Since the establishment of community care, policy towards offenders with learning disabilities has changed. Previously those individuals would have been admitted to locked wards. With the closure of these wards this option is largely unavailable. In relation to sex offenders there is now a need to identify individuals who are at risk of offending and to establish the most appropriate placement and treatment for these individuals. Recent literature suggests that cognitive factors play a crucial role in the sex offending process. One method of predicting the risk of sexual offending behaviour is to measure anti social sexual attitudes consistent with sexual offending behaviour. Research indicates that the recognition of offenders' attitudes and attributions are pivotal in bringing about change in their offending behaviour. There has been little research in developing methods of assessment in the field of learning disabilities. To data, there is no valid, reliable, self report questionnaire which assesses cognitive factors in these individuals. Some research has identified various problems in using assessment tools devised for non learning disability populations when assessing the sexual attitudes of individuals who have learning disabilities. These measures are often too complicated and open to suggestible and acquiescent responding. This thesis aims to develop a valid, reliable self report questionnaire to assess anti-social attitudes and attributions consistent with sexual offending behaviour in individuals who have mild learning disabilities. Male sex offenders with mild learning disabilities and control groups were tested. The reliability and validity of the questionnaires was examined. Additional questionnaires and vignettes were constructed to aid understanding and investigate response biases. The groups were compared and results discussed. The limitations, potential uses of the questionnaires and directions for further research are proposed.
Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bl.uk/oai:ethos.bl.uk:642134 |
Date | January 1997 |
Creators | Broxholme, Sarah L. |
Publisher | University of Edinburgh |
Source Sets | Ethos UK |
Detected Language | English |
Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
Source | http://hdl.handle.net/1842/26359 |
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