Examining psychologically meaningful risk factors for detected sexual offending in a community sample of individuals with and without sexual interest in children

Psychologically meaningful risk factors are central to understanding why certain individuals commit sexual violence and to the provision of effective clinical service. The present study examined whether risk factors and other clinically relevant factors distinguished those with sexual interest in children who have (n = 39) and have not sexually offended (n = 172), and a community control group (n = 65). Participants completed several established measures of risk factors (e.g. hypersexuality), answered questions about the nature of their sexual interest, and reported their history of adverse childhood experiences. The overarching finding was that individuals with sexual interest in children had elevations in various risk factors in comparison to community controls. Although there were fewer significant differences between those with sexual interest in children with and without an offending history, effect sizes across many of these analyses were moderate to large. Several clinically relevant factors distinguished all three groups.