The relationship between phallometrically measured deviant sexual arousal and clinical characteristics in juvenile sexual offenders

An Exploration of Factors Related to Deviant Sexual Arousal Among Juvenile Sex Offenders

“…Although history of physical abuse was a signifi cant predictor for three of the arousal measures, inspection of means suggested that the only meaningful differences were for the female peer consent stimuli. The results for the gender of victim variable are, in general, consistent with the results of Becker et al (1989) and Hunter et al (1994), who tended to fi nd higher responding in those subjects who had abused male subjects. In the present study, this was true for all of the male sexual stimuli and child rape stimuli but not for female peer stimuli.…”

“…Previous results have been inconsistent for this interaction. Becker et al (1989), using a different stimulus set, found similar results, whereas Hunter et al (1994) did not fi nd this interaction. found that abused offenders showed higher levels of arousal to both deviant and nondeviant stimuli, whereas this was not the case in the current study.…”

“…Results revealed that abused offenders showed higher levels of arousal overall, to both deviant and nondeviant stimuli. In contrast, Hunter, Goodwin, and Becker (1994), using a deviance quotient (derived from a ratio of deviant to nondeviant sexual interest), failed to fi nd a strong relationship between prior sexual victimization and deviant arousal in either of the two samples of 44 and 54 juvenile sex offenders. They did fi nd that those perpetrators who had abused only males showed greater deviant arousal than did those who had abused female victims only or a combination of both genders.…”

Assessing Sexual Arousal with Adolescent Males Who Have Offended Sexually: Self-Report and Unobtrusively Measured Viewing Time

“…The finding that those adolescent males with male child victims demonstrated the highest interest in prepubescent children—either through VT or self-report—is consistent with results from several studies in which the PPG was used (Becker et al., 1989; Hunter et al., 1994; Murphy, DiLillo, Haynes, & Steere, 2001; Seto et al., 2000). As has been noted by many of these researchers, it is quite likely, therefore, that many adolescents who commit a sexual offense against a male child are motivated, at least in part, by a sexual interest in prepubescent children.…”

“…(2000), it was found that PPG data were only moderately discriminative for adolescent males who sexually assaulted male victims and that adolescents who offended against female children could not be differentiated from a nonoffending population. Hunter, Becker, and Goodwin (1994) similarly found that only those adolescents with male victims demonstrated significant deviant arousal using the PPG. In their review of the research, Becker and Harris (2004) concluded that the PPG may be useful only for the following adolescent clients: (i) older teenage males, (ii) individuals who acknowledge their sexual assaults, and (iii) those who offend sexually against males.…”