YOUTHS WHO SEXUALLY HARM: A MULTIVARIATE MODEL OF BEHAVIOUR

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YOUTHS WHO SEXUALLY HARMA MULTIVARIATE MODEL OF
BEHAVIOUR
LOUISE ALMOND MSc. BSc. Centre for Investigative
Psychology
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CONTENTS

• Previous studies
• Aims of the study
• Sample and data
• Results
• Conclusions
• Implication and future research

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Heterogeneity of Population

• Display full range of sexual behaviours
• Various forms of coercion
• Low to medium frequencies
• No behaviour is typical
• Identifiable subgroup?
• Current research
• Single dimension approach

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Adult literature

• Multivariate statistical procedures
• Rape and paedophilia
• Scale of violation
• Sexual, Physical and Personal
• Interpersonal behaviour
• Interaction between perpetrator and victim
• Victim as Object (Criminal, Control and Theft)
• Victim as Person (Intimate, involvement)
• Victim as Vehicle (Aggressive, Hostility)

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Aims of study

• Do the behaviours of youths who sexually harm
  conform to a scale of violation.
• Do the behaviours reflect the three themes of
  interaction between the perpetrator and their
  victim.
• Do youths who sexually harm demonstrate one
  dominant theme of behaviour

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Sample and Data

• 300 youths
• Mean age 14.3 years (range 9-18 years)
• 292 (97) males 8 (3) females
• Data collection form
• Dichotomous approach
• Smallest space analysis (SSA)

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Results

•  

Sexual
Physical
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Scale of violation

• Sexual Violation
• Medium frequency behaviours
• Physical Violation
• Low frequency behaviours
• Lack of Personally Violating behaviours

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Results
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Behavioural Themes

• Victim as Object
• sexual and instrumental gratification
• Victim as Person
• Pseudo intimate relationship
• Victim as Vehicle
• vent their anger and frustration

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Testing the Model

• Three behavioural themes, Victim as Object,
  Person or Vehicle
• Criteria
• Total 258 (86)
• Victim as Object 45 (15)
• Victim as Person 124 (41)
• Victim as Vehicle (30)

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Conclusions

• Behaviours represent different levels of
  violation
• Each of three themes of interaction between
  perpetrator and victim is made up of subset of
  behaviours
• Majority of cases reflect one dominant theme of
  behaviour
• Model represents underlying structure in the
  behaviour displayed by youths who sexually harm.

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Implications and Future Research

• Differentiation between youths
• Tailored interventions
• Risk assessment
• Relationship between theme of behaviour and
  perpetrator characteristics

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• Any Questions
• lalmond_at_liv.ac.uk