Biomaterial Database

The relationships of perpetrator and victim substance use to the sexual aggression of rapists and child molesters. 2012

Nayla R Hamdi, and Raymond A Knight

University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA. hamdi002@umn.edu

OBJECTIVE This study investigated substance use in rape and child molestation. We hypothesized that perpetrator substance use would be associated with a greater increase in rapists' aggression in sexual crimes compared with that of child molesters. We also predicted that victim substance use would be negatively related to both rapists and child molesters' aggression in sexual crimes. METHODS The sample included 245 male rapists and 273 male child molesters who had been evaluated at the Massachusetts Treatment Center (MTC) between 1959 and 1991 for potential civil commitment. Data were obtained from offenders' archival records and were coded by trained research assistants on perpetrator and victim substance use and perpetrator aggression in sexual crimes. RESULTS Analyses showed that the magnitude of the positive association between perpetrator alcohol use and aggression in sexual crimes did not differ between rapists and child molesters. In contrast, perpetrator drug use was associated with increased aggression among child molesters only. Victim substance use was related to increased aggression among rapists only. CONCLUSIONS The results indicate that victim substance use and perpetrator drug use, but not perpetrator alcohol use, are differentially related to the aggression of rapists and child molesters in sexual crimes. Those findings imply that substance use may play different roles depending on offender type.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D008297	Male		Males
D011902	Rape	Sexual intercourse without consent of the victim.
D012044	Regression Analysis	Procedures for finding the mathematical function which best describes the relationship between a dependent variable and one or more independent variables. In linear regression (see LINEAR MODELS) the relationship is constrained to be a straight line and LEAST-SQUARES ANALYSIS is used to determine the best fit. In logistic regression (see LOGISTIC MODELS) the dependent variable is qualitative rather than continuously variable and LIKELIHOOD FUNCTIONS are used to find the best relationship. In multiple regression, the dependent variable is considered to depend on more than a single independent variable.	Regression Diagnostics,Statistical Regression,Analysis, Regression,Analyses, Regression,Diagnostics, Regression,Regression Analyses,Regression, Statistical,Regressions, Statistical,Statistical Regressions
D002648	Child	A person 6 to 12 years of age. An individual 2 to 5 years old is CHILD, PRESCHOOL.	Children
D002650	Child Abuse, Sexual	Sexual maltreatment of the child or minor.	Child Molestation,Child Molestation, Sexual,Molestation, Sexual, Child,Sexual Abuse of Child,Sexual Abuse, Child,Abuse, Child Sexual,Child Sexual Abuse,Molestation, Child,Sexual Child Abuse,Sexual Child Molestation
D005260	Female		Females
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D000374	Aggression	Behavior which may be manifested by destructive and attacking action which is verbal or physical, by covert attitudes of hostility or by obstructionism.	Aggressions
D000437	Alcoholism	A primary, chronic disease with genetic, psychosocial, and environmental factors influencing its development and manifestations. The disease is often progressive and fatal. It is characterized by impaired control over drinking, preoccupation with the drug alcohol, use of alcohol despite adverse consequences, and distortions in thinking, most notably denial. Each of these symptoms may be continuous or periodic. (Morse & Flavin for the Joint Commission of the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence and the American Society of Addiction Medicine to Study the Definition and Criteria for the Diagnosis of Alcoholism: in JAMA 1992;268:1012-4)	Alcohol Abuse,Alcoholic Intoxication, Chronic,Ethanol Abuse,Alcohol Addiction,Alcohol Dependence,Alcohol Use Disorder,Abuse, Alcohol,Abuse, Ethanol,Addiction, Alcohol,Alcohol Use Disorders,Chronic Alcoholic Intoxication,Dependence, Alcohol,Intoxication, Chronic Alcoholic,Use Disorders, Alcohol
D019548	Crime Victims	Individuals subjected to and adversely affected by criminal activity. (APA, Thesaurus of Psychological Index Terms, 1994)	Victimization,Crime Victim,Victim, Crime,Victims, Crime