Emotional congruence with children and sexual offending against children: A meta-analytic review.

Abstract

Emotional congruence with children is a characteristic of extrafamilial SOC, is moderately predictive of sexual recidivism, and is potentially amenable through treatment efforts.

Emotional Congruence With Children Is Associated With Sexual Deviancy in Sexual Offenders Against Children

“…The meta-analysis by McPhail et al (2013) found that incest offenders evidenced, on average, lower levels of emotional congruence with children than did individuals who have never committed a sexual offence against a child. This pattern might not be expected if emotional congruence with children and pedophilia were parts of the same construct.…”

Non-offending Pedophiles

“…Loneliness and social rejection are key risk factors in etiological theories of child sexual abuse [42], as well as being linked to suicidality [43], reduced intelligent thought, and decreased self-regulation [44]. As well, interacting with children to meet social, emotional, and intimacy needs, while being a strong predictor of sexual offending against a child [45], has also been linked to loneliness and social rejection in sexual offenders and may be a means that a pedophilic individual uses to reduce the experience of loneliness [46,47]. Working through the experience of loneliness and finding ways to satisfy social and intimacy needs may be key aspects of preventative treatment with non-offending pedophiles.…”

STABLE-2007 Demonstrates Predictive and Incremental Validity in Assessing Risk-Relevant Propensities for Sexual Offending: A Meta-Analysis

“…For example, some professionals may assess low-victim empathy and lack of motivation at treatment intake because of their relevance to the process of treatment, but neither factor predicts sexual recidivism (Hanson & Morton-Bourgon, 2005; Mann, Hanson, & Thornton, 2010). In contrast, reliable predictors of sexual recidivism include atypical sexual interests (Hanson & Morton-Bourgon, 2005), antisocial tendencies (Hawes, Boccaccini, & Murrie, 2013), emotional congruence with children (McPhail, Hermann, & Nunes, 2013), and attitudes tolerant of sexual offending (Helmus, Hanson, Babchishin, & Mann, 2013). No single risk factor provides the sufficient or necessary conditions for the persistence of sexual offending, and consequently, evaluators typically consider a range of risk factors organized into structured risk assessment tools (Archer, Buffington-Vollum, Stredny, & Handel, 2006; Kelley, Ambroziak, Thornton, & Barahal, 2018).…”