title: Sadism and Violent Reoffending in Sexual Offenders.
abstract: A diagnosis of sadism in sexual offenders is commonly regarded as indicative of high risk for violent reoffending. The purpose of the current two studies was to evaluate whether sadism is indeed associated with higher rates of violent (including sexual) reoffending. In Study 1 (meta-analysis), the rate of violent and sexual recidivism was assessed across seven samples of male sex offenders (total N = 2,169) as a function of diagnoses of sexual sadism. In Study 2 (N = 768) the outcome (violent recidivism yes/no) was regressed on sadism, along with behavioral indicators of sexually sadistic offending, and scores from violence risk assessment instruments. In Study 1 (meta-analysis), the overall risk of sadists compared with nonsadists with respect to violent (including sexual contact) reoffending was slightly elevated (by a factor of 1.18), yet not significantly increased. Similarly, the risk of sexual reoffending among sadists was slightly, but not significantly, higher than among nonsadists (factor 1.38). According to Study 2, only a measure of sadistic behavior, not the clinical diagnosis, was associated with violent reoffending. This association, however, was not present once age and customary risk assessment instruments for violence risk were included in the regression. A clinical diagnosis of sexual sadism and behavioral measures of sadism are related to the risk of violent reoffending in sexual offenders. These associations, however, are weak and do not hold once variables relevant for the prediction of violence are controlled for. At the individual level, the risk for future violence in sadists can therefore be adequately described by customary risk assessment instruments.
authors.affiliation: Federal Evaluation Center for Violent and Sexual Offenders, Vienna, Austria Department of Forensic Psychiatry, University of Ulm, Germany reinhard.eher@justiz.gv.at.
authors.forename: Reinhard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Eher
authors.affiliation: Federal Evaluation Center for Violent and Sexual Offenders, Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: Frank
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Schilling
authors.affiliation: Federal Evaluation Center for Violent and Sexual Offenders, Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: Brigitte
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Hansmann
authors.affiliation: Federal Evaluation Center for Violent and Sexual Offenders, Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: Tanja
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Pumberger
authors.affiliation: Ansbach District Hospital, Germany.
authors.forename: Joachim
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Nitschke
authors.affiliation: University Hospital of Psychiatry Zurich, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Elmar
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Habermeyer
authors.affiliation: University Hospital of Psychiatry Zurich, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Andreas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mokros
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000374:Aggression / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D005555:Forensic Psychiatry / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011329:Prisoners / Q000523:psychology*; D012008:Recurrence; D012307:Risk Factors; D012448:Sadism / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology; D012742:Sex Offenses / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D014754:Violence / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: SeSaS; risk assessment; sadism; sexual; violence