Child sexual abuse often elicits strong negative reactions from the public and sensationalized portrayal in media. Prior research has examined how gender influences perceptions of teenage sexual victimization committed by adults in authority roles. However, only a few studies have examined public reactions to actual cases covered in the media. To address this gap, we coded and analyzed 532 public comments on 36 online news stories reporting cases of teenage sexual abuse published between January 1, 2009 and December 31, 2019. We identified four major themes that encompassed the comments examined in this study: negative reactions to the adult responsible, comments about the punishment, positive reactions to the adult responsible, and comments focused on the child who was harmed. Many comments encompassed the expected emotions of anger and disgust toward the adult who engaged in abuse and sympathy toward the person who experienced it. Several comments were positive in nature, however, deviating from the "typical" response toward such cases, particularly in cases regarding abuse committed by a woman. Further, commenters had strong reactions to the criminal justice response to the abuse, but these reactions were also patterned by gender. We close with a discussion of findings and implications for future research.

Child sexual abuse material (CSAM) production poses a grave and evolving threat, causing revictimization through the circulation of material for years. The availability of online technology has enabled sophisticated methods of CSAM production and police evasion. The aims of this study were to explore the sociodemographic features of those with a history of CSAM production, explore criminal sub-types of those who produce CSAM, and explore the sociodemographic and criminal features of possible sub-types. Men who came to police attention for CSAM production offenses between 2004-2019 in Victoria, Australia ( = 741) were included. A hierarchical cluster analysis revealed two distinct criminal profiles: (1) a group with offense histories, which were sexually focused ( 455) and (2) a group with a ( = 286) offending history, including sexual and non-sexual offenses. The frequency of CSAM production offenses across the sample period almost doubled with an increasing number of individuals with a criminal history coming to the attention of police, whilst the number of those with a criminal history remained largely stable. Uncovering these two distinct criminal profiles is a pivotal step toward understanding the nuanced characteristics of individuals responsible for producing CSAM.

This study developed and assessed the psychometric properties of a questionnaire assessing Implicit Theories (ITs) of sexual offense (Polaschek & Ward, 2002; Ward & Keenan, 1999), named the Implicit Theories of Sexual Offense Questionnaire (ITSOQ). We used existing cognition questionnaires to create a potential item pool, and selected items based on item properties (e.g., mean, , range) from three male general population samples ( = 427) and three (sub)clinical population samples ( = 69), i.e., pedophilia-supportive forum users ( = 20), and sexual ( = 28) and violent ( = 21) forensic mental health system clients. A principal component analysis for the general population sample supported a four-component solution for the ITSOQ, including two victim-specific ITs (Factor 1: Children 14-16 years, Factor 2: Women), a sexual social desirability index (SSDI; Factor 3), and a component reflecting the antisocial uncontrollability IT (Factor 4). Analyses indicated measurement invariance, and higher scores for the (sub)clinical population were found for the antisocial uncontrollability and SSDI factors, with low to moderate effect sizes. Additionally, (small) associations between self-reported sexual interest in children and adults and the victim-specific child and women factors were found. Implications and directions for future research are discussed.

This study examined the convergent, divergent, predictive, and incremental validity of the Revised Screening Scale for Pedophilic Interests (SSPI-2) in a sample of 264 men adjudicated for sexual offenses against at least one child under the age of 15. We found evidence of construct validity as the SSPI-2 had small to medium correlations with phallometric testing ( = .31), recorded pedohebephilic diagnoses ( = .52), and attitudes tolerant of sexual offending against children ( = .23), in addition to small and non-significant correlations with the PCL-R ( = -.07), VRAG-R ( = -.09), BARR-2002R ( = -.06), and conduct disorder ( = -.07). As indicated by DeLong tests, the SSPI-2 was a better predictor of 5-year sexual ( = -2.44) and non-contact sexual recidivism ( = -2.46) than the SSPI. The SSPI-2 also added incremental predictive accuracy to risk tools such as the BARR-2002R, PCL-R, VRAG-R, and Static-99R. Overall, our findings suggest that the SSPI-2 is a valid measure of sexual interest in children and may be useful as a screening tool to help inform prioritization and management.

Distinguishing factors between pedohebephebophilic actors and non-actors remain a critical area of research for understanding offending behavior and developing targeted interventions. This meta-analysis synthesizes evidence on motivating, facilitating, situational, and other factors that differentiate individuals who have committed sexual offenses against children from those who have not. Following PRISMA guidelines, systematic searches were conducted across PsycNet, ProQuest, Web of Science, PubMed, and PSYNDEX, supplemented by manual searches. Data were analyzed using fixed and random effects models. From 2,185 records screened, 34 studies from 22 datasets met inclusion criteria. We conducted meta-analyses for 50 potential distinguishing factors. The strongest effect sizes were discovered for intelligence ( = -.86), stigma ( = .61), male sex ( = .51), age ( = .48), therapy attendance ( = .43) and interest ( = .43), and sexual (g = .38) and non-sexual (g = .38) adverse childhood experiences. The average quality score was 11.13 ( = 1.82) out of maximum score of 16. Findings provide support for some motivating, facilitating, situational, and other factors distinguishing pedohebephilic actors from non-actors. These findings offer opportunities for improved risk assessment, prevention strategies, and therapeutic interventions, however, they are limited by the cross-sectional nature of the results.

The present study investigates the onset, persistence and diversity in sexual offending by exploring Norwegian registry data on the social and criminal trajectories of juveniles charged with a sexual crime before the age of criminal responsibility, compared to juveniles charged with other types of offenses. The sample consisted of all persons aged 15 during the period 1997-2005 ( = 388,814). Of those, 19,559 juveniles (5%) were charged with a crime, mostly (83%) of a non-violent nature. For the remaining 16.9% ( = 3,309), the charge involved violence, either non-sexual ( = 2,991, 15.3% of those charged) or sexual ( = 318, 1.6% of those charged). Proportional hazard models were used to investigate background characteristics and risk of recidivism. Early onset of offending was related to a more disadvantaged background. Juveniles charged with violent and sexual offenses were generally younger and had more charges against them than juveniles charged with any other crimes. Early sexual crime carried higher hazard rate (HR) of future sexual crime (HR = 3.6) than early violent (HR = 1.9) and other crimes (HR = 1.4). The risk of later violent crime was similar among those with early onset violent (HR = 2.8) and sexual (HR = 2.5) crime, and higher than for early onset general crime (HR = 1.7). Since violent crime has a higher base rate than sexual crime, violence is more dominant in the criminal careers of people with early onset sexual offending. However, the majority of adult sexual criminal charges are raised against persons without a juvenile criminal record.

We tested the discriminant and incremental validity of scores on the Attitude toward Sexual Aggression against Women (ASAW) scale, a self-report measure that asks men to evaluate (very bad to not at all bad) a range of sexually aggressive behaviors against women. An online panel of 647 men completed the ASAW scale and self-report measures of other offense-supportive cognitions (rape myth acceptance, cognitive distortions, and beliefs regarding rape) and sexually aggressive behavior (past sexual aggression, likelihood of engaging in sexually aggressive behavior, and likelihood to rape). We hypothesized that (a) the ASAW would be distinct from other measures of offense-supportive cognition and (b) the ASAW would be independently associated with sexual aggression after accounting for the other measures. Supportive of discriminant validity, exploratory factor analyses revealed that ASAW items clustered together to form a distinct factor from other measures of offense-supportive cognition. Supportive of incremental validity, hierarchical multiple regression analyses indicated that the ASAW explained an additional 5% of the variance in past sexually aggressive behavior (ΔR² = .05, < .006) and 4-6% of the variance in likelihood of engaging in sexual aggression (ΔR² = .04-.06, < .006) after accounting for other measures of offense-supportive cognition. If future research finds further support for the construct validity of its scores, the ASAW should be used to study the potential causal role that attitudes may play in sexual aggression against women, and whether changing them can reduce the likelihood of engaging in this type of behavior.

This research aimed to develop a typology of individuals adjudicated for child sexual exploitation material (CSEM) offenses in South Korea, based on court judgments under Article 11 of the Act on the Protection of Children and Youth Against Sex Offenses. A total of 135 judgments from district courts (courts of first instance in South Korea) spanning 2014 to 2023 were systematically collected and examined through latent class analysis (LCA). The LCA results revealed three distinct subgroups of offenders--each exhibiting unique offending profiles and behaviors. Significant differences between the groups were also found for several factors, such as the age of the victim, instances of sextortion, and the additional creation of CSEM. This study constitutes an initial empirical exploration of CSEM offenses in South Korea, provides evidence of a heterogenous group, and has substantial implications for crafting customized intervention strategies for people who commit CSEM offenses.

Motives for online sexual offending have mostly been studied in forensic populations. To gain insights into risks and prevention options, community samples are also relevant. In this exploratory study, an online convenience sample of 2,764 participants = 1,263; = 1,420) was recruited via social media platforms. Approximately 2%-4% of men and less than 1% of women from this online sample reported some propensity for online or contact sexual behaviors with a child, provided there were no negative personal consequences. Latent class analyses, conducted separately for men and women, identified three different classes based on scores on motivational risk factors, which we labeled "multiple motivations," "social needs," and "mating prowess." In distal outcome analyses, individuals in the "multiple motivations" class (i.e., those with relatively high scores on most of the motivational factors) were most likely to engage in sexual offending against children and adults as well as other atypical or problematic behaviors. The exploratory findings suggest that not only paraphilia, but also social needs (e.g., loneliness, social anxiety) and other sexual domains (e.g., high sex drive) should be included in prevention efforts for sexual offending targeted to the general population.

Sexual harassment and assault against women are global and public issues that must be addressed. Previous studies indicate that men's misunderstanding regarding women's sexual consent may be a key factor in sexual harassment and sexual assault cases. The underlying mechanism for the association between men's sexual interest perception and sexual harassment/assault behavior, however, remains unclear. In this study, we explored whether cognition bias (i.e., sexual refusal cognition bias, which include interpretation bias and behavioral intentions) mediated the association between men's sexual interest perception and sexual harassment/assault against women. A sample of 280 heterosexual Chinese men were recruited. A measure of sexual refusal cognition bias was developed, encompassing two factors: interpretation bias and behavioral intentions. Sexual refusal cognition bias was significantly associated with sexual harassment and sexual assault. Sexual interest perception had a significant indirect effect ( = 0.130/0.071) on sexual harassment and sexual assault through serial mediations of interpretation bias and behavioral intentions. These findings may be valuable in enhancing an understanding of sexual violence against women and contribute to sexual assault and sexual harassment prevention and education efforts.

The number of reports of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) detected on online platforms has increased dramatically in the last decade. Research has suggested that some individuals engage in a progression from typical adult pornography to atypical adult pornography (e.g., bondage, discipline, sadism, and masochism (BDSM), bestiality) to CSAM. Examining the onset to adult pornography and CSAM can therefore help identify intervention points for prevention and disruption. To investigate first exposure to adult pornography and CSAM, we anonymously surveyed a community sample of 5512 adults in five different countries: 742 (13.5%) survey participants self-reported viewing CSAM; 77% were male, 19.5% were female and 3.5% identified as another gender/sex. Majorities of respondents who viewed CSAM (71.2%), BDSM adult pornography (66.6%), and bestiality adult pornography (62.4%) were first exposed to this material prior to age 18. Females were significantly more likely than males to view adult content at younger ages. Younger age of exposure to typical and atypical adult pornography predicted younger age of exposure to CSAM, and respondents aged under 40 years were significantly more likely to view CSAM at younger ages ( < .001). Self-reported CSAM viewers predominantly first discovered CSAM unintentionally (86.1%) and when alone (76%). The findings suggest a need for increased interventions that prevent exposure to CSAM and illegal adult content among adolescents.

Empathy is an aspect of social cognition which has gained much attention to explain sexual violence perpetration, with research resulting in mixed and contradictory findings. Another aspect of social cognition, which has been linked to, and even used synonymously with, cognitive empathy is Theory of Mind (ToM). However, research is severely lacking on the role which ToM may play in sexual violence. Hence, in order to elucidate such issues, following a theoretical discussion of these concepts, we propose an integrated Social Information Processing (SIP) framework to understand how empathy and ToM may be involved in sexual violence perpetration. This framework includes the steps laid out by Crick and Dodge's original SIP model, the emotional processes emphasised by Lemerise and Arsenio, the empathy stages identified by Marshall and colleagues, and our propositions concerning the role played by ToM. In this theoretical article, we argue that ToM and empathy are primarily involved in earlier SIP stages, but may have repercussions on subsequent stages as SIP is cyclical. Nonetheless, greater research is needed to conclusively identify where deficits lie. In terms of clinical implications, we recommend that empathy and ToM be targeted in interventions (primary, secondary and tertiary) using cognitive-behavioural therapy principles which are involved in, and affect, SIP.

Recent research has highlighted the importance of protective factors in preventing sexual offense recidivism and led to the development of a number of strengths-based approaches to the treatment of adult males who have been convicted of sexual offenses. However, these approaches have not been supported by structured methods to assess protective factors. The Structured Assessment of PROtective Factors against Sexual Offending (SAPROF-SO) was designed to bridge the gap between assessment and strengths-based treatment, and the current study contributes to the validation of that instrument. The SAPROF-SO was rated retrospectively for adult males released on supervised release from a secure treatment center in the US ( = 170). SAPROF-SO total scores predicted supervised release success as measured by revocation outcomes. In addition, results highlighted the utility of the SAPROF-SO Resilience subscale in predicting supervised release revocation for any reason and the Adaptive Sexuality subscale in predicting sexually related revocations. Notably, the SAPROF-SO demonstrated incremental validity over the Static-99R, which was not predictive of revocation outcomes. Implications for the management of sexual offense risk when planning and administering release from criminal justice contexts are discussed.

There is some evidence that testosterone-lowering medications (TLM) may be an effective treatment for men convicted of sexual offenses by attenuating paraphilic sexual fantasies and behaviors and reducing the recidivism risk. To date, however, only little is known about the effects of TLM stopping on risk-relevant aspects. Therefore, the current study aimed at examining the recidivism risk as measured by Stable-2007 as well as official records of reoffenses in 29 men having stopped TLM treatment as compared to 37 men with ongoing TLM treatment. The Stable-2007 was rated retrospectively at 4 time points: committal to forensic treatment (T1), starting (T2) and stopping of TLM treatment (T3), and at reporting date (T4). There was a significant decrease in Stable-2007 scores over time, but there were no significant group differences. Within the stopped-TLM group, there were no significant differences between T3 and T4, implying that the recidivism risk remained stable over an average observation period of 4.5 years after TLM stopping. In addition, there was no significant difference in actual reoffending rates between the groups. For sexual reoffending, the percentages were 17.2% for the stopped-TLM group and 10.8% for the ongoing-TLM group. However, although the current results suggest that there is at least no increase in risk assessment (i.e., Stable-2007) after having stopped TLM, the actual reoffending rates of both groups were higher than expected. This once again demonstrates that TLM stopping decisions remain very difficult to make. Further studies are urgently needed to draw clearer conclusions.

Prisons in South Korea have implemented psychotherapy programs for people convicted of sexual offenses to reduce sexual crime recidivism post-release. This study evaluated the effectiveness of the treatment by analyzing data from 13,200 men convicted of sexual offenses released from 2015 to 2019. We estimated the latent change score (LCS) for rape myths acceptance (RMA) and child sexual assault supportive attitudes (CSA) utilizing the 2W-LCS model. We examined the relationship between the LCS and sexual crime recidivism. Additionally, we employed multigroup analysis to compare the results based on program completion status. The results showed that regardless of completion, the LCSs for both RMA and CSA were significant and negative, indicating a decrease in both levels of cognitive distortion after treatment. In addition, the absolute values of the LCSs for both RMA and CSA were larger in the fully-treated group than in the partially-treated group. The CSA LCSs exhibited a significant relationship with sexual crime recidivism only in the fully-treated group. Overall, the study supports the treatment's effectiveness and underscores the importance of treatment completion.

The report presents study on child sexual abuse within the Catholic Church in Poland from 1950 to 2021, using data collected in three comprehensive queries conducted between 2014 and 2021. The analysis is based on notifications reported to dioceses and male religious congregations, processed by the Institute for Catholic Church Statistics. The study categorizes cases based on the credibility of allegations and tracks the evolution of data collection methodologies, moving from handwritten questionnaires to more detailed online surveys. The research explores variables such as victim demographics (age, gender, and Church affiliation), perpetrator profiles, forms and circumstances of abuse, and reporting patterns. Over the analyzed period, 1,193 minors were identified as victims in notifications, with 1,018 credible allegations. Boys constituted 56% of victims, with an average age of abuse rising from 11 to nearly 15 years. Of 838 accused clergy, 394 were credibly implicated, primarily priests. Most offenders harmed a single victim, though 20% had multiple victims. Findings indicate a significant increase in abuse cases from the 1970s to the 1980s. Despite the detailed data, the study emphasizes limitations, including the inability to fully ascertain the prevalence of abuse due to underreporting and varied motivations for disclosure. The results highlight the need for continuous monitoring to comprehensively understand and address this issue. This research contributes to broader efforts to enhance transparency, accountability, and preventive measures within the Church.

Forensic sexual behavior programs provide assessment and treatment services to individuals who have committed a sexual offense and/or who are at risk of sexually offending. In Canada, practices vary across these programs as publicly funded community-based forensic sexual behavior programs do not adhere to a federal standard of practice. Although several practice surveys have been developed in previous years to explore techniques within these programs, updated research is needed due to recent developments in the field. The present study provides a comprehensive overview of assessment, treatment, and preventive practices in Canada by surveying 16 publicly funded Canadian forensic sexual behavior programs. Results found that programs generally followed evidence-based practices when conducting risk assessments, although adherence to evidence-based guidelines showed greater variation for treatment. Additionally, 70.6% of surveyed programs reported providing prevention services to individuals who have not crossed a legal sexual boundary, although approaches to these services varied across programs. Findings from the present study allow for a stronger understanding of forensic sexual behavior program practices nationwide and have implications for clinical practice.

Stigma-related stress may contribute to increased risk in individuals who are sexually attracted to children. Further, certain subgroups of people attracted to children may be more stigmatized than others; this has important implications for prevention programs. We conducted a vignette study to examine whether public stigma toward people attracted to children differed based on the person's gender (man/woman), the gender of the child to whom the person is attracted (boy/girl), and preferentiality (non-preferentially/preferentially attracted to children). A sample of 385 participants ( = 41; 66% White; 52% male; 57% US residents) were recruited through Prolific. Participants were randomly assigned to one of eight vignettes presenting a non-offending individual attracted to children. Vignettes varied on the person's gender, the gender of the child to whom they were attracted, and whether they were preferentially or non-preferentially attracted to children. Participants were asked to rate their perception of risk for the person to commit a child sexual offense (and give their reasoning) as well as fill out a measure of stigma regarding the person in the vignette. The only characteristic associated with perception of risk and stigma was preferentiality; participants rated preferentially attracted persons as being a higher risk to offend and endorsed higher stigma regarding that individual. Open-ended responses indicated that in rating risk to offend, participants were concerned with the role of attraction to children, characteristics of the attraction, loss of control and opportunism, lack of offense history, and lifestyle factors.

Recidivism among individuals who have sexually offended poses a significant public health and safety concern. It is crucial to assess the predictive validity of traditional risk factors in individuals engaged in online child exploitation. This study examines recidivism rates and risk factors among individuals involved in online child sexual exploitation, analyzing data from a sample of 228 adult males who had committed sexual and nonsexual offenses at their index crime. The findings suggest that offense-supportive cognitions (Harrell's C = .73-.75) and emotional congruence with children (Harrell's C = .77) serve as predictors for contact sexual recidivism. Consumption of child sexual exploitation material and bestiality pornography are linked to online sexual recidivism (.69 and .75, respectively) and negatively related to sexual recidivism (.29 and .32, respectively). Overall, this research contributes to a more nuanced understanding of recidivism patterns and risk factors among individuals engaged in online sexual offenses against children, emphasizing the need for tailored intervention strategies in this population.

Justice-involved persons, especially people of color and those convicted of a sexual offense, experience bias and other barriers when seeking employment. However, there is no research on the synergistic effects of race and sexual offense history on employment-related outcomes. This study examined whether a hypothetical job applicant's race (Black vs. White) and/or sexual offense history (sexual, non-sexual, or no history) impacted hiring decisions and employment-related outcomes. Results revealed no significant main effects of applicant race and no interaction between applicant race and offense history across all employment-related outcomes. However, participants were less likely to endorse hiring the applicant and desired greater social distance from the applicant if he had a prior sexual offense compared with those having a non-sexual offense. This finding suggests applicants with a known sexual offense history may be more frequently passed up for jobs than other justice-involved applicants for reasons unrelated to the job itself.

Thirty-two forensic persons who have committed sexual offenses against children (FP-SOC), 26 non-forensic persons of whom most have committed sexual offenses against children (NFP-SOC), 14 forensic persons who have not committed sexual offenses against children but have committed other offenses (FP-NSOC), and 53 non-forensic persons who have not committed sexual offenses against children (NFP-NSOC) were instructed to solve a cognitive task, while sexual distractors were presented simultaneously. Behavioral performance and eye movements were measured. FP-SOC and NFP-SOC exhibit same age preference patterns for children and adults, but both groups differ significantly with respect to sexual attentional control. Moderate discrimination accuracy and moderate effect sizes resulted for sexual interest, and good discrimination accuracy and large effect sizes were found for attentional control. Good attentional control in the NFP-SOC, probably reflecting superior sexual self-control and self-regulation abilities, might contribute to a better recognition and control of environmental factors in sexual risk situations, preventing them from being detected and convicted. Otherwise, strong cognitive distortions might serve for them as offense justification. We conclude that those non-forensic persons with sexual offense histories against children (NFP-SOC) with sexual interest in children, good attentional self-control and strong cognitive distortions represent a problematic group which should receive more attention regarding further research but also therapy. Future studies should include more suitable and larger control groups, appropriate instruments to measure independent variables, and investigate whether different classifications of pedophilic interest would be better suited to describe the eye movement patterns of our study participants.

Recidivism risk assessment is crucial for effective case management of men convicted of sex offending. The use of empirical actuarial risk tools has become routine in the field. However, the development of actuarial risk scales for assessing general, violent and/or sexual recidivism in these men is ongoing: The Static-99 led to the Static-99R and the Static-2002R, and the BARR-2002R emerged to assess violent recidivism risk. A study was undertaken to evaluate and compare the inter-rater and predictive validity of the Static-99R, the Static-2002R, and the BARR-2002R in a sample of 328 men convicted of sex offending released from prison in French Belgium. When the instruments were considered integrally, the two versions of the Static-the Static-99R and the Static-2002R-proved better at predicting sexual recidivism and the BARR-2002R was better at predicting violent recidivism. And, the predictive and incremental predictive validity of the factor structure identified by Brouillette-Alarie et al. (2016) was examined. Results proved consistent in that the and factors were better at predicting general recidivism and violent non-sexual recidivism while the factor was better at predicting sexual recidivism.

This study examines the characteristics of help-seeking minors ( = 117) who have consumed (CSAM) and who voluntarily sought support. 97% of the respondents were in at the time of data collection. About half of the respondents reported a pedohebephile sexual preference. The study found two distinct groups based on cluster analysis, primarily distinguished by their mental well-being. The results indicate that 60.7% of the participants had used CSAM in the last two weeks, with the most common content being medium severity on the COPINE scale (levels 6-9). The study suggests that minors are already aware of the problem and motivated to confront their problematic behavior. However, limitations such as potential bias due to self-reporting, self-selection and lack of control mechanisms must be considered. The findings underscore the necessity for the implementation of targeted prevention and intervention measures for affected groups, as well as for further research to validate and expand upon these findings.

In their influential paper Wurtele et al. (2014) investigated the degree to which individuals within the general population ( = 435) express sexual interest in children. In the male population of their study ( = 173), about 6% showed a propensity to engage in sexual activity with a child. Based on a German general population sample consisting of women and men ( = 911, = 206 males), we were able to replicate most of the results of Wurtele and colleagues (e.g., 6% of men indicated some likelihood of having sex with a child). To explain sexual offending, Seto (2019) developed the motivation-facilitation model (MFM). In our study, we were interested whether this model also translates to explaining the propensity for deviant sexual behavior in the general population. Moderated hierarchical logistic regression analyses revealed that hypersexuality and sexual fantasies had significant effects as motivating factors for (e.g., sexually assaulting an adult), whereas we found no significant effect of psychopathy as a facilitator. For the prediction of , only hypersexuality had a significant effect. Notably, after including gender in both models the effect of hypersexuality was no longer significant. Accordingly, we were able to show that the MFM is useful in explaining the propensity for deviant sexual behavior foremost in the male general population. Thus, in clinical practice an assessment of hypersexuality seems to be most relevant for the male population.

High rates of trauma are documented among individuals convicted of a sex offense. Public attitudes toward these individuals tend to be negative and often shape legislative responses and policies regarding sex offending sentencing and treatment. However, less is known regarding whether public attitudes may consider trauma and its relevance as a potential treatment target for those convicted of a sex offense. This study explored community member attitudes toward individuals convicted of a sex offense with histories of trauma. 295 participants were recruited via Prolific and responded to qualitative questions assessing their attitudes about the link between trauma and sex offenses, and whether trauma should influence sentencing and treatment outcomes. Analyses revealed main themes, including (1) Role of Childhood Trauma; (2) Outcomes and Management; and (3) Differences Between Individuals Convicted of Sex Offenses with versus Without Trauma History. Findings underscore the complexity of public attitudes toward this population and suggest trauma-informed interventions for those who commit sex offenses may receive public support if they also include emphasis on accountability for criminal sex behaviors. Implications highlight the need for trauma-informed interventions and public education to reduce stigma and support sex offending rehabilitation.

Individuals engaging in child sexual abuse often present pedophilic interest, but the other psychiatric morbidities among undetected users of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) are largely unknown. We mapped the psychiatric profile of 160 mainly male and primarily non-convicted anonymous Darknet-recruited adult CSAM users. The participants' psychiatric morbidities were analyzed descriptively, and correlations between sexual pathologies known as risk factors for committing child sexual abuse (paraphilias, hypersexuality) and CSAM offense behavior (viewing time, content) were examined in a series of exploratory linear regression models. Pedophilic interests, hypersexuality, autism traits, ADHD, and depression were commonly reported. Further, hypersexuality was associated with CSAM viewing time ( = .295, = 0.07, = .001), zoophilic interest was associated with CSAM severity ( = .195, = 0.46, = .003) and both zoophilic and pedophilic sexual interest were associated with the age of the youngest child in CSAM viewed ( = -.218, = -0.56, = .01 and = -.273, = -1.01, < .001). We conclude that CSAM users presented sexual pathologies, some related to their CSAM-use behavior, as well as multiple other mental health needs.

We developed a new measure designed to facilitate research on the potential role of men's attitude toward sexual aggression against women in gender-based sexual violence: the Attitude toward Sexual Aggression against Women (ASAW) scale. We created a large pool of items, in which participants were asked to evaluate how bad it would be if they engaged in various sexually aggressive behaviors in a variety of scenarios. Three independent samples of men recruited from online panels ( = 380, 149, and 322) completed these items. Based on their responses, we retained 13 non-redundant items that had the most variance and covered a wide range of sexually aggressive behaviors (e.g., unwanted sexual touching; non-consensual sex), tactics (e.g., threatening to damage her reputation; using physical force), and contexts (e.g., the woman previously agreed to some sexual activity; the woman is intoxicated). An exploratory factor analysis found that all 13 ASAW items loaded strongly onto one factor, which suggests a unidimensional structure. If future research finds evidence for the construct validity of its scores, potential uses for the ASAW include risk assessment, treatment-related attitude-change, and research into the potential causal role of attitudes in sexual aggression against women.

Rape myths are false beliefs about rape that blame the victim and excuse the person who committed rape. This study aimed to assess the psychometric properties of two rape myth acceptance scales in Serbian culture: the Serbian adaptation of the Illinois Rape Myth Acceptance Scale - Subtle Version (IRMA-S-2022) and the newly developed Rape Myth Questionnaire - Short Form (RMQ-S) in Serbian. The sample comprised 601 adults (50.9% men) from the general population of Serbia. The results revealed the five-factor in addition to the bifactor five-factor model as the best solution for the IRMA-S-2022, whereas the RMQ-S showed a one-factor structure. Scores on both instruments were gender invariant, with men obtaining higher scores. Furthermore, the scores showed good reliability based on internal consistency. The high correlation between the two instruments confirmed their convergent validity, as well as positive correlations with hostile sexism and victim culpability. Overall, the results support the reliability and construct validity of both instruments, and indicate that the RMQ-S is a useful nine-item tool, whereas the IRMA-S-2022 offers deeper insights into the acceptance of various subcategories of rape myths.

Sexual victimization of students endures-especially in secondary schools-and women's perpetration in this setting is increasingly recognized. Nonetheless, our understanding of this population and contemporary cases remains limited, and research in the Australian context is lacking. This study contributes to the evidence base and represents the first Australian study of its kind. We draw on (1) legal documents ( = 19) describing 18 established cases of female-perpetrated sexual abuse against 20 adolescent students (aged 13-17 inclusive) and (2) semi-structured expert interviews with professionals possessing specialized experience of female-perpetrated cases involving adolescent students ( = 8). These data are integrated in a reflexive thematic analysis to identify the personal, contextual, and situational antecedents of female-perpetrated cases thereby exploring the 'why' and 'how' of their perpetration. Taken together, the results indicate a key interaction between individual emotional and relational needs, environmental opportunities, and contextual tolerance. Practical implications for targeting and disrupting these dynamics are discussed.