Paedophilia: Pathology, criminality, or both? The development of a multivariate model of offence behaviour in child sexual abuse

Abstract

The present study investigates the variations in crime scene behaviour that exist among child sex offenders. Hypotheses concerning behavioural consistencies are drawn from the diverse literature on child sexual abuse wherein three conceptually distinct behavioural themes are identified, characterized by aggressive, intimate, or criminal-opportunist modes of offender-victim interaction. Crime scene data from 97 recorded child sex offences are analysed using multivariate statistical procedures to assess the validity of the themes. The results provide empirical support for all three themes, suggesting a multivariate model of offence behaviour in child sexual abuse. These findings effectively demonstrate that paedophilia can exist as both a pathology and a form of criminality.

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