Cross-Validation of the German Version of the Revised Screening Scale for Pedophilic Interests (SSPI-2)

Abstract

Pedophilic interests are considered as one of the most important diagnostic aspects and one of the strongest predictors of sexual recidivism among persons convicted of sexual offenses against children. The Revised Screening Scale for Pedophilic Interests (SSPI-2) is a comparatively easy-to-score diagnostic actuarial instrument to assess pedohebephilic interests. The present study aimed to examine the convergent, predictive, and incremental validity of the German version of the SSPI-2 in a sample of N = 438 males released from the Austrian prison system who had been convicted and incarcerated because of sexual offenses against children. As expected, the SSPI-2 was moderately correlated with a diagnosis of (exclusive) pedophilia and with the risk assessment instruments Static-99 and Sexual Violence Risk-20 (SVR-20) v2. The examination of the predictive validity revealed moderate effect sizes of the SSPI-2 for the prediction of sexually motivated recidivism. Sequential Cox regressions showed that the SSPI-2 incrementally predicts sexual recidivism and sexual noncontact recidivism beyond the SVR-20 v2 and the diagnosis of exclusive pedophilia; however, the SSPI-2 did not have incremental predictive validity beyond the Static-99. Finally, normative data were constructed for the observed and calculated proportions of pedophilia and exclusive pedophilia diagnoses and for 5-year sexual recidivism rates.

Keywords

SSPI-2 pedophilia validity sexual offending sexual abuse recidivism sexual deviance

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Allison

(1984). Event history analysis: Regression for longitudinal event data. SAGE.

American Psychiatric Association (APA). (2000). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (4th ed., text rev.). APA.

Babchishin

K. M.

Nunes

K. L.

Hermann

C. A.

(2013). The validity of implicit association test (IAT) measures of sexual attraction to children: A meta-analysis. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 42(3), 487–499. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-012-0022-8

Banse

Schmidt

A. F.

Clarbour

(2010). Indirect measures of sexual interest in child sex offenders: A multimethod approach. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 37(3), 319–335. https://doi.org/10.1177/0093854809357598

Biedermann

Eher

Rettenberger

Gaunersdorfer

Turner

(2023). Are mental disorders associated with recidivism in men convicted of sexual offenses? Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica, 148(1), 6-18. https://doi.org./10.1111/acps.13547

Blanchard

Kolla

N. J.

Cantor

J. M.

Klassen

P. E.

Dickey

Kuban

M. E.

Blak

(2007). IQ, handedness, and pedophilia in adult male patients stratified by referral source. Sex Abuse, 19(3), 285–309. https://doi.org/10.1177/107906320701900307

Boer

D. P.

Hart

S. D.

Kropp

P. R.

Webster

C. D.

(1997). Manual for the Sexual Violence Risk-20. Professional guidelines for assessing risk of sexual violence. The Mental Health, Law, and Policy Institute.

Boer

D. P.

Hart

S. D.

Kropp

P. R.

Webster

C. D.

(2017). Manual for version 2 of the sexual violence risk—20: Structured professional judgment guidelines for assessing and managing risk of sexual violence., Protect International Risk and Safety Services Inc.

Brouillette-Alarie

Babchishin

K. M.

Hanson

R. K.

Helmus

L. M.

(2016). Latent constructs of the Static-99R and Static-2002R: A three-factor solution. Assessment, 23(1), 96–111. https://doi.org/10.1177/1073191114568114

10.

Brouillette-Alarie

Proulx

Hanson

R. K.

(2018). Three central dimensions of sexual recidivism risk: Understanding the latent constructs of Static-99R and Static-2002R. Sexual Abuse, 30(6), 676–704. https://doi.org/10.1177/1079063217691965

11.

Cohen

(1992). A power primer. Psychological Bulletin, 112, 155–159. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.112.1.155

12.

Eher

(2016). The forensic relevance of paedophilia in the assessment of child molesters. In Craig

L. A.

Rettenberger

(Eds.), The Wiley handbook on the theories, assessment, and treatment of sexual offending (Vol. 2, pp. 863–876). John Wiley & Sons.

13.

Eher

Matthes

Schilling

Haubner-MacLean

Rettenberger

(2012). Dynamic risk assessment in sexual offenders using STABLE-2000 and the STABLE-2007: An investigation of predictive and incremental validity. Sexual Abuse, 24(1), 5–28. https://doi.org/10.1177/1079063211403164

14.

Eher

Olver

M. E.

Heurix

Schilling

Rettenberger

(2015). Predicting reoffense in pedophilic child molesters by clinical diagnoses and risk assessment. Law and Human Behavior, 39(6), 571–580. https://doi.org/10.1037/lhb0000144

15.

Eher

Rettenberger

Etzler

Eberhaut

Mokros

(2019a). Eine gemeinsame Sprache für die Risikokommunikation bei Sexualstraftätern. Trenn-und Normwerte für das neue Fünf-Kategorienmodell des Static-99 [A common language for communicating risk in sexual offenders—The 5-category model Static-99]. Recht & Psychiatrie, 37, 91–99.

16.

Eher

Rettenberger

Turner

(2019b). The prevalence of mental disorders in incarcerated contact sexual offenders. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica, 139(6), 572–581. https://doi.org/10.1111/acps.13024

17.

Etzler

Nitsche

Tröger

A.-S.

Rettenberger

(2024, October 17). The use of self-report instruments in sexual risk assessment [Poster Abstract]. 2024 Association for the Treatment & Prevention of Sexual Abuse 43rd Annual Research & Treatment Conference, San Antonio, TX, United States. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/385166822_The_Use_of_Self-Report_Instruments_in_Sexual_Risk_Assessment/citations

18.

Faitakis

Stephens

Seto

M. C.

(2023). The predictive validity of the Revised Screening Scale for Pedophilic Interests (SSPI-2). Sexual Abuse, 35(5), 649–663. https://doi.org/10.1177/10790632221149696

19.

Field

(2009). Discovering statistics using SPSS. SAGE Publications.

20.

Fleiss

J. L.

(1981). Statistical methods for rates and proportions (2nd ed.). Wiley.

21.

Gouveia

(2021). A prevalência de pedófilos entre os abusadores sexuais de crianças: validação da SSPI-2. [Dissertation, Universidade do Minho, Portugal.].

22.

Hanson

R. K.

Babchishin

K. M.

Helmus

L. M.

Thornton

Phenix

(2017). Communicating the results of criterion referenced prediction measures: Risk categories for the Static-99R and Static-2002R sexual offender risk assessment tools. Psychological Assessment, 29(5), 582–597. https://doi.org/10.1037/pas0000371

23.

Hanson

R. K.

Bussiere

M. T.

(1998). Predicting relapse: A meta-analysis of sexual offender recidivism studies. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 66(2), 348–362.

24.

Hanson

R. K.

Morton-Bourgon

K. E.

(2004). Predictors of sexual recidivism: An updated meta-analysis. Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Canada.

25.

Hanson

R. K.

Morton-Bourgon

K. E.

(2005). The characteristics of persistent sexual offenders: A meta-analysis of recidivism studies. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 73(6), 1154–1163. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-006x.73.6.1154

26.

Hanson

R. K.

Thornton

(2000). Improving risk assessments for sex offenders: A comparison of three actuarial scales. Law and Human Behavior, 24(1), 119–136. http://doi.org/10.1023/A:1005482921333.

27.

Hare

R. D.

(2003). The Hare Psychopathy Checklist Revised (2nd ed.). Multi-Health Systems.

28.

Harris

G. T.

Rice

M. E.

Quinsey

V. L.

Cormier

C. A.

(2015). Violent offenders: Appraising and managing risk (3rd ed.). American Psychological Association.

29.

Helmus

L. M.

Thornton

Hanson

R. K.

Babchishin

K. M.

(2012). Improving the predictive accuracy of Static-99 and Static-2002 with older sex offenders: Revised age weights. Sexual Abuse, 24(1), 64–101. https://doi.org/10.1177/1079063211409951

30.

Helmus

L. M.

ÓCiardha

Seto

M. C.

(2015). The Screening Scale for Pedophilic Interests (SSPI): Construct, predictive, and incremental validity. Law and Human Behavior, 39(1), 35–43. https://doi.org/10.1037/lhb0000099

31.

Hosmer

Lemeshow

(2000). Applied logistic regression. Wiley.

32.

Kalmus

Beech

A. R.

(2005). Forensic assessment of sexual interest: A review. Aggression and Violent Behavior, 10(2), 193–217. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.avb.2003.12.002

33.

Kingston

D. A.

Firestone

Moulden

H. M.

Bradford

J. M.

(2007). The utility of the diagnosis of pedophilia: a comparison of various classification procedures. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 36(3), 423–436. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-006-9091-x

34.

Lam

Mitchell

Seto

M. C.

(2010). Lay perceptions of child pornography offenders. Canadian Journal of Criminology and Criminal Justice, 52, 173–201. https://doi.org/10.3138/cjccj.52.2.173

35.

Mann

R. E.

Hanson

R. K.

Thornton

(2010). Assessing risk for sexual recidivism: Some proposals on the nature of psychologically meaningful risk factors. Sex Abuse, 22(2), 191–217. https://doi.org/10.1177/1079063210366039

36.

McPhail

I. V.

Hermann

C. A.

Fernane

Fernandez

Y. M.

Nunes

K. L.

Cantor

J. M.

(2019). Validity in phallometric testing for sexual interests in children: A meta-analytic review. Assessment, 26(3), 535–551. https://doi.org/10.1177/1073191117706139

37.

Mokros

Dombert

Osterheider

Zappalà

Santtila

(2010). Assessment of pedophilic sexual interest with an attentional choice reaction time task. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 39(5), 1081–1090. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-009-9530-6

38.

Mokros

Habermeyer

Küchenhoff

(2018). The uncertainty of psychological and psychiatric diagnoses. Psychological Assessment, 30(4), 556–560. https://doi.org/10.1037/pas0000524

39.

Moulden

H. M.

Firestone

Kingston

Bradford

(2009). Recidivism in pedophiles: An investigation using different diagnostic methods. The Journal of Forensic Psychiatry & Psychology, 20(5), 680–701. https://doi.org/10.1080/14789940903174055

40.

Renaud

(2019). An examination of the association between anxiety and the paraphilias [Doctoral dissertation, University of Ottawa. uO Research].

41.

Rettenberger

Boer

D. P.

Eher

(2011). The predictive accuracy of risk factors in the Sexual Violence Risk–20 (SVR-20). Criminal Justice and Behavior, 38(10), 1009–1027. https://doi.org/10.1177/0093854811416908

42.

Rettenberger

Eher

(2006). Die deutsche Übersetzung des Static 99 zur aktuarischen Kriminalprognose verurteilter Sexualstraftäter [German translation of Static 99 for actuarial risk assessment of convicted sex offenders]. Monatsschrift für Kriminologie und Strafrechtsreform, 89(1), 352–365. https://doi.org/10.1515/mks-2006-00063

43.

Rettenberger

Eher

(2024). How the risk principle reduces recidivism: The impact of legislative revisions on the release and reoffense rates of individuals convicted of sexual offenses. Law and Human Behavior, 48(3), 214–227. https://doi.org/10.1037/lhb0000560

44.

Rettenberger

Haubner-Maclean

Eher

(2013). The contribution of age to the Static-99 risk assessment in a population-based prison sample of sexual offenders. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 40(12), 1413–1433. https://doi.org/10.1177/0093854813492518

45.

Rettenberger

Hucker

S. J.

Boer

D. P.

Eher

(2009). The reliability and validity of the Sexual Violence Risk-20 (SVR-20): An international review. Sexual Offender Treatment, 4(2), 1–14.

46.

Rettenberger

Rice

M. E.

Harris

G. T.

Eher

(2017). Actuarial risk assessment of sexual offenders: The psychometric properties of the Sex Offender Risk Appraisal Guide (SORAG). Psychological Assessment, 29, 624–638. https://doi.org/10.1037/pas0000390

47.

Rice

M. E.

Harris

G. T.

(2005). Comparing effect sizes in follow-up studies: ROC area, Cohen’s d, and r. Law and Human Behavior, 29, 615–620. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10979-005-6832-7

48.

Schmidt

A. F.

Babchishin

K. M.

Lehmann

R. J. B.

(2017). A meta-analysis of viewing time measures of sexual interest in children. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 46(1), 287–300. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-016-0806-3

49.

Seto

M. C.

(2018). Pedophilia and sexual offending against children: Theory, assessment, and intervention (2nd ed.). American Psychological Association.

50.

Seto

M. C.

Cantor

Blanchard

(2006). Child pornography offenses are a valid diagnostic indicator of pedophilia. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 115(3), 610–615. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-843X.115.3.610

51.

Seto

M. C.

Harris

Rice

Barbaree

(2004). The Screening Scale for Pedophilic Interests predicts recidivism among adult sex offenders with child victims. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 33(5), 455–466. https://doi.org/10.1023/B:ASEB.0000037426.55935.9c

52.

Seto

M. C.

Lalumière

(2001). A brief screening scale to identify pedophilic interests among child molesters. Sexual Abuse: A Journal of Research and Treatment, 13, 00103. https://doi.org/10.1177/107906320101300103

53.

Seto

M. C.

(2013). Internet sex offenders. American Psychological Association.

54.

Seto

M. C.

Fedoroff

J. P.

Bradford

J. M.

Knack

Rodrigues

N. C.

Curry

Booth

Gray

Cameron

Bourget

Messina

James

Watson

Gulati

Balmaceda

Ahmed

A. G.

(2016). Reliability and validity of the DSM-IV-TR and proposed DSM-5 criteria for pedophilia: Implications for the ICD-11 and the next DSM. International Journal of Law and Psychiatry, 49, 98–106. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijlp.2016.08.002

55.

Seto

M. C.

Sandler

J. C.

Freeman

N. J.

(2017a). The Revised Screening Scale for Pedophilic Interests: Predictive and concurrent validity. Sexual Abuse, 29(7), 636–657. https://doi.org/10.1177/1079063215618375

56.

Seto

M. C.

Stephens

Lalumière

M. L.

Cantor

J. M.

(2017b). The Revised Screening Scale for Pedophilic Interests (SSPI–2): Development and criterion-related validation. Sexual Abuse, 29(7), 619–635. https://doi.org/10.1177/1079063215612444

57.

Stephens

Seto

M. C.

Cantor

J. M.

Lalumière

M. L.

(2019). The Revised Screening Scale for Pedophilic Interests (SSPI-2 may be a measure of pedohebephilia). The Journal of Sexual Medicine, 16(10), 1655–1663. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsxm.2019.07.015

58.

Swets

J. A.

Dawes

R. M.

Monahan

(2000). Psychological science can improve diagnostic decisions. Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 1, 1–26. https://doi.org/10.1111/1529-1006.001

59.

Tierrney

D. W.

McCabe

M. P.

(2001). The assessment of denial, cognitive distortions, and victim empathy among pedophilic sex offenders: An evaluation of the utility of self-report measures. Trauma, Violence, & Abuse, 2(3), 259–270. https://doi.org/10.1177/1524838001002003004

60.

Tsao

I. T.

Chu

C. M.

(2021). An exploratory study of recidivism risk assessment instruments for individuals convicted of sexual offenses in Singapore. Sexual Abuse, 33(2), 157–175. https://doi.org/10.1177/1079063219884575

61.

Wilson

R. J.

Abracen

Looman

Picheca

J. E.

Ferguson

(2011). Pedophilia: an evaluation of diagnostic and risk prediction methods. Sexual Abuse, 23(2), 260–274. https://doi.org/10.1177/1079063210384277

62.

Wittström

Långström

Landgren

Rahm

(2020). Risk factors for sexual offending in self-referred men with pedophilic disorder: A Swedish case-control study. Frontiers in Psychology, 11, 571775. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.571775