Attitudes Towards Sex Offenders in Canada: Further Validation of the CATSO-R Factor Structure

Abstract

Attitudes towards sex offenders have been shown to impact upon treatment efficacy and are implicated in the successful reintegration of sex offenders into the community. The current study assessed the factor structure of the Community Attitudes Towards Sex Offenders-Revised (CATSO-R) scale, an 18-item questionnaire, in a Canadian sample. The CATSO-R was designed to measure attitudes and stereotypes towards sex offenders, and was intended for use with diverse populations. Although the results were broadly consistent with the developers’ four-factor model, some inconsistencies were also noted. Further revision is warranted before the CATSO-R is widely adopted.

Key words:

• attitude measurement
• attitudes
• CATSO-R
• factor structure
• reintegration
• scale validation
• sex offenders

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to gratefully acknowledge Dr. Sandy Jung for her review and comments of an earlier draft of this manuscript.

This work was supported by a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) Joseph-Armand Bombardier Master's Scholarship, awarded to the first author in 2011–2012.