Convergent Validity of Three Measures of Sexual Sadism: Value of a Dimensional Measure

Abstract

Sexual sadism can be described as the sexual pleasure produced by acts of cruelty and bodily punishment. The most common method for evaluating sexual sadism is clinical evaluation, that is, evaluation based on the diagnostic criteria of nosological instruments such as the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders ( DSM) or the International Classification of Diseases (ICD). It is also possible to evaluate sadistic sexual preferences by phallometry, which provides a physiological measure of sexual excitation by deviant and nondeviant scenarios. The most recently developed evaluation method is the Severe Sexual Sadism Scale (SESAS), a dimensional instrument that has been empirically validated. Despite the availability of all these measurement techniques, very little research has been conducted on their degree of convergence. Consequently, the aim of the current study was to assess the relationship between these three measures of sexual sadism. Our analyses were conducted on a sample of rapists ( N = 72), assessed in a maximum-security penitentiary. There was no significant relation between phallometric scores and other measures of sexual sadism. There was, however, an important correlation between SESAS scores and Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th ed.; DSM-IV) sexual sadism diagnosis. Our results are consistent with other phallometric studies, which reported no difference in the penile responses of individuals diagnosed as sadists and those not diagnosed as sadists. Results and implications for future research are discussed.

Sadism among sexual homicide offenders: Validation of the Sexual Sadism Scale.

“…The composite score of the Part 1 items was shown to have excellent interrater agreement, with an intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) of [2, 5] (i.e., average measure, absolute agreement ϭ .91) in a sample of 20 cases assessed by five raters (Mokros et al, 2014). The Part 1 sum score showed a moderate to substantial correlation with clinical diagnoses of sadism (r pc ϭ .55 according to Eher et al, 2016; r pc ϭ .46 according to Longpré, Proulx, & Brouillette-Alarie, 2018; area under the curve ϭ .87 according to Mauzaite, Sauter, Seewald, & Dahle, 2017). Furthermore, the Part 1 sum score was strongly correlated (r ϭ .66) with the Massachusetts Treatment Center Sadism Scale (Longpré, Guay, & Knight, 2017).…”

“…Moreover, testing the criterion validity of instruments like the SeSaS with clinical diagnoses of sadism is a somewhat suboptimal strategy given the concerns about the reliability of clinician judgments for this diagnosis (Nitschke et al, 2013). Therefore, physiological measurement may provide further evidence of criterion validity (see, e.g., Seto, Lalumière, Harris, & Chivers, 2012, for a useful stimulus set) even though extant results using phallometry yielded nil correlations (Longpré et al, 2018).…”

Sexual Sadism Among Sex Offenders in Switzerland

“…Several authors have suggested that a dimensional approach that indicates the severity of sexual sadism, rather than the presence or absence of the disorder, could be a viable alternative to the current categorical system provided by diagnostic manuals (Berner, Berger, & Hill, 2003; Bradley, Shedler, & Westen, 2006; Longpré et al, 2018; Marshall & Kennedy, 2003; Mokros et al, 2014; Nitschke et al, 2013). Using indices from crime scenes, sexual sadism could be more behaviorally operationalized (Kingston et al, 2010; Marshall & Kennedy, 2003).…”

“…For this reason, researchers have begun developing psychometric assessment instruments for sexual sadism composed of behavioral indicators that can be rated based on crime-scene information (e.g., Nitschke, Osterheider, & Mokros, 2009). However, research on the psychometric properties of such tools is still scarce and, therefore, little is known about their utility in the forensic context (Longpré, Proulx, & Brouillette-Alarie, 2018). The present study cross validates the Sexual Sadism Scale (SeSaS; Nitschke et al, 2009) within a sample of male sex offenders in Switzerland.…”

“We Boil at Different Degrees”: Factors Associated With Severity of Attack in Sexual Killing

“…However, the wider literature indicates no differences in penile responses between sadists and non-sadists. The reason for this could be that phallometric rape scenarios might be better suited to assess sexually aggressive behaviors that are not overtly sadistic, or because phallometry does not tap into idiosyncratic sadistic fantasies (Longpré, Proulx, & Brouillette-Alarie, 2016). Therefore, while the effects of anger on not overtly sadistic non-consenting sexual arousal can be shown, at the moment it is difficult to measure the possible interaction between anger and sadistic behavior.…”