Citation

Harkins L, Beech AR, Goodwill AM. Sex. Abuse 2010; 22(1): 78-94.

Affiliation

University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK B15 2TT. l.harkins@bham.ac.uk

Copyright

(Copyright © 2010, SAGE Publishing)

DOI

10.1177/1079063209358106

PMID

20133961

Abstract

This study examined the relationship between denial, motivation, static risk (Risk Matrix 2000), and sexual recidivism. Denial was measured in three ways: A Denial Index (resulting from the combination of several measures of different aspects of denial), Absolute Denial, and Denial of Risk. Motivation for treatment was also examined. Logistic regression analyses in a sample of 180 sex offenders using a fixed 10-year follow-up found that risk moderated the relationships between the Denial Index, Absolute Denial, and sexual recidivism. In particular, among high-risk offenders, denial predicted decreased sexual recidivism. An opposite pattern was observed for the low-risk offenders who were in denial, although these differences were not significant. In terms of Denial of Risk, those who were denying they presented a future risk for offending (i.e., higher on Denial of Risk) were less likely to reoffend than those who reported seeing themselves as presenting a high risk. Motivation for treatment was positively correlated with recidivism, but the effect disappeared once static risk was controlled.

Language: en