Profiles of juvenile male incest perpetrators: Preliminary treatment implications

VioLit summary: OBJECTIVE: The goal of this article by Nanjudappa et al. was to define and describe a population of juvenile male sexual offenders who had committed incest. Additionally, the authors sought to evaluate the effect of the sexual offense on their self-esteem. METHODOLOGY: A quasi-experimental method was used for this study. Six participants were selected from the Abuse Cycle Program at Olive Crest Treatment Centers in San Bernardino, CA. These participants were residents of the center and were getting treatment and care as child molesters. They were referred by the criminal justice system to this program. The ages of participants were 12-18. The participants had fully admitted their acts and chose to enter the facility. They were involved in individual and group psychotherapy and sexual reeducation. A self-report instrument was administered to the youth. This instrument was adopted from the sexual experiences assessment and was administered by a licensed clinical social worker and one houseparent staff member. Incidences of physical, emotional, and sexual abuse as well as alcohol and drug abuse were measured. A 5 point scale covering the perceived self-image was also administered. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the data. FINDINGS/DISCUSSION: The average education of the six was 9.4 years. Three had been expelled at least once, and four had been suspended. The reasons given were assault, absenteeism, and disrespect. All of the youth were from the city and from Protestant families. Four were nonreligious. Five had parents who were divorced or separated. Four had been raised by a single parent. Two had stepfathers, and four had stepmothers. Four came from families with economic problems. All the families were blue collar. The parents had an average of 11 years of schooling. All of the youth had used drugs, and five had family members who had used drugs. Relationships with fathers were rated as negative and often characterized by abuse and conflict. Interaction with mothers was generally rated as negative. Five had observed fighting between their parents. Four had seen their father abuse their mother, and one had seen their mother be violent toward their father. Three had been emotionally abused, and one had been sexually abused. Two of the fathers had criminal histories. Three had been victims of physical abuse, four had been raped, and two had attempted suicide. One reported current alcohol abuse, and five had reported that family members abused alcohol. When self-esteem was measured, the youth generally rated themselves as having good self-esteem (mean was 3.55 on a 5 point scale). They perceived themselves as having above average morality (mean=3.33). on all items, 85% of the items were rated at midpoint of the scales or higher. The authors concluded that the youth had not incorporated the acts as part of their identities and handled the problem through denial. The offenses had not been internalized. AUTHORS' RECOMMENDATIONS: The authors said that therapists must deal with the denial in this kind of juvenile offender. Juvenile sexual offenders, they argued, must be trained to recognize that social controls are enforced and to give reasons why social controls are necessary based on their own experiences with the criminal justice system to gain insight. Sexuality, intimacy, and power were also topics that authors said should be discussed in the clinical situation. EVALUATION: This study is a contribution to a very small amount of literature on juvenile sexual offenders, particularly ones who have committed incest. The findings should be taken in that field of clinical, descriptive work that opens up questions for more rigorous testing. The sample size of this study is too small and geographically limited from which to draw generalizations. (CSPV Abstract - Copyright © 1992-2007 by the Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence, Institute of Behavioral Science, Regents of the University of Colorado) Juvenile Offender Juvenile Male Juvenile Violence Male Offender Male Violence Incest Offender Sexual Assault Offender Sexual Assault Treatment Domestic Violence Offender Domestic Violence Treatment Offender Characteristics Family Characteristics Family Relations Parent Child Relations Family Background California Clinical Treatment Offender Treatment 02-07