Suchergebnisse

The Estimate of Risk of Adolescent Sexual Offense Recidivism (ERASOR) is an empirically guided checklist designed to assist clinicians to estimate the short-term risk of a sexual reoffense for youth aged 12-18 years of age. The ERASOR provides objective coding instructions for 25 risk factors (16 dynamic and 9 static). To investigate the psychometric properties, risk ratings were collected from 28 clinicians who evaluated 136 adolescent males (aged 12-18 years) following comprehensive, clinical assessments. Preliminary psychometric data (i.e., interrater agreement, item-total correlation, internal consistency) were found to be supportive of the reliability and item composition of the tool. ERASOR ratings also significantly discriminated adolescents based on whether or not they had previously been sanctioned for a prior sexual offense.

California Psychological Inventory scores from 112 adolescent male sexual offenders aged 12-19 (M = 15.59, SD = 1.46) were examined. A cluster analysis of factor-derived scores revealed four personality-based subgroups: Antisocial/ Impulsive, Unusual/lsolated, Overcontrolled/Reserved, and Confident/Aggressive. Significant differences were observed between groups regarding history of physical abuse, parental marital status, residence of the offenders, and whether or not offenders received criminal charges for their index sexual assaults. Subgroup membership was unrelated to victim age, victim gender, and offenders' history of sexual victimization. Recidivism data (criminal charges) were collected for a period ranging from 2 to 10 years (M = 6.23, SD = 2.02). Offenders in the two more pathological groups (Antisocial/Impulsive and Unusual/Isolated) were most likely to be charged with a subsequent violent (sexual or nonsexual) or nonviolent offense. The four-group typology based solely on personality functioning is remarkably similar to that found by W. R. Smith, C. Monastersky, and R. M. Deisher in 1987 from their cluster analysis of MMPI scores. In addition to implications for risk prediction, the present typology is suggestive of differential etiological pathways and treatment needs.

Current approaches to violence risk assessment are focused on the identification of factors that are predictive of future violence rather than factors that predict desistance. This is also true for the popular tools designed to predict adolescent sexual recidivism. Research on strengths-based variables with adolescents who have sexually offended that could serve a protective function is only recently underway. In the current prospective study, scores from clinician-completed assessments using the Estimate of Risk of Adolescent Sexual Offense Recidivism (ERASOR) and the parent-completed form of the Behavioral and Emotional Rating Scale (BERS-2) were evaluated in a sample of 81 adolescent males with at least one sexual offense. As expected, the ERASOR was significantly correlated with sexual recidivism over an average 3.5-year follow-up. In terms of a protective function, the Affective Strength scale of the BERS-2 was significantly negatively correlated with sexual recidivism, although it did not have incremental validity over and above the ERASOR. The BERS-2 School Functioning scale was significantly negatively correlated with nonsexual recidivism. The results are discussed in terms of previous findings and theoretical work on attachment in sexual offending behavior and implications for risk assessment practice.

Data from the Estimate of Risk of Adolescent Sexual Offense Recidivism (ERASOR; Worling & Curwen) were collected for a sample of 191 adolescent males who had offended sexually. Adolescents were aged 12 to 19 years ( M = 15.34; SD = 1.53) at the time of their participation in a comprehensive assessment. The ERASOR was completed by 1 of 22 clinicians immediately following each assessment. Forty-five adolescents were independently rated by pairs of clinicians, and significant interrater agreement was found for the ERASOR risk factors, the clinical judgment ratings ( low, moderate, or high), and a total score. Recidivism data (criminal charges) were subsequently collected from three sources that spanned a follow-up period between 0.1 and 7.9 years ( M = 3.66; SD = 2.08). Overall, 9.4% (18 of 191) of the adolescents were charged with a subsequent sexual offense over this time period. A shorter follow-up interval of up to 2.5 years ( M = 1.4; SD = 0.71) was also examined. Recidivism data for the shorter follow-up interval were available for a subgroup of 70 adolescents, with a comparable recidivism rate of 8.6% (6 of 70). Clinical judgment ratings, the total score, and the sum of risk factors rated as present were significantly predictive of sexual reoffending for the short follow-up period. The total score and the sum of risk factors were predictive of sexual reoffending over the entire follow-up interval. These results add to the emerging research supporting the reliability and validity of structured risk assessment tools for adolescent sexual recidivism.

This article presents the initial psychometric properties of a treatment planning and progress inventory for adolescents with sexual behavior problems, the Treatment Progress Inventory for Adolescents Who Sexually Abuse (TPI-ASA). The TPI-ASA was designed to monitor common elements of specialized treatment for youth with sexual behavior problems. The TPI-ASA measures nine dimensions relevant to the evaluation and treatment of adolescents with sexual behavior problems (inappropriate sexual behavior, healthy sexuality, social competency, cognitions supportive of sexual abuse, attitudes supportive of sexual abuse, victim awareness, affective/behavioral regulation, risk prevention awareness, and positive family caregiver dynamics). Members of the Association for the Treatment of Sexual Abusers completed the TPI-ASA with 90 male adolescents with sexual behavior problems as part of a psychosexual evaluation. The preliminary findings provided support for the internal consistency and convergent and discriminant validity of the dimensions. Suggestions are offered for additional research on the TPI-ASA and its potential as a clinical tool.