Motives and Self-Reported Propensity for Sexual Offending in Community Men and Women

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Criminology
• Public Health

Background:

• Online sexual offending research has primarily focused on forensic populations.
• Community samples are vital for understanding broader risks and prevention strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore motives for online sexual offending in a general community sample.
• To identify risk factors and inform prevention efforts for sexual offending.

Main Methods:

• An online convenience sample of 2,764 participants (1,263 men, 1,420 women) was recruited via social media.
• Latent class analyses were conducted separately for men and women based on motivational risk factors.
• Distal outcome analyses examined the relationship between motivational classes and sexual offending behaviors.

Main Results:

• Approximately 2%-4% of men and less than 1% of women reported a propensity for sexual behaviors with a child under certain conditions.
• Three motivational classes were identified: 'multiple motivations,' 'social needs,' and 'mating prowess.'
• The 'multiple motivations' class was most strongly associated with engaging in sexual offending against children and adults.

Conclusions:

• Prevention efforts for sexual offending should consider factors beyond paraphilia, including social needs (loneliness, social anxiety) and sexual domains (high sex drive).
• These findings highlight the importance of addressing a wider range of motivational factors in community-based prevention programs for sexual offending.