Examining the developmental trajectories of adolescent sexual offenders.
The aim of the current study was to assess the validity of the sex-plus versus sex-only categorization method for distinguishing between different types of adolescent sex offenders (ASOs; Butler & Seto, 2002). It is hypothesized that this categorization method has utility when attempting to distinguish between generalist and specialist ASOs (Seto & Pullman, 2014). Additionally, further classification of ASOs was attempted using a well known juvenile delinquency classification scheme, early-onset versus late-onset offenders (Moffitt, 1993). The current study was an archival analysis of clinical files from a sample of 158 male ASOs seen for clinical assessment at a Metropolitan Family Court Clinic. Results indicate that sex-plus offenders are more antisocial, exhibit more psychiatric issues, and have greater deficits in general social skills compared to sex-only offenders. Conversely, sex-only offenders were found to have more atypical sexual interests, and were more likely to have greater deficits in romantic relationships compared to sex-plus offenders. Due to a power related limitation, little support was found for the use of the early-onset versus late-onset classification scheme with ASOs. Overall, these results provide further support to the validity of a sex-only versus sex-plus distinction. Given these results mirror those found in the generalist/specialist literature regarding the etiology of ASOs, sex-only and sex-plus offenders may indeed have different etiological pathways: sex-plus offenders are more driven by general antisociality factors, as the generalist perspective suggests, and sex-only offenders are more driven by special factors, as the specialist explanations suggest.
University of Ottawa, Department of Psychology, 136 Jean Jacques Lussier (3001), Ottawa, ON, Canada K1N 6N5.
Lesleigh E
LE
Pullman
Ryerson University, Department of Psychology, 350 Victoria Street, Toronto, ON, Canada M5B 2K3.
Elisabeth J
EJ
Leroux
Royal Ottawa Mental Health Care Group, Family Court Clinic, 1145 Carling Avenue, Ottawa, ON, Canada K1Z 7K4.
Gregory
G
Motayne
University of Ottawa Institute of Mental Health Research, 1145 Carling Avenue, Ottawa, ON, Canada K1Z 7K4.
Michael C
MC
Seto
D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D006801:Humans; D007604:Juvenile Delinquency / Q000145:classification / Q000523:psychology*; D008297:Male; D012307:Risk Factors; D012742:Sex Offenses / Q000145:classification / Q000523:psychology*; D012725:Sexual Behavior / Q000523:psychology*
Adolescent sexual offender; Early-onset; Generalist; Late-onset; Specialist