Insecure attachment style has been implicated as a possible factor in sex offending. A review of the research aimed to determine 1) the evidence sex-offenders differ in attachment style from non-offenders 2) the evidence sexual-offenders differ in attachment style from non-sexual offenders and 3) attachment style being related to specific types and/or characteristics of sexual-offending. Overall, the findings were inconsistent. Sex-offenders were found by the majority of studies to have a higher prevalence of insecure attachment than non-offenders. Differences between offenders were less clear and a number of studies found that all offenders had higher levels of insecure attachment than the general population. Support for a multi- faceted model of sex-offending that included attachment theory was found. The results suggested attachment theory could be useful in the assessment and treatment of all offenders. It also highlighted the potential utility of examining links between 'attachment theory and aggressive behaviour in offenders. An empirical study further explored attachment, interpersonal style and aggression offenders with personality disorder detained in a high secure hospital. Differences were found between the sample and the general population on level of avoidant attachment and anxious attachment was predictive of total number of incidents. Coercive interpersonal style was predictive of all types (excluding self-directed) of aggression and total number of incidents. Length of stay, black-British ethnicity and absence of murder were also included in prediction models.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bl.uk/oai:ethos.bl.uk:556169 |
| Date | January 2011 |
| Creators | Vallentine, Victoria |
| Publisher | University of Oxford |
| Source Sets | Ethos UK |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
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