Contact sex offenders with adult and minor victims: Psychopathological and criminological differences

• Published in: Child abuse & neglect 2024-08, Vol.154, p.106896, Article 106896
• Main Authors: Soldino, Virginia, López-Pinar, Carlos, Carbonell-Vayá, Enrique J.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Child; Child molester; Crime Victims - psychology; Crime Victims - statistics & numerical data; Criminals - psychology; Criminals - statistics & numerical data; Humans; Male; MCMI-III; Middle Aged; Personality; Rapist; Sex offenders; Sex Offenses - psychology; Sex Offenses - statistics & numerical data; Spain - epidemiology; Young Adult
• ISSN: 0145-2134; 1873-7757; 1873-7757
• DOI: 10.1016/j.chiabu.2024.106896

Effective classification of individuals who commit sexual offences is important for their assessment, treatment, and risk management. Victim age has often been used as a distinguishing factor between perpetrators. This study aimed to analyse the distinctive psychopathological and criminological characteristics of contact sexual offenders with adult and minor victims. The study involved 97 adult males who were serving a prison sentence in Spain for at least one contact sexual offence against an adult or a minor. Researchers gathered data on criminological variables concerning the offender, victim, and modus operandi from prison records and interviews. Participants completed the Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory-III (MCMI-III) in a second session, and between-group differences were analysed. Sex offenders with minor victims (SOMV) had significantly lower scores than sex offenders with adult victims (SOAV) on the Antisocial (r = −0.283, p = .005) and Sadistic (r = −0.209, p = .04) personality subscales, and on the Alcohol (r = −0.426, p