Exploring the Overlap

Exploring the Overlap in Male Juvenile

 Sexual Offending and General Delinquency:

Trauma, Alcohol Use, and Masculine Beliefs

Using the examination of childhood trauma, alcohol use, and masculine beliefs as risk factors, the authors of this study sought to predict which juvenile sexual offenders (JSOs) might be at risk of committing nonsexual violence (Brown & Burton, 2010). The author refers to a study by Burton and Meezan (2004), which finds that JSOs are a few times more likely to recidivate with nonsexual type offenses than sexual offenses (Burton & Meezan, 2004). Typical literature, in attempting to isolate sexual offender risk factors, compares the two groups as though they are dichotomous, without considering there may be overlap among the two groups. The authors question whether all JSOs should be treated the same, or should their overall level of delinquency be taken into account? By examining the overlapping risk factors among general delinquents and sexually offending youth, a better distinction could be established between more or less delinquent JSOs, and thereby assist in directing their treatment and/or punishment. Currently, the United States treatment and punishment for JSOs is equal and similar to that of adult sexual offenders.

The authors, who surveyed 332 incarcerated youth across six Midwestern residential facilities, utilized the Self-Report Delinquency Scale (Elliot, Huizinga, and Ageton, 1985) to find that 56.9% of youth completing the survey endorsed the commission of nonsexual violence in the year prior to their incarceration.  Next, they sought answers as to whether childhood trauma, alcohol use, and masculine beliefs can differentiate between the youth who will only commit sexual offenses  and those who commit both sexual and nonsexual acts of violence. The SRD alcohol abuse scale, the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ), and the Male Role Norms Inventory (MRNI) were all administered to the participants then, using logistic regression, the scores were then regressed onto the membership of either nonsexually and sexually violent youth or exclusively sexually violent youth.  

The authors found that childhood trauma, alcohol use, and masculine beliefs in sexually offending youth can all serve to predict subsequent nonsexual violence. A serendipitous finding in this research was that, contrary to expectation, there was no notable variance in severity of sexual abuse between the two groups, meaning that those who also commit nonsexual acts of violence are no more severe in their sexual offenses than those who exclusively commit sexually violent acts. Alcohol use stood out in its ability to predict nonsexual violence, with the exclusively sexually violent consuming considerably less alcohol than the group who was also nonsexually violent. The author stresses that further study should be done on this correlation to determine causation, as it cannot be determined from this current study. The study of childhood trauma only verified what has already been established by many other researchers—greater childhood trauma can play a part in the commission of delinquent acts as well as sexual offenses. Although the MRNI identified higher scores in masculine beliefs and attitudes, the researchers question its reliability in predicting adolescent males’ general delinquency and sexual offending, as it was designed for adults and is not a clear measure of masculinity in adolescents. 

It has previously been established that sexually violent youth are more likely to recidivate with nonsexually violent acts. Since this study found alcohol use to be positively correlated with commission of these acts, the researchers suggest that substance abuse treatment should be integrated into sexual offender programs. 

This study could be important in evaluating how we currently classify and punish juvenile sex offenders. It brings us to question whether we should account for their overall delinquency before grouping them together or classifying them as we do adult sexual offenders. Perhaps if we approached their treatment differently, we might have a greater chance of reducing their substance abuse potential, their tendency to commit violent acts in general, and overall recidivism rate.

References

Brown, A., & Burton, D. L. (2010). Exploring the Overlap in Male Juvenile Sexual Offending and General Delinquency: Trauma, Alcohol Use, and Masculine Beliefs. Journal of Child Sexual Abuse, 19, 450-468. doi:DOI: 10.1080/10538712.2010.495044

Burton, D. L., & Meezan, W. (2004). Revisiting recent research on social learning theory as an etiological proposition for sexually abusive male adolescents. Journal of Evidence-Based Social Work, 1(1), 41-80.