Sexual knowledge and attitudes of men with intellectual disability who sexually offend.
BACKGROUND
Various explanations of sexual offending in men with intellectual disability (ID) have stressed sexual deviance and a lack of developmental socio-sexual knowledge.


METHODS
Using the normative dataset of people with ID from the development of the Socio-Sexual Knowledge and Attitudes Assessment Tool - Revised (SSKAAT-R: Griffiths & Lunsky, 2003), two samples of individuals with ID and a history of sexual offence were compared on sexual knowledge to matched samples of individuals with ID and no known sexual offences.


RESULTS
Offenders with ID who were identified as having engaged in sexually inappropriate behaviour, such as public masturbation or touching someone inappropriately, did not differ in terms of sexual knowledge from their matched sample of individuals with ID with no sexual offence history, whereas offenders who had committed more serious offences demonstrated greater sexual knowledge than matched non-offenders. When only those individuals who had received prior sex education were compared in terms of sexual knowledge, there were no differences between groups. However, sex offenders (serious offences) expressed more liberal attitudes than sex offenders (inappropriate behaviour) and non-offenders towards same-sex activities.


CONCLUSIONS
The study points to the dynamic effect of socio-sexual education on offenders' knowledge and attitudes, and highlights potential differences in the knowledge and attitudes of different subtypes of offenders.
Lunsky
Yona
Y
Dual Diagnosis Program, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Yona_Lunksy@camh.net
Frijters
Jan
J
Griffiths
Dorothy M
DM
Watson
Shelley L
SL
Williston
Stephanie
S
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002170:Canada; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010262:Paraphilic Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology; D010378:Pedophilia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology; D019989:Persons with Intellectual Disabilities / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000523:psychology*; D011902:Rape / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000523:psychology; D012736:Sex Education; D012742:Sex Offenses / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000523:psychology*; D014481:United States; D014754:Violence / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000523:psychology