title: Comparing personality characteristics of juvenile sex offenders and non-sex offending delinquent peers: a preliminary investigation.
abstract: There exists a paucity of research on psychopathology among Juvenile Sex Offenders (JSOs) as measured by standardized instruments, particularly as compared to nonclinical and other clinical populations. The current investigation involved a comparison of scores on the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-Adolescent Version (MMPI-A) between a group of JSOs and non-sex offending delinquent peers. Thirty-six youth from a staff-secure residential facilitate participated, 18 JSOs and 18 non-sex offending delinquent peers. Results revealed that the mean score on clinical Scale 4 (Psychopathic Deviant) was in the clinically significant range for non-sex offending peers and not for JSOs, although the difference between the mean scores was not statistically significant. Chi-square analysis indicated that a significantly greater number of non-sex offending delinquents had scores in the clinical range on this scale as compared to JSOs. Results are discussed in the context of current research on psychopathology among JSOs.
authors.affiliation: Counseling Psychology Program, Pacific University, Portland, Oregon, USA. freemaku@ohsu.edu
authors.forename: Kurt A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Freeman
authors.forename: Elizabeth T
authors.initials: ET
authors.lastname: Dexter-Mazza
authors.forename: Kerry C
authors.initials: KC
authors.lastname: Hoffman
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D000987:Antisocial Personality Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007604:Juvenile Delinquency / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008950:MMPI; D009511:New England / Q000453:epidemiology; D010551:Personality; D010552:Personality Assessment; D000297:Psychology, Adolescent; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D012742:Sex Offenses / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data