This study attempts to empirically validate the fixated-regressed typology utilized in the child sexual abuse literature. The sample consisted of 136 consecutive cases of convicted child molesters tried in Pima County, Arizona over a two-year period (1984-1985) for whom case history, MMPI, pre-sentence reports, and police report data were collected prior to sentencing. Application of the criteria defining fixated versus regressed status yielded a unimodal and continuous distribution of child molesters, rather than the bimodal distribution predicted by theory. In a multiple regression analysis, three independent variables, i.e., whether the victim and offender were related, an offender's prior non-sex-criminal record, and offender age, significantly enhanced the accuracy of predicting an offender's degree of regression. Alternative conceptualizations to the fixated-regressed typology are described, and implications for understanding child molesters are discussed.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:arizona.edu/oai:arizona.openrepository.com:10150/291888 |
| Date | January 1988 |
| Creators | Simon, Leonore Michele Julia, 1952- |
| Contributors | Kahn, Marvin W. |
| Publisher | The University of Arizona. |
| Source Sets | University of Arizona |
| Language | en_US |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text, Thesis-Reproduction (electronic) |
| Rights | Copyright © is held by the author. Digital access to this material is made possible by the University Libraries, University of Arizona. Further transmission, reproduction or presentation (such as public display or performance) of protected items is prohibited except with permission of the author. |
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