Empathy has been a focus of work with sex offenders; however, there are a limited number of studies supporting this as a deficit. The study investigated the reliability and validity of 3 scales of the Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI)--Empathic Concern [EC], Perspective-Taking [PT], and Personal Distress [PD]--within a clinical sample. These scales were also used to examine the differences in empathy among groups of sex offenders. One hundred and twenty-three male adolescent sex offenders (ages 12-19) completed a battery of psychometric measures that included the IRI during a sex-offender-specific assessment. Moderate internal consistency and convergent validity was established for IRI scales. Age and social desirability were related to IRI scores. Victim empathy was not related to IRI scores. Justifications and acceptance of sexual and interpersonal violence were negatively correlated to EC and positively correlated to PD. Those who committed violent offenses reported more EC and PT; however, a generally hostile temperament was negatively related to these scales. Group differences were not found when contrasted with respect to a history of sexual or physical victimization or denial. Researchers using the IRI with male adolescent sex offenders should be cautious of the influence of age and socially desirable responding.

Download full-text PDF

Source
http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/107906320301500410DOI Listing

Publication Analysis

Top Keywords

sex offenders
20
male adolescent
12
adolescent sex
12
social desirability
8
iri scores
8
sex
5
offenders
5
iri
5
offense characteristics
4
characteristics victimization
4

Similar Publications

Background: It is widely recognized that out-of-home care (OHC) is associated with criminal behavior, yet less is known about how this behavior unfolds in the OHC population over the life course and whether it is marked by desistance or persistence.

Objective: This study examines offending trajectories from age 15 to 64 in men and women with and without OHC experiences. It also investigates how different ages of placement, types of placements and reasons for placements affect representation across these trajectories.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Web-based interventions have been shown to be effective for various health and mental health problems. However, the effectiveness of interventions is often limited by the fact that individuals do not start or complete them. Using data from an intermediate analysis of the randomized placebo-controlled clinical trial to evaluate the effectiveness of @myTabu, the current study investigated engagement with a web-based intervention for 113 individuals convicted of child sexual abuse and/or for child sexual exploitation material.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Severity trend of recurrence in pediatric Food Protein-Induced Enterocolitis Syndrome (FPIES).

J Allergy Clin Immunol Pract

January 2025

Pediatric Allergy Unit, Department of Life Sciences and Public Health, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli IRCCS, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, 00168 Rome, Italy. Electronic address:

Background: Reintroduction of offending food in pediatric patients affected by Food Protein-Induced Enterocolitis Syndrome (FPIES) is carried out in hospitals with Oral Food Challenge (OFC), which leads to long waiting time and increases the societal burden of medical cost and human resources.

Objective: The aim of the study is to assess severity trend of acute FPIES adverse reactions over time in the same patient for possible outpatient or home reintroduction of offending food.

Methods: All children (<18 years-old) with a diagnosis of acute FPIES referred to 2 Italian pediatric allergy clinics were retrospectively enrolled.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: For a long time, the penalty of imprisonment has been studied and criticized as ineffective in achieving the goals of resocialization and rehabilitation of offenders, and studies have associated incarceration with increased prevalence of disease. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the World Health Organization recommended decarceration as a prevention measure. The aim of this review was to analyze the effectiveness of non-exposure to incarceration in preventing COVID-19 and mitigating associated events.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Pareto in Prison.

Behav Sci Law

January 2025

School of Criminal Justice and Criminology, Texas State University, San Marcos, Texas, USA.

The Pareto principle is based on the concept that roughly 80% of outcomes are generated by 20% of inputs, efforts, or contributors within a group. Using a national sample of U.S.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Want AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?

Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!