Hostname: page-component-599cfd5f84-2stsh Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2025-01-07T06:37:43.938Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

The prevalence of mental disorders among incarcerated adult men convicted of child sexual exploitation material offences

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 May 2023

Alexander Seiser Open the ORCID record for Alexander Seiser [Opens in a new window] ,
Reinhard Eher ,
Daniel Turner  and
Martin Rettenberger
Alexander Seiser*
Affiliation:
Directorate General for the Prison Service and Preventive Detention, Federal Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Austria, Vienna, Austria
Reinhard Eher
Affiliation:
Federal Evaluation Centre for Violent and Sexual Offenders (FECVSO), Federal Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Austria, Vienna, Austria
Daniel Turner
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Medical Center Mainz, Mainz, Germany
Martin Rettenberger
Affiliation:
Centre for Criminology (Kriminologische Zentralstelle – KrimZ), Wiesbaden, Germany
*
Corresponding author: Alexander Seise; Emails: [email protected]; [email protected]
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Objective

Despite the growing body of research on individuals convicted of child sexual exploitation material (CSEM), relatively little is known about the prevalence of mental disorders in this population. The aim of the present study was to describe the prevalence of mental disorders among individuals convicted of CSEM offenses.

Methods

This cross-sectional study examined data from 66 individuals serving a sentence for CSEM offenses in the Austrian prison system who underwent a clinical assessment between 2002 and 2020. Diagnoses were based on the German version of the Structured Clinical Interview for Axis I and Axis II disorders.

Results

In the total sample, n = 53 individuals (80.3%) were diagnosed with a mental disorder. Twenty-seven individuals (40.9%) had an Axis I disorder and n = 47 (71.2%) had an Axis II disorder. More than two-thirds of the sample, n = 47 (71.2%), had a personality disorder diagnosis, with cluster B personality disorders being the most frequent mental disorders. More than half of the sample, n = 43 (65.2%), had a diagnosis of pedophilic disorder, of which n = 9 (13.6%) were of the exclusive type. Twenty-eight persons (42.4%) showed evidence of a hypersexual disorder.

Conclusions

In line with previous research, the present sample of convicted CSEM offenders showed a comparatively high prevalence of personality disorders and paraphilic disorders, particularly pedophilic disorders. Additionally, the rate of hypersexual disorder symptoms was considerably high. These findings should be considered for the development of successful risk management strategies for this population.

Keywords

Child sexual exploitation material (CSEM)CSEM-offenderprevalence of mental disorderspedophilic disorderspersonality disorders
Type
Original Research
Information
CNS Spectrums , Volume 28 , Issue 6 , December 2023 , pp. 719 - 725
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2023. Published by Cambridge University Press

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Kloess, JA, Beech, AR, Harkins, L. Online child sexual exploitation: prevalence, process, and offender characteristics. Trauma Violence Abuse. 2014;15(2):126–139.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Motivans, M, Kyckelhahn, T. Federal Prosecution of Child Sex Exploitation Offenders, 2006. Bureau of Justice Statistics; 2007. https://bjs.ojp.gov/content/pub/pdf/fpcseo06.pdf. Accessed April 17, 2022.Google Scholar
Middleton, D, Mandeville-Norden, R, Hayes, E. Does treatment work with internet sex offenders? Emerging findings from the Internet Sex Offender Treatment Programme (i-SOTP). J Sex Aggress. 2009;15(1):5–19.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bundeskriminalamt. Polizeiliche Kriminalstatistik Bundesrepublik Deutschland: Band 4 Jahrbuch 2016. Einzelne Straftaten/ -Gruppen Und Ausgewählte Formen Der Kriminalität. Federal Ministry of the Interior and Community; 2017. https://www.bka.de/SharedDocs/Downloads/DE/Publikationen/PolizeilicheKriminalstatistik/2016/pks2016Jahrbuch4Einzelne.pdf;jsessionid=CA25413629E8D18F0B913E61D38D6355.live602?__blob=publicationFile&v=3. Accessed April 17, 2022.Google Scholar
Bundeskriminalamt. Polizeiliche Kriminalstatistik Bundesrepublik Deutschland: Band 4 Jahrbuch 2017. Einzelne Straftaten/ -Gruppen Und Ausgewählte Formen Der Kriminalität. Federal Ministry of the Interior and Community; 2018. https://www.bka.de/SharedDocs/Downloads/DE/Publikationen/PolizeilicheKriminalstatistik/2017/pks2017Jahrbuch4Einzelne.pdf?__blob=publicationFile&v=8. Accessed April 17, 2022.Google Scholar
Bundesministerium für Inneres. Kriminalitätsbericht: Statistik Und Analyse 2016. Federal Ministry of the Interior; 2017. https://www.bmi.gv.at/508/files/SIB_2016/03_SIB2016-Kriminalitaetsbericht_web.pdf. Accessed April 17, 2022.Google Scholar
Bundesministerium für Inneres. Kriminalitätsbericht: Statistik Und Analyse 2022. Federal Ministry of the Interior; 2023. https://bundeskriminalamt.at/501/files/2023/PKS_Broschuere_2022.pdf. Accessed March 31, 2023.Google Scholar
Seto, MC. Internet Sex Offenders. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association; 2013.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Seto, MC, Hermann, CA, Kjellgren, C, Priebe, G, Svedin, CG, Långström, N. Viewing child pornography: prevalence and correlates in a representative community sample of young Swedish men. Arch Sex Behav. 2015;44(1):67–79.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dombert, B, Schmidt, AF, Banse, R, et al. How common is men’s self-reported sexual interest in prepubescent children? J Sex Res. 2016;53(2):214–223.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Babchishin, KM, Hanson, RK, VanZuylen, H. Online child pornography offenders are different: a meta-analysis of the characteristics of online and offline sex offenders against children. Arch Sex Behav. 2015;44(1):45–66.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Babchishin, KM, Karl Hanson, R, Hermann, CA. The characteristics of online sex offenders: a meta-analysis. Sex Abuse. 2011;23(1):92–123.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Henshaw, M, Ogloff, JR, Clough, JA. Demographic, mental health, and offending characteristics of online child exploitation material offenders: a comparison with contact only and dual sexual offenders. Behav Sci Law. 2018;36(2):198–215.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Seto, MC, Cantor, JM, Blanchard, R. Child pornography offenses are a valid diagnostic indicator of pedophilia. J Abnorm Psychol. 2006;115(3):610.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kuhle, L, Schlinzig, E, Kaiser, G, et al. The association of sexual preference and dynamic risk factors with undetected child pornography offending. J Sex Aggress. 2017;23(1):3–18.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hanson, RK, Morton-Bourgon, KE. The characteristics of persistent sexual offenders: a meta-analysis of recidivism studies. J Consult Clin Psychol. 2005;73(6):1154–1163.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Gregório-Hertz, P, Rettenberger, M, Turner, D, Briken, P, Eher, R. Hypersexual disorder and recidivism risk in individuals convicted of sexual offenses. J Forens Psychiatry Psychol. 2022;33(4):572–591.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Seto, MC, Karl Hanson, R, Babchishin, KM. Contact sexual offending by men with online sexual offenses. Sex Abuse. 2011;23(1):124–145.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Goller, A, Jones, R, Dittmann, V, Taylor, P, Graf, M. Criminal recidivism of illegal pornography offenders in the overall population-a national cohort study of 4612 offenders in Switzerland. Adv Appl Sociol. 2016;6(2):48–56.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Eke, AW, Seto, MC, Williams, J. Examining the criminal history and future offending of child pornography offenders: an extended prospective follow-up study. Law Hum Behav. 2011;35(6):466.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Elliott, IA, Beech, AR, Mandeville-Norden, R, Hayes, E. Psychological profiles of Internet sexual offenders: comparisons with contact sexual offenders. Sex Abuse. 2009;21(1):76–92.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Elliott, IA, Mandeville-Norden, R, Rakestrow-Dickens, J, Beech, AR. Reoffending rates in a UK community sample of individuals with convictions for indecent images of children. Law Hum Behav. 2019;43(4):369.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Seto, MC. The motivation-facilitation model of sexual offending. Sex Abuse. 2019;31(1):3–24.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Biedermann, L, Eher, R, Rettenberger, M, Gaunersdorfer, K, Turner, D. Are mental disorders associated with recidivism in men convicted of sexual offenses? Acta Psychiatr Scand. 2023;1–13.Google ScholarPubMed
Krueger, RB, Kaplan, MS, First, MB. Sexual and other axis I diagnoses of 60 males arrested for crimes against children involving the Internet. CNS Spectr. 2009;14(11):623–631.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Prat, S, Jonas, C. Characteristics of French users of child pornography: description of a cohort subjected to forensic evaluation. Med Leg J. 2012;80(4):162–166.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Rettenberger, M, Eher, R. Actuarial assessment of sex offender recidivism risk: a validation of the German version of the Static-99. Sex Offender Treat. 2006;1(3):1–11.Google Scholar
Wittchen, HU, Wunderlich, U, Gruschwitz, S, Zaudig, M. Strukturiertes Klinisches Interview Für DSM-IV. Achse I: Psychische Störungen. Interviewheft Und Beurteilungsheft. Eine Deutschsprachige, Erweiterte Bearbeitung Der Amerikanischen Originalversion Des SKID I. Göttingen: Hogrefe; 1997.Google Scholar
Fydrich, T, Renneberg, B, Schmitz, B, Wittchen, H. Strukturiertes Klinisches Interview Für DSM-IV Achse II: Persönlichkeitsstörungen (SKID-II). Göttingen: Hogrefe; 1997.Google Scholar
Eher, R. Zu den Aufgaben der Begutachtungs- und Evaluationsstelle für Gewalt- und Sexualstraftäter im Österreichischen Strafvollzug. KrimPäd. 2009;37:9–14.Google Scholar
IBM. SPSS Statistics for Window [Computer Software]. Version 20. Armonk, NY: IBM; 2011.Google Scholar
Hanson, RK, Morton-Bourgon, KE. The characteristics of persistent sexual offenders: a meta-analysis of recidivism studies. J Consult Clin Psychol. 2005;73(6):1154–1163.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Aslan, D, Edelmann, R. Demographic and offence characteristics: a comparison of sex offenders convicted of possessing indecent images of children, committing contact sex offences or both offences. J Forensic Psychiatry Psychol. 2014;25(2):121–134.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ward, T, Beech, A. An integrated theory of sexual offending. Aggress Violent Behav. 2006;11(1):44–63.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Eher, R, Rettenberger, M, Turner, D. The prevalence of mental disorders in incarcerated contact sexual offenders. Acta Psychiatr Scand. 2019;139(6):572–581.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Loranger, AW, Sartorius, N, Andreoli, A, et al. The international personality disorder examination: The World Health Organization/Alcohol, Drug Abuse, and Mental Health Administration international pilot study of personality disorders. Arch Gen Psychiatry. 1994;51(3):215–224.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Fazel, S, Danesh, J. Serious mental disorder in 23 000 prisoners: a systematic review of 62 surveys. Lancet. 2002;359(9306):545–550.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Klein, V, Schmidt, AF, Turner, D, Briken, P. Are sex drive and hypersexuality associated with pedophilic interest and child sexual abuse in a male community sample? PloS One. 2015;10(7):e0129730.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Seto, MC, Reeves, L, Jung, S. Explanations given by child pornography offenders for their crimes. J Sex Aggress. 2010;16(2):169–180.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kafka, MP, Hennen, J. A DSM-IV Axis I comorbidity study of males (n=120) with paraphilias and paraphilia-related disorders. Sex Abuse J Res Treat. 2002;14(4):349–366.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed