Predictors of recidivism in a population of Canadian exhibitionists: Psychological, phallometric, and offence factors.
Creators: name: Greenberg, Sharon R. Rabinowitz.
Publisher: name: Université d'Ottawa / University of Ottawa
Year: 1999
Subjects: subject: Psychology, Clinical.

description: Exhibitionism is an understudied paraphilia despite high prevalence, comorbidity and recidivism rates. 221 Exhibitionists were assessed at a University Psychiatric Hospital Outpatient Sexual Behaviors Clinic between 1983 and 1996 using a standardized assessment battery. Research data were archival, extracted from the participants' medical files, with the exception of the Psychopathy Checklist-Revised, which was administered retrospectively by the investigator. Offence data were provided by the Canadian Police Information Center. The three part study describes and compares the Exhibitionist population with both a Normal Contrast and a Rapist Contrast group on the standardized assessment battery, examines predictors of sexual, violent and criminal recidivism in this population of exhibitionists, including demographic and historical variables, psychological and phallometric measures and offence histories; and explores differences between Hands-On and Hands-Off sexual recidivists on the same variables. Exhibitionists emerged as less pathological than Rapists. They were more likely married, denied their index offence, and reported a family history of drug abuse; and were less likely to report personal histories of drug abuse, intoxication at the time of the offence, a family history of physical abuse, family violence and outside placement before 16 years. Exhibitionists and Rapists reported poorer sexual functioning and more cognitive distortions than Normals. Exhibitionists were more deviant than Normals in their phallometric responses to scenarios of children. Survival analyses indicated that over a mean follow-up time of +/-6.84 years post assessment, 11.7, 16.8 and 32.7% of Exhibitionists were charged or convicted with a sexual, violent, or criminal offence respectively. Compared to Non-Recidivists, Sexual Recidivists were less educated, more likely single and to report intoxication at the time of the index less educated, more likely single and to report intoxication at the time of the index offence; demonstrated higher Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale scores, and more prior sexual and criminal offences. Compared with Non-Recidivists, Violent Recidivists were less educated, more likely single and to report intoxication at the time of the index offence; had lower Derogatis Sexual Functioning Inventory scores, higher Psychopathy Checklist-Revised Total scores, and more prior sexual, violent and criminal offences. Compared to Non-Recidivists, Criminal Recidivists were younger, less educated, more likely single and to report intoxication at the time of the index offence. They had lower Derogatis Sexual Functioning Inventory scores, and higher Psychopathy Checklist-Revised Total scores. They demonstrated higher Pedophile Indices on phallometrics and more prior sexual, violent and criminal offences. For Sexual and Violent Recidivism respectively, the variable 'Number of Sexual Offences Prior to the Index Offence' correctly classified 89.6 and 84.6% of the original groups, representing a RIOC of 13.4 and 10.8% respectively. For Criminal Recidivism a combination of the variables Education Level and Number of Prior Criminal Offences correctly classified 71.8% of the original group, representing a RIOC of 20.5%. An exploratory comparison indicated that compared to Hands-Off Sexual Recidivists, the Hands-On Sexual Recidivists demonstrated higher Psychopathy Checklist-Revised Total scores, more deviant Pedophile and Rape Indices on phallometrics, more prior violent and criminal offences, and a trend towards more prior sexual offences. The Rape Index correctly classified 78.9% of the original group, representing a RIOC of 34%. The study is instructive in its delineation of factors placing exhibitionists at risk of reoffence, particularly hands-on sexual offences, and is valuable for court sentencing and treatment.