Is impulsivity related to the risk of sexual, violent and general recidivism in sexual offenders of child and adult?

Scales to assess an offender's risk of re-offending are based on risk factors. Impulsivity is often considered as treatment targets to prevent recidivism in sexual offenders. But the link between impulsivity and recidivism is barely detailed or contradictory. This study tries to examine these links in child's molesters and sexual offenders of adults. Method. - In all, 33 incarcerated adult male sexual offenders were having been divided in two groups: 25 sexual offenders of children and 8 sexual offenders of adults. Sexual offenders of children were assessed using the Static-2002, RSVP and UPPS and sexual offenders of adults were assessing using RSVP, HCR-20, LS/CMI and UPPS. Non-parametric correlation analyses (Spearman's Rho) were performed. Results-Discussion. - For child's molesters, Urgency showed positive relationships with sexual risk, referring to the emotional sensitivity of sexual offenders in social situations. Surprisingly, Sensation seeking was negatively related to sexual risk, which could be explained by the seriousness of the offences committed. For sexual offenders of adults, impulsivity sub-domains Lack of premeditation, Urgency and Sensation seeking show strong links with the risk of general recidivism and in particular the factors associated with Education and employment, Leisure and recreational activities andAlcohol and drug problems. A reflection on the evaluation of individual situational factors in interaction with psychological factors of high- risk sexual offenders is developed. C 2022 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.