Empirically-Based Dynamic Risk and Protective Factors for Sexual Offending

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Criminology
• Forensic Psychology

Background:

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

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 factors identified in prior reviews and identify new empirically supported factors.
• To examine situational risk and protective factors in addition to individual-level factors.

Main Methods:

• Systematic review and meta-analysis of literature published since Mann et al. (2010).
• Focus on meta-analyses, systematic reviews, scoping reviews, and evaluations of assessment tools.
• Inclusion of studies from clinical, forensic, and community samples.

Main Results:

• Hostility towards women and dysfunctional coping (hostile masculinity, emotional regulation deficits) are now empirically supported risk factors (≥3 studies, effect size ≥0.15).
• No new risk factors were identified.
• Positive social support is the only empirically supported protective factor identified in this review.

Conclusions:

• Dynamic risk factors like hostility and dysfunctional coping are validated, informing interventions for sexual offending.
• Positive social support represents a key protective factor, highlighting its importance in prevention and treatment.
• Further research into situational factors may offer additional insights into managing sexual offending risk.