Publication Date

2010

Document Type

Masters Thesis

Department

School for Social Work

Keywords

Teenage sex offenders-Mental health, Teenage sex offenders-Rehabilitation, Juvenile delinquents-Mental health, Juvenile delinquents-Rehabilitation, Adolescent psychopathology-Treatment, Juvenile sex offenders, Psychopathy

Abstract

Despite the growing body of knowledge regarding psychopathy among adolescent sex offenders, additional research is still necessary. In this study I examine four measures of juvenile psychopathy (Childhood Psychopathy Scale, Antisocial Process Screening Device, Millon Adolescent Clinical Inventory, and Inventory of Callous and Unemotional Traits) in a sample of 191 incarcerated adolescent sex offenders located in juvenile detention facilities in a Midwestern state. I examine how the diverse scales relate to characteristics of sexual aggression and non-sexual criminality, and which scale specifically has the best predictive validity for sexual as well as non-sexual crime. Of the four instruments and nine scales only the APSD Narcissism and Impulsivity scale was significantly correlated to a characteristic of sexual crime, and no scale was found to predict sexual crime at a significant level. Findings did however show that several scales were correlated to the total delinquency score as measured by the Self Reported Delinquency Measure. In a series of multiple regressions, the MACI Factor 2 and ICU total scale were found to have the best fit for prediction of total non-sexual delinquency. The results continue to support the comorbidity between psychopathy and criminal behavior, and demonstrate that rather than fueling sexual crime characteristics, psychopathy instead may fuel non-sexual delinquency in juvenile sex offenders. Additionally, the current results demonstrate the importance of focus on both non-sexual and sexual offenses within treatment, in order to provide the soundest therapeutic interventions and preventions of recidivism.

Language

English

Comments

43 p. Thesis (M.S.W.)-Smith College School for Social Work, Northampton, Mass., 2010. Includes bibliographical references (p. 30-43)

Download

Share

COinS