Gene G. Abel

Self-Reported Sex Crimes of Nonincarcerated Paraphiliacs

This article will present data gathered by the authors through structured clinical interviews of 561 paraphiliacs regarding demographic characteristics, frequency and variety of deviant sexual acts, and number and characteristics of victims. Results show that nonincarcerated sex offenders (1) are well educated and socioeconomically diverse; (2) report an average number of crimes and victims that is substantially higher than that represented in the current literature; and (3) sexually molest young boys with an incidence that is five times greater than the molestation of young girls. The relevance of these findings is discussed.

Complications, consent, and cognitions in sex between children and adults

Sexual activities between children and adults are relatively common occurrences. Approximately one in four college-aged females in the United States report having had a sexual experience with an adult while they were children (Finkelhor, 1979a). Child-adult sex offenses frequently come before the court and few crimes elicit such strong emotional reactions from all concerned (the child, the child’s family, the offender, the criminal justice system, psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers and defense and prosecuting attorneys). Part of this emotional reaction to child-adult sexual activities stems from the polarization of opinion as to the quality and quantity of harmful effects that such activities may have on the child. Some expert witnesses refer to severe complications while others suggest that complications to the child are infrequent and usually result from the responses of those around the child (parents, the criminal justice system, etc.). Often, in the heat of legal process, it is difficult to evaluate clearly the consequences of such activities on the child because of the polemic position of the opposing counsel. There is also the issue of consent. Is it possible for a pre-pubertal or postpubertal child to give consent to participate in sexual activities with an adult? Again, in the courtroom, polemic positions are taken by the opposing counsels that a child is or is not able to give informed consent for sexual activities with an adult. Unfortunately there is minimal discussion of what the criteria are for informed consent and whether a child can meet such criteria. A final area of concern, for those who work with the offender, are the attitudes or beliefs held by the offender regarding his sexual activities with children. As members of the criminal justice system, legal system, psychiatric or psychological services interact with the offenders, they find that some have an entire set of beliefs that they feel justify sex between a child and an adult.

The Measurment of the Cognitive Distortions of Child Molesters

Two hundred and forty child molester paraphiliacs, 48 non-child molesting paraphiliacs and 86 non-paraphiliacs were administered a 29 item Likert scale of statements designed to determine: 1) if cognitive distortions concerning child molestation exist among child molesters and (2) if child molesters can be discriminated from non-child molesters by assessing their cognitive distortions. Factor analysis yielded six factors covering the general area of child molestation being harmful to the child. The factors were reliable and successfully separated child molesters from non-child molesters. Results confirmed that child molesters not only vary from non-child molesters by their behavior with children, but also by their cognitions or beliefs about the consequence of their child molestation behavior on the child.

The Nature and Extent of Sexual Assault

In the last decade, the increased access given psychiatrists and psychologists to evaluate sex offenders has improved our understanding of sexual assaults. By developing new methods to assess the sexual assaulter, therapists have begun to clarify potential concerns that need to be evaluated in any sexual offender and to examine the impact of various treatment interventions designed to alter his behavior and thereby reduce sexual assaults. New psychological, behavioral, and physiological assessment methods allow therapists to identify and profile more accurately the various diagnostic categories of sexual assaulters, the true number of an offender’s reported victims, the extent of violence during assaults, the age at which an offender develops deviant sexual interest, and the offender’s sexual preference pattern.

Differentiating Sexual Aggressives With Penile Measures

Evaluating how a client is doing in therapy is a problem faced by all therapists. This is an especially important issue when the client is a rapist or child molester, since not knowing that his control is poor or that he has failed to respond to treatment may jeopardize the safety of others. Therapists have traditionally relied on the clients self-report to evaluate how he is doing. This traditional method of assessment in some cases is quite efficient and provides the therapist with extensive details that assist in outlining further treatment plans for the offender. In working with sexual deviates, however, it is quite apparent that in many cases this self-report is totally unreliable. As a consequence, the therapist must rely on other methods to assess his clients progress. For a number of years, penile transducer measures have been used to assess the sexual arousal of various sexual deviates. This is accomplished by the use of a small penile transducer which encircles the penis and records erection responses during the presentation of various sexual stimuli. In recent years, this method has been applied to the assessment of child molesters and sexual aggressives. Abel, Blanchard, Becker, and Djenderedjian summarize their recent work on the use of penile transducers with child molesters and rapists. The correlation of such measures with the sexual aggressives history of sexual aggressive behavior, the frequency of that behavior, the likelihood of excessive force being used during the commission of a sexual assault, the likelihood of the client being a sadomasochist, and age of the aggressives preferred victim is discussed. Preliminary data indicate that these physiologic measures have tremendous potential for assisting the therapist in assessing not only the treatment needs of the sexual aggressive, but also his response (or failure to respond) to treatment.

Visual Reaction Time and Plethysmography as Measures of Sexual Interest in Child Molesters

It is important to determine the sexual interests of those accused of child molestation. Visual reaction time and plethysmography are two means of measuring sexual interest with some objectivity, but there has been no direct comparison of these methodologies. The reliability and validity of visual reaction time and plethysmography were evaluated in groups of individuals with sexual interest in children of various ages and genders. Results showed that both methods of assessment had a high reliability and validity. Visual reaction time has the added advantages that it can be used without nude slides and is a briefer assessment.

Incidence and types of sexual dysfunctions in rape and incest victims

Many authors have commented on the impact of sexual assault on the sexual lives of the victims. Eighty-three victims were interviewed with regard to their sexual histories, and completed the Sexual Arousal Inventory, to determine the incidence and types of sexual dysfunctions in rape and incest victims: 56% of these victims experienced sexual dysfunctions postassault; 71% of these subjects reported that the sexual assault precipitated the dysfunction. Fear of sex, arousal or desire dysfunctions were the most common sexual problems presented within this victim sample. The Sexual Arousal Inventory was not successful in discriminating dysfunctional and nondysfunctional rape and incest victims.

Level of postassault sexual functioning in rape and incest victims

In a systematic study, 372 sexual assault survivors and 99 women with no history of sexual assault were interviewed with regard to their sexual histories to determine the incidence and types of sexual dysfunctions in these two samples. The women also completed the Sexual Arousability Inventory. Of the sexual assault survivors, 58.6% of the women were experiencing sexual dysfunctions, with 71% of them reporting that their sexual assaults were related to their development of sexual problems. In contrast, only 17.2% of the nonassaulted women reported experiencing any sexual problems. Differences in the types of sexual problems experienced by the two samples are noted, as are treatment implications. The sensitivity of the Sexual Arousability Inventory to assault-related sexual dysfunctions was affected by the educational level of the sexual assault survivors.

Measurement of sexual arousal in several paraphilias: The effects of stimulus modality, instructional set and stimulus content on the objective

Abstract The effects of instructional set (become aroused or suppress arousal), stimulus modality (videotape, audiotape, slides, free fantasy) and stimulus content (paraphilic or non-paraphilic) on sexual arousal, as measured by penile plethysmograph, of six different groups of paraphilics, pedophiles, rapists, exhibitionists, homosexuals, sado-masochists and fetishists, were determined. The results showed significant main effects of instructional set and of stimulus modality (videotape was clearly more arousing) as well as several complex interactions of diagnostic group with the other independent variables.

Classification models of child molesters utilizing the Abel Assessment for sexual interest.

OBJECTIVE The aims of this study are to demonstrate 1) the criterion validity of the Abel Assessment for sexual interest (AASI) based on its ability to discriminate between non child molesters and admitting child molesters, and 2) its resistance to falsification based on its ability to discriminate between liar-denier child molesters and non child molesters. METHOD A group of 747 participants matched by age, race, and income was used to develop three logistic regression equations. The models compare a group of non child molesting patients under evaluation for other paraphilias to three groups: 1) a group of admitting molesters of girls under 14 years of age, 2) a group of admitting molesters of boys under 14 years of age, and 3) a group believed to be concealing or denying having molested. RESULTS Both of the equations designed to discriminate between admitting child molesters and non child molesters were statistically significant. The equation contrasting child molesters attempting to conceal or deny their behavior and non child molesting patients was also statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS The models classifying admitting child molesters versus non child molesters demonstrate criterion validity, while the third model provides evidence of the AASIs resistance to falsification and its utility as a tool in the detection of child molesters who deny the behavior. Results of the equations are reported and suggestions for their use are discussed.