgroups. However, research desi...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:International journal of offender therapy and comparative criminology 2014-02, Vol.58 (2), p.137-153
Main Authors: Magaletta, Philip R., Faust, Erik, Bickart, William, McLearen, Alix M.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Adults
Aggression
Child
Child abuse & neglect
Child Abuse, Sexual
Child pornography
Child Sexual Abuse
Children
Clinical assessment
Criminals
Erotica
Humans
Internet
Male
Males
Men
Middle Aged
Offenders
Personality
Personality Assessment
Personality traits
Pornography
Prisoners - psychology
Sex Offenders
Training
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Summary:Despite the dramatic increase in the number of convicted child pornography offenders, little is known about their potential clinical needs. The few studies that do explore this subgroup of sex offenders suggest clinical heterogeneity compared with other sex offender subgroups. However, research designs used in many studies have limited generalizability, have examined primarily treated or treatment samples, and have not included comparisons with nontreatment, community samples of men. The current study addresses such limitations by using nontreatment samples and multiple comparison groups to examine mean scales score differences on a commonly used clinical and personality assessment, the Personality Assessment Inventory (PAI). The sample, drawn from an admissions cohort of federal offenders, those Internet-only Child Pornography Offenders (ICPOs; n = 35) and those with a history of child molesting exclusively (child molesters, n = 26). They were compared with each other and the male normative sample from the PAI. Results indicate that interpersonal deficits and depression featured most prominently in the profiles of the ICPOs. Consistent with prior research, they also obtained lower scores on aggression and dominance compared with the child molesters and the male normative sample. Implications for future research, training, and clinical practice with incarcerated ICPOs are offered.
ISSN:0306-624X
1552-6933
DOI:10.1177/0306624X12465271