Social Workers' Attributions for Sexual Offending Against Children

ABSTRACT

This study examined the reasons given by social workers and social work students for sexual offenses against children in New Zealand. Qualified and student social workers were asked to give the reasons why they think men sexually offend against children. A Grounded Theory methodology was applied to the reasons given for sexual offending and a set of eight categories derived from the data. These categories were then used to compare the types of reasons given by the two subject groups. The results suggested that both social workers and students (within group analysis) were more likely to cite power/control as a reason for offending. Social workers also made significantly more attributions than students. There were no other differences in the frequency with which reasons were cited between qualified and unqualified social workers although gender did emerge as a significant factor. Power and control emerged as the most important differentiating factor, with females tending to be more likely to give an answer which fits into this category. Sexual motivation was the next major reason on which differences were found, with females being less likely to explain the occurrence of sexual offending by reference to this factor. The research, educational, and clinical implications of these findings are discussed.