An examination of implicit theories among francophone child molesters

2019

Sex Abuse

Self Cite

Tools designed to measure the cognitions of individuals who engage in sexual activities with children over the Internet are either based on knowledge about men who had committed contact sexual offenses or cognitive phenomena not specifically associated to offending behaviors. Thus, there is no validated tool specifically designed to assess the offense-supportive cognitions of men who use the Internet to sexually offend children. This study developed and validated the Cognitions of Internet Sexual Offending (C-ISO) scale. A sample of 241 men with online and contact sexual as well as with nonsexual offenses completed the C-ISO scale and its psychometric properties, and latent structure was analyzed using both Classical Test Theory (CTT) and Item Response Theory (IRT), resulting in a final version containing 31 items. The analyses indicate that the C-ISO has excellent psychometric properties and discriminates men with online sexual offenses from those with contact sexual and nonsexual offenses. Implications of the findings for clinical practice and future research are discussed.

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 99%

Section: Cognitions That Support Sexual Offendingmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Development and Validation of the Cognitions of Internet Sexual Offending (C-ISO) Scale

2019

Sex Abuse

Self Cite

“…Although our i-version of the child as sexual being appears to be similar to the Bartels and Merdian’s child as sex objects implicit theory, results from our study suggest that children are rather seen as sexual human being than objects, as well as equal to them in their sexual interests and desires. Similar beliefs are also found among men with contact sexual offenses against children (Marziano et al, 2006; Milner & Webster, 2005; Paquette et al, 2014; Ward & Keenan, 1999), indicating that men with online offenses may be also quite similar to men with contact offenses in terms of their sexualisation of children.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 59%

Offense-Supportive Cognitions Expressed by Men Who Use Internet to Sexually Exploit Children: A Thematic Analysis

Int J Offender Ther Comp Criminol

2020

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Although offense-supportive cognitions are related to the maintenance of contact sexual offending behavior, it is unknown whether this finding also applies to online sexual offending behavior. A few studies have examined the cognitions of men convicted for using child sexual exploitation material, but findings remain limited due to important methodological limitations. Furthermore, fewer studies have investigated the cognitions of men who use the internet to solicit sexual activities with children. The objective of this study was to examine the nature of the cognitions that support online sexual offending against children. The content of police interviews was analyzed using a thematic analysis to identify the cognitive themes present in the offense-related views expressed by 20 men who consumed child sexual exploitation material, 15 who sexually solicited children, and 18 who committed both types of online offenses. Results revealed eight cognitive themes that reflected four underlying themes related to interpersonal relationships, the sexualisation of children, perceptions of the self, and perceptions of the virtual environment. Findings indicate that while the cognitive themes of the three groups are similar, their specific content varies according to the types of offenses. Implications for future research are discussed.

“…These implicit theories would contain a number of distinct mental ideas and constructs, including assumptions about the desires, preferences, and beliefs of victims (Polaschek & Ward, 2002; Ward & Keenan, 1999). Although research on implicit theories did not permit to support the idea of existing underlying beliefs, results from thematic studies have however provided evidence for distinct mental ideas or cognitive constructs among various sexual offenders’ subsamples (e.g., contact child sexual offenders [Marziano et al, 2006; Paquette et al, 2014], rapists [Longpré & Cortoni, 2019; Polaschek & Ward, 2002], sexual murderers [Beech, Fisher, & Ward, 2005], female sex offenders [Beech, Parrett, Ward, & Fisher, 2009; Robitaille & Cortoni, 2014], and mentally ill offenders [Mannix, Dawson, & Beckley, 2013]). Some of these cognitions appear to be similar for different subgroups, including the idea that men who sexually offend are entitled to treat their victims as they please (e.g., see Entitlement in Polaschek & Ward, 2002; Ward & Keenan, 1999), whereas others appear to be unique to specific subgroups, such as the idea exhibited by men with contact offenses against children that sexual activities with children are harmless (e.g., see Nature of harm in Ward & Keenan, 1999).…”

Section: Defining Criminogenic Cognitionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Men who sexually offend against children are presumed to hold a variety of beliefs about themselves, others, and the world which are hypothesized to facilitate their offending behaviors (Ward, 2000; Ward & Keenan, 1999). There is empirical evidence that these men express or endorse offense-supportive statements (e.g., Bumby, 1996; Marziano, Ward, Beech, & Pattison, 2006; Paquette, Cortoni, Proulx, & Longpré, 2014; Seto, Reeves, & Jung, 2010) and that endorsing an overall higher number of offense-supportive statements is associated with contact sexual offending (Helmus, Hanson, Babchishin, & Mann, 2013). Among men with online sexual offenses against children, initial studies provided knowledge on the content of cognitions they express (e.g., Bartels & Merdian, 2016; Howitt & Sheldon, 2007; Paquette, 2018), but none investigated whether specific types of cognitions are associated with their involvement in criminality.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

A Billion Distorted Thoughts: An Exploratory Study of Criminogenic Cognitions Among Men Who Sexually Exploit Children Over the Internet

Longpré

Int J Offender Ther Comp Criminol

2019

Self Cite

There is evidence that endorsing a higher level of offense-supportive cognitions is associated with contact sexual offending. Such an association assumes the construct of cognitions as unidimensional, thus ignoring the possibility that specific subtypes of cognitions exist and that certain may be criminogenic. To investigate this possibility, this study aimed at examining the associations between criminal behaviors and cognitive themes found in the discourse of men who engage in sexual offenses against children over the Internet. Through the discourse of a sample of 60 men with online child sexual exploitation material and solicitation offenses, a previous study identified eight cognitive themes: Uncontrollability, Nature of harm, Child as sexual being, Child as partner, Dangerous world, Entitlement, Virtual is not real, and Internet is uncontrollable. These themes were not investigated for their criminogenic nature. Thus, in this study, bivariate analyses were used to determine whether these cognitive themes were linked to three indicators of criminal behaviors: the extent of criminal charges, the diversity of offending behaviors, and the nature of contact with victims. Results suggest that, taken as a whole, online sexual offense–supportive cognitions may not be criminogenic. Moreover, only cognitive themes related to antisocial orientation and atypical sexuality were found linked with criminal behaviors, although associations found remain limited. Findings and associated implications are further discussed for research and clinical purposes.