Sexual Aggression against Children

TLDR

Male sexual aggression against children is a serious and common problem, yet treatments have been only moderately successful, possibly because no unified model of etiology and treatment that incorporates key motivational factors exists. The authors propose a flexible quadripartite model for sexual aggression against children that integrates physiological arousal, justification cognitions, negative affect, and personality problems as motivational precursors. The model uses the relative prominence of these precursors to guide assessment and treatment of specific perpetrator subtypes. Not addressing the primary motivational precursor early in treatment may explain the limited effectiveness of current interventions.

Abstract

Male sexual aggression against children is a serious and alarmingly common social problem. Treatments for the perpetrators have been only moderately successful. Perhaps a reason for this has been the absence of a unified model of etiology and treatment that includes the most salient motivational factors unique to various subtypes of perpetrators. Such a model would have to be sufficiently flexible to account for the various sexually aggressive modes of expression without being unnecessarily complex or simplistic if it is to be clinically useful. Specifically with respect to sexual aggression against children, a quadripartite model is proposed that includes physiological sexual arousal, cognitions that justify sexual aggression, negative affective states, and personality problems as motivational precursors that increase the probability of sexually aggressive behavior. The relative prominence of these precursors is used as a guideline for assessing and treating particular subtypes of perpetrators. Failure to consider the primary motivational precursor during the initial stages of treatment also may account for the limited success of current treatments.