Sexual Aggression against Children

Abstract

Male sexual aggression against children is a serious and alarmingly common social problem. Treatments for the perpetrators have been only moderately successful. Perhaps a reason for this has been the absence of a unified model of etiology and treatment that includes the most salient motivational factors unique to various subtypes of perpetrators. Such a model would have to be sufficiently flexible to account for the various sexually aggressive modes of expression without being unnecessarily complex or simplistic if it is to be clinically useful. Specifically with respect to sexual aggression against children, a quadripartite model is proposed that includes physiological sexual arousal, cognitions that justify sexual aggression, negative affective states, and personality problems as motivational precursors that increase the probability of sexually aggressive behavior. The relative prominence of these precursors is used as a guideline for assessing and treating particular subtypes of perpetrators. Failure to consider the primary motivational precursor during the initial stages of treatment also may account for the limited success of current treatments.

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