A meta-analysis of the psychometric properties of the Screening Scale for Pedophilic Interests (SSPI/SSPI-2)

This study presents a meta-analysis of the psychometric properties of the Screening Scale for Pedophilic Interests (SSPI) and its revised version. The SSPI/SSPI-2 is a behavioral measure that is widely used by clinicians and researchers to screen for sexual interest in children among individuals who have committed a sexual offense against a child. The revised version (SSPI-2) is composed of five yes/no items that are scored from records and self-report: any boy victim under 15 years old, more than one child victim under 15 years old, any extrafamilial child victim under 15 years old, any child victim under 12 years old, and any child sexual exploitation material offense. After almost 25 years of use, research has accumulated on the psychometric properties of SSPI/SSPI-2 scores. We found evidence that SSPI/SSPI-2 scores have convergent (e.g., diagnosis of pedophilic disorder, self-reported sexual interest in children), discriminant (e.g., psychopathy), and predictive (new sexual offenses) validity. There were not enough studies to assess interrater reliability, but results of individual studies are encouraging. The present results suggest that the SSPI/SSPI-2 scores have adequate psychometric properties for continued use in forensic assessments, especially given its low cost relative to other assessments of sexual interest in children. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).