Psychopathy, Neuroticism, and Abusive Behavior in Low Risk Child Sex Offenders

ABSTRACT

Personality traits are considered as an important aspect in the assessment of child sex offenders (CSOs). The current study sought to elucidate the association between neuroticism, psychopathy, and abusive behavior in low risk CSOs. 43 pedophilic CSOs and 21 controls (CTLs) completed the NEO-Personality Inventory-Revised (NEO-PI-R), Psychopathy Checklist: Screening Version (PCL:SV), and Multiphasic Sex Inventory (MSI). Our results revealed small differences in PCL scores between CSOs and CTLs, with comparatively low levels of psychopathy in both groups. Higher levels of neuroticism were associated with higher PCL scores, in both CSOs and CTLs. However, higher PCL scores in CSOs did not correlate with higher MSI total scores on the subscale child molest. These findings suggest an ambiguous role of psychopathy in CSOs: higher levels of psychopathy co-occur with higher levels of neuroticism, but psychopathy does apparently not modulate abusive behavior, at least not in low risk offenders, as currently investigated.

KEYWORDS:

• Personality
• neuroticism
• psychopathy
• abusive behavior
• child sexual abuse

Acknowledgments

The authors greatly appreciated the assistance of Ms. Maja Kohler in language editing.

Disclosure of Interest

All authors declare that have no conflicts of interest to report.

Ethical Standards and Informed Consent

The study was approved by the local ethics committee (‘Ethikkommission beider Basel’ EK: 256/12). All procedures followed were in accordance with the Helsinki Declaration of 1975, as revised in 2000, and written informed consent was obtained from all study participants.

Additional information

Funding

The study was supported by a grant from the Federal Office of Justice of Switzerland to Marc Graf, Principal Investigator.

Notes on contributors

Cedric B. Stoll

Cedric B. Stoll, candidate of medicine at the University Basel.

Coralie Boillat

Coralie Boillat, Ph.D., is clinical psychologist and researcher of the Forensic Department at the University Psychiatric Clinics Basel.

Marlon O. Pflueger

Marlon O. Pflueger, Ph.D., is senior neuropsychologist of the Forensic Department at the University Psychiatric Clinics Basel.

Marc Graf

Marc Graf, M.D., Ph.D., is professor of Forensic Psychiatry and Director of the Forensic Department at the University Psychiatric Clinics Basel.

Timm Rosburg

Timm Rosburg, Ph.D., is the head of research of the Forensic Department at the University Psychiatric Clinics Basel.