Archival data on 110 incarcerated adult sexual offenders were used to examine associations between trait anger and type and level of aggression used in the commission of their sexual offenses. Intrafamilial child molesters (n = 43), extrafamilial child molesters (n = 35), and rapists (n = 32) did not differ in trait anger. In the combined group, significant associations were found between trait anger and verbal aggression, but not between trait anger and physical aggression. Offenders who used threats of death had higher levels of trait anger temperament, anger reaction, and anger directed outward, and lower levels of anger control than those who had used no verbal aggression. The absence of association between trait anger and physical aggression suggests that physical aggression employed in the commission of sexual offenses may be largely instrumental. Implications for engaging sexual offenders in anger management intervention, and for victim resistance to sexual assaults, are considered.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
Bownes, I. T., O’Gorman, E. C., & Sayers, A. (1991). Psychiatric symptoms, behavioural responses and post-traumatic stress disorder in rape victims. Issues in Criminological and Legal Psychology, 1, 25-33.
2.
Browne, A., & Finkelhor, D. (1986). Impact of child sexual abuse: A review of the research. Psychological Bulletin, 99, 66-77.
3.
Browne, K., & Howells, K. (1996). Violent offenders. In C. R. Hollin (Ed.), Working with offenders: Psychological practice in offender rehabilitation(pp. 188-210). Chichester: Wiley.
4.
Bureau of Justice Statistics. (1996). Child victimizers: Violent offenders and their victims. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice.
5.
Clarke, R. (1992). Situational crime prevention. New York: Harrow & Heston.
6.
Dalton, J. E., Blain, G. H.,& Bezier, B. (1998). State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory scores of male sexual offenders. International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology, 42, 141-148.
7.
Dengerink, H. A., Schnedler, R. W., & Covey, M. V. (1978). The role of avoidance in aggressive responses to attack and no attack. Journal ofPersonality and Social Psychology, 36, 1044-1053.
8.
Elliottt, M., Browne, K.,& Kilcoyne, J. (1995). Child sexual abuse prevention: What offenders tell us. Child Abuse and Neglect, 19(5), 579-594.
9.
Fehrenbach, P. A., Smith, W., Monastersky, C.,& Diesher, R. W. (1986). Adolescent sexual offenders: Offender and offense characteristics. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 56, 225-233.
10.
Fischer, D. G.,& McDonald, W. L. (1998). Characteristics of intrafamilial and extrafamilial child sexual abuse. Child Abuse and Neglect, 22(9), 915-929.
11.
Hudson, S. M., & Ward, T. (1997). Attachment, anger, and intimacy in sexual offenders. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 12, 323-339.
12.
Kaufman, K. L. (1989). Modus operandi questionnaire. Columbus, OH: Children’s Hospital.
13.
Kaufman, K. L., Holmberg, J. K., Orts, K. A., McCrady, F. E., Rotzien, A. L., Daleiden, E. L., & Hilliker, D. R. (1998). Factors influencing sexual offenders’ modus operandi: An examination of victim-offender relatedness and age. Child Maltreatment, 3, 349-361.
14.
Kalichman, S. C. (1991). Psychopathology and personality characteristics of criminal sexual offenders as a function of victim age. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 20, 187-197.
15.
Kilpatrick, D. G., Resnick, H. S., Saunders, B. E., & Best, C. L. (1998). Rape, other violence against women, and posttraumatic stress disorder. In B. P. Dohrenwend (Ed.), Adversity, stress, and psychopathology(pp. 132-163). New York: Oxford University Press.
16.
Koss, M. (1998). Hidden rape: Sexual aggression and victimization in a national sample of students in higher education. In M. E. Odem& J. Clay-Warner (Eds.), Confronting sexual assault(pp. 51-69). Wilmington, DE: SR Books.
17.
Marshall, W. L.,& Christie, M. M. (1981). Pedophilia and aggression. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 8, 145-158.
18.
Marshall, W. L., & Eccles, A. (1991). Issues in clinical practice with sex offenders. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 6, 68-93.
19.
McCormick, J. S., Maric, A., Seto, M. C., & Barbaree, H. E. (1998). Relationship to victim predicts sentence length in sexual assault cases. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 13, 413-420.
20.
McDougall, C., Barnett, R. M., Ashurst, B., & Willis, B. (1987). Cognitive control of anger. In B. J. McGurk, D. M. Thornton,& M. Williams (Eds.), Applying psychology to imprisonment: Theory and practice(pp. 303-313). London: HMSO.
21.
Renner, K. E., & Wackettt, C. (1987). Sexual assault: Social and stranger rape. Canadian Journal of Community Mental Health, 6, 49-56.
22.
Ruback, R. B., & Ivie, D. L. (1988). Prior relationship, resistance, and injury in rapes: An analysis of crisis center records. Violence and Victims, 3, 99-111.
23.
Sapp, A. D.,& Vaughn, M. S. (1991). Sex offender rehabilitation programs in state prisons: A nationwide survey. Journal of Offender Rehabilitation, 17, 55-75.
24.
Spielberger, C. D. (1988). State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory: Professional Manual. Odessa, FL: Psychological Assessment Resources.
25.
Stermac, L., Hall, K., & Henskens, M. (1989). Violence among child molesters. The Journal of Sex Research, 26, 450-459.
26.
Tukey, J. W. (1953). The problem of multiple comparisons.Unpublished Manuscript, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ.
27.
Ullman, S. E. (1998). Does offender violence escalate when rape victims fight back? Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 13, 179-192.
28.
Urquiza, A. J., & Capra, M. (1990). The impact of sexual abuse: Initial and long-term effects. In M. Hunter (Ed.), The sexually abused male (vol. 1). Prevalence, impact and treatment(pp. 105-135). Lexington, MA: Lexington Books.
