Problems of Forensic Sciences 2018 Vol. 115 (CXV) 263-285
THE IMPORTANCE OF ACCESS TO THE VICTIM IN THE EMOTION REGULATION OF PERPETRATORS OF SEXUAL VIOLENCE AGAINST CHILDREN
Maria BEISERT, Olga WĘGLERSKA, Marzenna ZAKRZEWSKA
Institute of Psychology, Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań
Streszczenie
Emotional problems, especially those connected with an inability to control impulses, are among the factors that influence child sexual abuse according to Ward and Beech’s Integrated Theory of Sexual Offending (2006). In the dual control model devised by Bancroft and Jenssen (2011), human sexual response depends on the interaction of processes related to sexual stimulation and inhibition. This paper finds that both these processes are influenced by the presence of a sexually-arousing stimulus and the functioning of processes responsible for the regulation of emotions. The ability to regulate emotions depends on temperament, character and the capacity to cope with stress. The study’s aim was to determine the extent to which these factors and their interrelationships influence the nature of child sexual abuse when such acts committed by perpetrators with restricted access to the victim are compared to those committed by perpetrators with unrestricted access to the victim. To achieve this, a population of 248 perpetrators of sexual violence against children was investigated. The TCI (Temperament and Character Inventory) was used to measure the perpetrators’ temperament and personality, and the CISS (Coping Inventory for Stressful Situations) was used to examine their stress-coping styles. The data from the offenders’ files were analysed to determine the characteristics of the acts they performed. The results, which were obtained using correlation modelling and structural equation modelling, indicated that access to victims – in this case children – has a significant effect on the way perpetrators function and on the nature of the abuse. It is hoped that these results will serve as important pointers for further research in this area, which is necessary to develop therapeutic methods that are more effective and appropriate for perpetrators of sexual violence against children.
Słowa kluczowe
Sexual offenders; Emotion regulation; Aetiology of sexual crime; Access to the victim.