Empirically-based dynamic risk and protective factors for sexual offending

Area of Science:

• Forensic Psychology
• Clinical Psychology
• Criminology

Background:

• Dynamic risk and protective factors are crucial for understanding and managing sexual offending.
• Previous reviews, such as Mann et al. (2010), identified promising factors requiring further empirical validation.
• The literature on dynamic factors has evolved, necessitating an updated synthesis of evidence.

Purpose of the Study:

• To provide an updated overview of empirical evidence for psychologically meaningful dynamic risk and protective factors for sexual offending.
• To evaluate the current evidence base for factors identified in prior reviews and explore new findings.
• To synthesize research on dynamic risk and protective factors in both clinical/forensic and community samples.

Main Methods:

• Systematic literature search focusing on meta-analyses, systematic reviews, and scoping reviews published since 2010.
• Inclusion of recent evaluations of dynamic assessment tools and studies across diverse samples.
• Application of specific criteria (≥3 studies, effect size ≥0.15) to determine empirical support for risk factors.

Main Results:

• Hostility towards women and dysfunctional coping (hostile masculinity, emotional regulation deficits) are now empirically supported risk factors.
• No novel risk factors met the established criteria for empirical support.
• Positive social support was identified as the single empirically supported protective factor.

Conclusions:

• The findings reinforce the importance of addressing specific psychological factors in interventions for sexual offending.
• Positive social support represents a key target for protective strategies and prevention efforts.
• Further research is warranted to explore situational factors and refine understanding of dynamic risk and protective mechanisms.