There are concerns regarding the reliability, realism, and validity of stimulus materials used in the assessment of sexual interests among sex offenders. This article explores new stimulus materials for use with penile plethysmography (PPG) assessments. First, this paper presents a pilot study where undergraduate students rated virtual characters (male and female) on perceived age. In addition, the materials developed are unique in that they depict the characters exhibiting varying affective dispositions, including neutral, fearful, sad, joyful, and seductive. Participants in the first study were also asked to identify the affective disposition of the virtual characters, and results suggest that affective disposition was largely perceived as intended, especially in terms of identifying the general emotional valence of the affective dispositions (i.e., positive versus negative). In a second pilot study, we used the computer-generated images to measure sexual arousal responses in a group of non-deviant males recruited in the community. Responses measured through penile plethysmography suggest participants responded to the stimuli as expected, as the greatest amount of sexual arousal was recorded when participants were shown the adult female character. In addition, participants responded with significant arousal only when the adult female character was depicted as sexually open ( joyful or seductive), rather than sexually closed or neutral. Results suggest these materials may discriminate sexual interests if applied within clinical forensic assessment of sex offenders.

who play an increasing role in the families of children with lifelimiting conditions. Aim To explore how grandparents experience the death of a grandchild who died from a life-limiting condition. Methods A purposive sampling technique was used to recruit participants who: (i) identified themselves as fulfilling a grandparenting role; (ii) were bereaved for between six and 24 months; (iii) had a grandchild that died from a life-limiting condition. Grandparents who were the principal carers of the deceased grandchild were excluded.Semi-structured, individual, face-to-face interviews were conducted in participants own homes. Field notes were taken during and immediately following the interviews. Findings Seven individuals participated in this study. Findings indicated a number of contextual factors that affect the experience of bereaved grandparents, including intergenerational bonds, identity and perceived changes in role following the death of their grandchild. Bearing witness to the suffering of their child and an inability to 'make things better' were recurrent themes. The essence of grandparents' experiences was interpreted as focusing on fulfilling a parenting role to their child. Conclusions and implicationsThe research identified that primary motivation of grandparental support stems from their role as a parent, and not as a grandparent.The breadth of pain experienced by grandparents is complicated by the multigenerational positions they occupy within the family. The transition from before to after death exacerbated the experience of pain. The findings from this study suggest the development of practice to better understand and support grandparents of children with a life-limiting condition during life, in addition to bereavement support.