The Sexual Grooming Behaviors of Youth Who Engage in Harmful Sexual Behaviors.

Little is known about the extent to which youths who commit harmful sexual behaviors (HSBs) against another minor utilize sexual grooming during the offense process. This study examined sexual grooming behaviors reported by adults (n = 250) who experienced HSBs by another minor during their childhood. Participants completed a self-report survey which included the Sexual Grooming Scale - Victim Version (SGS-V). The results showed that most participants (n = 242; 96.9%) reported at least one sexual grooming behavior, with an average of 11.3 behaviors reported. These findings will be discussed as they pertain to the identification and prevention of HSBs among youth.

Current Trends in Sex Trafficking Research.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Sex trafficking is a significant global problem that results in millions of individuals being sexually exploited annually. This paper will provide an overview of recent research in the field of sex trafficking and evaluate findings to provide recommendations for future research and policy work. RECENT FINDINGS: In recent years, there has been an increase in research focused on understanding sex trafficking and how it can be prevented. Specifically, recent studies have explored characteristics of sex trafficking cases, risk factors for experiencing sex trafficking, recruitment and maintenance processes, identification and intervention techniques, and treatment approaches. While there have been significant strides to better understand sex trafficking across the globe, numerous areas require further exploration. Additional research conducted internationally and with adults who have experienced sex trafficking is needed to better understand methods that can identify individuals at risk for being trafficked, enhance early detection, and provide services to trafficked individuals.

The Development, Content Validation, and Pilot Testing of the Paraphilic Interests and Disorders Scale.

The prevalence rates of paraphilic interests and disorders in the general population have been understudied, in large part due to the lack of a standardized assessment measure. As a result, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM)-5 provides little information regarding the prevalence of paraphilic disorders. The present study involved the development of a self-report measure, Paraphilic Interests and Disorders Scale (PIDS), that can be used to assess for the eight paraphilic interests/disorders in the DSM-5 for use with general population samples. Study 1 established the content validity of the PIDS using feedback from 22 experts in the field, and recommendations from these experts were utilized to modify the measure. In Study 2, the PIDS was piloted on 100 individuals in the general population, which supported the feasibility of implementation and its limited-efficacy. While the PIDS requires further psychometric support, the current research suggests the PIDS is a promising tool to gather self-report, population-based data on DSM-5 paraphilic interests and disorders.

The Nature and Scope of Educator Misconduct in K-12.

Educator sexual misconduct is a serious problem in the United States (U.S.), with a 2004 Department of Education report estimating that 9.6% of K-12 students in the U.S. had experienced either verbal, visual, or physical educator misconduct at some point during their school career. However, since that report almost 20 years ago, there have been few large-scale studies examining the extent of the problem. As such, the current study, which uses a large sample from recent high school graduates in four U.S. states, offers updated data on the nature and scope of sexual misconduct in educational settings. Overall, 11.7% of the 6632 participants reported having experienced at least one form of educator sexual misconduct during Grades K-12, with 11% reporting sexual comments and less than 1% reporting other forms of sexual misconduct (e.g., receiving sexual photos/messages, being kissed, touched sexually, or engaging in sexual intercourse/oral sex). Those who reported misconduct showed significantly more difficulties in current psychosocial functioning than those who did not report educator misconduct. Academic teachers most often perpetrated the abuse (63%), followed by coaches and gym teachers (20%). Educators who engaged in sexual misconduct were primarily male (85%), whereas students who reported experiencing educator misconduct were primarily female (72%). Rates of disclosure to authorities were very low (4%) and some sexual grooming behaviors like gift giving (12%) and showing special attention (29%) were reported. These findings will be discussed as they pertain to the prevention of sexual misconduct within educational settings.

Child Sexual Grooming of Catholic Clergy: A Comparison between Victims Allegedly Abused by Clergy with Single versus Multiple Victims.

There is evidence that clergy who commit child sexual abuse (CSA) may utilize sexual grooming behaviors in the offense process consistent with a content-validated model (Sexual Grooming Model; SGM). Although research has examined differences in characteristics between clergy with single versus multiple CSA victims, little is known about how sexual grooming behaviors may vary between these groups. The present study utilized a large sample of alleged clergy sexual abuse incidents (n = 10,667) to examine the differences in reported sexual grooming behaviors for victims who experienced abuse by an individual who had a single (V-SVOs) or multiple (V-MVOs) victims. As part of a larger study, files of victim reports of CSA were reviewed from 195 dioceses/eparchies and 140 religious institutes in the United States; these data were analyzed based on behaviors in the SGM for the present study. Overall, the findings showed that the two groups (V-SVOs and V-MVOs) experienced similar tactics throughout the sexual grooming process outlined by the SGM. However, there were some differences for certain tactics within the gaining access and isolation, trust development, and desensitization to sexual contact and physical touch stages of sexual grooming. The implications for prevention, policy, and treatment, as well as future directions of research, are discussed.

The Experience of Working With Individuals Who Sexually Offend.

Providing treatment to those who have committed sexual offenses can be difficult and challenging work. Older studies have suggested that service providers may experience changes in mood, symptoms of trauma, and countertransference reactions due to their work. Recent research has found that effective coping and self-care strategies may mitigate these negative outcomes. Given the relative dearth of recent empirical studies, we assessed the prevalence of self-reported mood, trauma symptoms, and countertransference reactions and their relation to coping styles and self-care practices in a sample of 32 male and 52 female therapists who provided treatment to individuals convicted of sexual offenses. As expected, we found minimal levels of clinically significant depressive (4%) and trauma symptoms (9%). Some countertransference reactions to clients were reported, including intense anger, retributive fantasies, sexual attraction, and arousal. A problem-solving coping style was associated with higher levels of psychological well-being, while avoidant coping was related to increased depressive and trauma symptoms. Approximately 10% of therapists with an abuse history reported re-experiencing their own victimization. The majority of therapists reported engaging in self-care practices. The findings are discussed as they pertain to those who provide services to individuals convicted of sexual offenses.

The Prevalence of Sexual Grooming Behaviors in a Large Sample of Clergy.

Following the exposure of child sexual abuse (CSA) within the U.S. Catholic Church, it was postulated that many of these cases went unreported because sexual grooming was involved. The present study examined the prevalence of sexual grooming behaviors of clergy through the lens of the content-validated Sexual Grooming Model (SGM). The study used archival data from a victim survey of 10,667 cases of alleged CSA within the U.S. Catholic Church. Results revealed the accused clergy frequently used tactics in the gaining access and isolation, trust development, and desensitization stages of the SGM. From the limited data available for the victim selection and post-abuse maintenance stages, the findings showed these tactics were relatively less common. Overall, clergy who were alleged to have committed CSA used tactics consistent with sexual grooming in general, although there were unique aspects of sexual grooming given their institutional role and position.

Exploring Sexual Grooming in Female Perpetrated Child Sexual Abuse.

According to official statistics, two percent of those who commit sex crimes are women, most of which involve child victims. However, victimization surveys suggest the true rate of female-perpetrated child sexual abuse is significantly higher than official statistics, and that it is under-detected and under-reported. Compared to men, relatively little is known about the behaviors and tactics that females employ to perpetrate child sexual abuse. While as many as half of male-perpetrated child sexual abuse involves sexual grooming, sexual grooming has not been empirically studied as it pertains to women. Existing literature, case studies, and media reports describe behaviors and strategies of women who abuse minors which may be suggestive of sexual grooming, particularly in cases of child sexual abuse perpetrated by female educators and child sex traffickers. This article explores what is known about female sexual offending, integrating it with the research on sexual grooming to provide a framework for understanding female sexual grooming behaviors. Implications for prevention, policy, and practice will be examined.

The use of substances in sexual offending in a United States sample.

Substance use is often involved in sexual offending. Understanding the ways in which substances are used in sexual offending is critical for developing prevention strategies. The present study explored the ways that substances are involved in the perpetration of sexual abuse against adults and minors, including intoxication and supplying substances to victims by individuals convicted of sexual offenses. Data were collected from the records of 2803 individuals convicted of sexual offenses in the United States. A series of binary logistic regressions found that offenses against adults were more likely to have alcohol or drugs involved than offenses against minors, while supplying substances to victims was less likely in intrafamilial than in extrafamilial offenses against minors. Findings suggest that implementing sexual violence prevention strategies (e.g. bystander intervention) in adult drinking contexts and integrating education about problematic substance use behaviors (e.g. grooming) during childhood prevention programs can aid in sexual abuse prevention.

Input from the frontlines: parole and probation officers' perceptions of policies directed at those convicted of sexual offenses.

Sex offender laws were designed to decrease sexual violence. The current mixed methods study examined attitudes and opinions of parole and probation officers who have supervised individuals convicted of sexual offenses (n = 361) regarding sex offender legislation and how these policies can be most effective in preventing recidivism. About half of the officers reported that registration and notification, sexually violent predator and Halloween laws were largely effective in preventing sexual victimization. Conversely, they perceived residence restriction laws and the tier system to be largely ineffective. A consistent theme that emerged from the qualitative responses was a movement away from blanket approaches towards a case-specific approach, tailoring the laws to individuals based upon their needs and risk level.

Why do child sexual abuse victims not tell anyone about their abuse? An exploration of factors that prevent and promote disclosure.

Disclosure rates of child sexual abuse (CSA) to both social supports and law enforcement are concerningly low, although more research is needed to understand factors that impact disclosure. Thus, the present study examined rates of informal (i.e., to a social support) and formal (i.e., to law enforcement) disclosure of CSA, as well as victims' self-reported experiences with telling others about their own abuse and their perceptions of the overall advantages and disadvantages of disclosure. In all, 76 undergraduate women (who collectively experienced 105 instances of abuse) participated in a semi-structured interview regarding their history of CSA. Results revealed that approximately 50% of cases involved the victim informally disclosing, and only 10% of cases being formally disclosed to authorities. The quantitative and qualitative data shed light on a number of factors that lead victims to not disclose, as well as the identification of factors that may promote a victim to share their abuse with others. The implications for improved prevention and responses to CSA disclosure are discussed.

An Exploration of Service Providers' Experiences With Latinos Convicted of a Sex Offense.

Despite the growing Latino presence in the U.S. criminal justice system and among those who have committed sex offenses specifically, little is known about the barriers and challenges faced by this population when accessing treatment services. This study sought to gather more information about responsivity factors that may be specific to Latinos who have committed sexual offenses. Service providers who worked with Latinos convicted of sexual offenses completed an online survey and answered questions regarding perceived challenges and barriers they encountered when working with Latino clients and were asked to provide recommendations concerning services and treatment provision. Service providers frequently reported issues related to a lack of culturally sensitive services, bilingual professionals, and clients' limited knowledge about the U.S. legal system. Among service providers with experience working with undocumented Latino immigrants, some indicated specific challenges such as stressors related to their immigration status and a lack of resources. Professionals' recommendations were consistent with the challenges reported and findings are discussed as they pertain to responsivity issues in the provision of treatment services to Latino individuals who have committed sexual offenses.

Experiences and Perceptions of Online Sexual Solicitation and Grooming of Minors: A Retrospective Report.

Internet predation of minors has become a focus of child sexual abuse research and legislation. Studies reveal that many American youth report experiencing sexual solicitation and sexual grooming online, but the youth perspective of these experiences has not been examined. This study examined retrospective perspectives of online sexual solicitation and grooming experienced as a minor. Participants were 1,133 undergraduate college students at two public institutions in the United States who completed an online survey retrospectively exploring Internet behaviors, experiences of online sexual solicitation or online grooming, and perceptions of the experience. Results showed that one-quarter of total participants conversed with adult strangers online as minors. Importantly, 65% of participants who chatted with adult strangers as minors experienced sexual solicitation from an adult stranger. Twenty-three percent of 1,133 total participants recalled having a long, intimate conversation as a minor with an adult stranger from an online chatroom that followed a pattern of online sexual grooming. While less than half (38%) of the youth who engaged in an intimate online relationship with an adult stranger met the adult in-person, a large majority of those who did meet in-person (68%) reported physical sexual intercourse. Implications for Internet safety and guidelines are discussed.

Validation of the Sexual Grooming Model of Child Sexual Abusers.

Sexual grooming has been deemed an integral part of the child sexual abuse process. However, there has yet to be a universally accepted model for this process and, as a consequence, there is no clear understanding of which behaviors constitute sexual grooming. One proposed model of in-person sexual grooming outlined five stages of the process: 1) victim selection, 2) gaining access and isolating a child, 3) trust development, 4) desensitization to sexual content and physical contact, and 5) maintenance following the abuse. The present study sought to validate this Sexual Grooming Model (SGM) and identify behaviors that may be employed during each stage of the process. First, a thorough review of the literature was conducted to generate a comprehensive list of sexual grooming behaviors (n = 77). Second, 18 experts in the field completed a survey which asked them to rate the extent to which each of the five stages and potential grooming behaviors were relevant to the sexual grooming process. Results provided support for the SGM and produced 42 behaviors that were considered to be grooming tactics within these stages. From this, the first validated, comprehensive model of in-person sexual grooming is proposed. The article concludes with a discussion of the implications and future directions in the field.

Attenuation of Deviant Sexual Fantasy across the Lifespan in United States Adult Males.

Deviant sexual fantasy is identified as a risk factor for sexual offending, yet no study has examined deviant sexual fantasy across the lifespan in nonoffending adult males. To bridge this gap, this study examined the frequencies of normative and deviant sexual fantasies among 318 nonoffending adult males in the United States. Participants were recruited via Amazon Mechanical Turk™. Participants took two inventories that assessed demographics and types of sexual fantasies. Normality tests, means tests, Kruskal-Wallis 1-way analyses of variance (ANOVAs), binary logistic regressions, and odds ratio post hoc analyses were conducted. Deviant sexual fantasies progressively declined across all three age groups, while normative sexual fantasy did not. Results suggest that deviant sexual fantasy changes across the lifespan. Applicability of the findings to applied settings, such as sexually violent predator evaluations, is discussed. Limitations and future considerations are addressed.

Racial/Ethnic Discrimination and Suicidal Ideation in Emerging Adults: The Role of Traumatic Stress and Depressive Symptoms Varies by Gender not Race/Ethnicity.

Drawing from Race-Based Traumatic Stress theory, the present study examined whether traumatic stress and depressive symptoms differentially help explain the relation between racial/ethnic discrimination and suicidal ideation across gender and racial/ethnic groups. A racially/ethnically diverse group of emerging adults (N = 1344; Mage = 19.88, SD = 2.25; 72% female; 46% Hispanic) completed a battery of self-report measures. A cross-sectional design was employed with a series of hierarchical linear regression models and bootstrapping procedures to examine the direct and indirect relation between racial/ethnic discrimination and suicidal ideation through traumatic stress and depressive symptoms across gender and race/ethnicity. The findings suggest an indirect relation through depressive symptoms, but not traumatic stress, and a serial indirect relation through traumatic stress to depressive symptoms in young women and young men, the latter of which was stronger in young women. The indirect relations did not vary by racial/ethnic group. Cumulative experiences of racial/ethnic discrimination may impact suicide-related risk via increases in psychiatric symptomology (i.e., traumatic stress and depressive symptoms), particularly in young women. Racial/ethnic discrimination experiences should be accounted for as a potential source of psychological distress in the assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of suicidal thoughts and behavior, especially among young women endorsing traumatic stress and depressive symptoms. Further research is warranted to better understand the gender difference in the relation between racial/ethnic discrimination and suicide-related risk.

The Role of Psychopathic Traits in the Development of the Therapeutic Alliance Among Sexual Offenders.

There is a growing body of research demonstrating that the therapeutic alliance (TA) affects outcomes among specialized forensic populations, including sexual offenders. Despite this consensus, researchers continue to question whether higher levels of psychopathic traits are conducive to the formation of a therapeutic relationship for high-risk sexual offenders. Thus, the current study adds to the literature by examining the relationship between the TA and levels of psychopathy among a sample of incarcerated sexual offenders participating in sexual offender treatment. Overall, we found no significant relationships between Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R) scores and the Working Alliance Inventory (WAI) for either client or therapist ratings. However, when we excluded those offenders who were participating in aftercare, a significant negative relationship was found between client ratings of the Bonds subscale and PCL-R total scores. Next, after controlling for risk and group status (aftercare/non-aftercare), we found no significant differences between either client or therapist total WAI scores when compared by level of psychopathy as measured by the PCL-R (low, >20; moderate, 20-30; and high, >30). Furthermore, when Factor 1 and Factor 2 scores of the PCL-R were examined individually, neither factor significantly predicted either client or therapist total WAI score after controlling for risk and group status. Findings are discussed as they pertain to the treatment of sexual offenders with elevated levels of psychopathic traits.

Are Latinos Who Commit Sexual Offenses Different? A Closer Examination of Characteristics and Offense Patterns.

Research examining ethnic and cultural differences among individuals who commit sex offenses remains limited. Specifically, literature focusing on sex offenses committed by Latinos is scarce. Using archival data from a large sample of individuals who committed sex offenses, this study explored differences between Latino, White, and African American individuals related to their characteristics, the offenses, and the victims. Latinos in the sample were more likely to have a lower educational level, and to be living with the victim, than either their White or African American counterparts. To further understand the influence of cultural background, the study also examined differences within the Latino group based on their country of origin. Within the Latino sample, differences emerged in their educational level, criminal background, and psychiatric history. These findings are discussed as they pertain to future research and current practices related to the management and treatment of Latinos who commit sexual offenses.

Utility of the Static-99 and Static-99R With Latino Sex Offenders.

The predictive validity of the Static-99 measures with ethnic minorities in the United States has only recently been assessed with mixed results. We assessed the predictive validity of the Static-99 and Static-99R with a sample of Latino sex offenders ( N = 483) as well as with two subsamples (U.S.-born, including Puerto Rico, and non-U.S.-born). The overall sexual recidivism rate was very low (1.9%). Both the Static-99 measures were able to predict sexual recidivism for offenders born in the United States and Puerto Rico, but neither was effective in doing so for other Latino immigrants. Calibration analyses ( N = 303) of the Static-99R were consistent with the literature and provided support for the potential use of the measure with Latinos born in the United States and Puerto Rico. These findings and their implications are discussed as they pertain to the assessment of Latino sex offenders.

Factors Impacting upon Attitudes Toward Sex Offenders: The Role of Conservatism and Knowledge.

Sex offender legislation is influenced by public pressure. However, there is evidence suggesting that the public's beliefs about sex offenders may be based upon myths and misperceptions. This study examined the relationship between knowledge of sex offenders in areas concerning their recidivism rates, treatment outcomes, and victim types, as well as current supervision and correctional management directed toward sex offenders and how this knowledge relates to overall attitudes towards sex offenders, sex offender treatment, and community notification laws. Further, we sought to examine how conservative belief systems affect this relationship. Using a sample of 559 undergraduate students we found that knowledge about sex offenders and conservative beliefs were significantly related to attitudes toward sex offenders such that those who had more conservative beliefs and less knowledge were more likely to have negative views toward sex offenders. Additionally, conservative belief systems moderated the relationship between knowledge about sex offenders and general attitudes toward sex offenders. These findings will be discussed as they pertain to the development of evidence-based sex offender policies.