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Abstract
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VioLit summary:
OBJECTIVE:
The goal of this article by Bischof et al. was to examine adolescent sexual offenders and their families. The study focused on how cohesion and adaptability of family systems of adolescent sexual offenders differ from violent juvenile delinquents, nonviolent juvenile delinquents, and from families without problems.
METHODOLOGY:
A quasi-experimental design was employed for this study. Literature on adolescent sexual offenders and family systems was reviewed. A survey of adolescents was completed. Participants included adolescent sexual offenders, violent nonsexual juvenile delinquents, nonviolent nonsexual juvenile delinquents, and a representative sample of nonproblem teenagers. Questionnaires were completed by 105 adolescent males in residential and outpatient programs. The males were aged 12-18. The participants were self-selected through volunteering. They were found through programs and facilities which had agreed to participate in the study. 39 were adolescent sexual offenders. 25 were violent juvenile delinquents who committed offenses such as homicide or aggravated assault. 41 were juvenile delinquents who committed nonviolent nonsexual offenses such as substance abuse violations or property offenses. The study did not use a control group of nondelinquents. Instead the research used FACES-III normed to the general population of families of adolescents. These norms were compared to the study's groups. The instrument FACES-III was used to assess all of the participants' perceptions of family cohesion and adaptability. The authors defined adaptability as the family system's ability to change role relationships, relationship rules, and its power structure in times of stress. The authors defined cohesion as the degree of family separation from or connection to their family and the level of emotional bonds between family members. It was explained that FACES-III (Family Adaptability and Cohesion Evaluation Scale) is a 20-item self-report scale. It was shown that each question has Likert-type answers from "almost never" to "almost always." Cohesion questions included ones such as "Family members like to spend free time with each other" (p. 320). Examples of items on adaptability included "Different persons act as leaders in our family" (p. 320). The participants also completed a self-report on delinquency and sexual offense. They selected categories of offenses they had committed. This self-report was used to place the participants into groups (sexual offenders, violent offenders, nonviolent offenders). The data was analyzed using analyses of variance (ANOVA).
FINDINGS/DISCUSSION:
The literature review found that adolescents commit approximately 20% of rapes and 30-50% of child sexual abuse cases. In addition, it was reported that many adult offenders commit their first offenses when they are teenagers. It was stated that these offenses greatly increase in frequency and severity from adolescence to adulthood. The research posited that the family is an important context for adolescent development. The study identified adaptability and cohesion as indicators of family functioning. The literature review found that adolescent sexual offenders' families are characterized as either rigid and inflexible or chaotic and too flexible. The authors noted that there is limited knowledge about families of juvenile sexual offenders.
The research found, using ANOVA, that there were differences in family cohesion among the groups (p<.001). All of the delinquents' families fell into the disengaged category revealing low emotional bonding and a sense of separateness. Yet, the adolescent sexual offenders perceive their families as more cohesive than other delinquents. However, it was shown that sex offenders perceive their families as less cohesive than members of families without problems. The authors noted that the FACES-III instrument may be better at measuring disengaged families than cohesive families. The research reported that for family adaptability no significant differences were found between the four groups. All of the scores on adaptability fell into a moderate range indicating low adaptability in the families.
AUTHORS' RECOMMENDATIONS:
The authors recommended that family instruments be included in assessments of the offenders since families are often involved in treatment. They suggested that a more complete understanding of the family system would be helpful for intervention and treatment. The study also recommended that research should attempt to obtain information on several family members. It was argued that when assessing family systems it is valuable to gather separate family member's perceptions. The authors recommended that treatment programs designed for general juvenile delinquents can also be used for adolescent sexual offenders. The authors encouraged treatment programs to utilize the information in these findings. The study found that sexual offenders' families have some similarities with nonproblem families. It was recommended that the offender families' competencies be utilized in treatment. It was also found that adolescents see their families as disengaged. The study suggested that treatment programs take this into account and develop interventions to increase family bonding.
(CSPV Abstract - Copyright © 1992-2007 by the Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence, Institute of Behavioral Science, Regents of the University of Colorado)
Comparative Analysis
Sexual-Non Sexual Offender Comparison
Offender Nonoffender Comparison
Violent-Nonviolent Offender Comparison
Male Offender
Male Violence
Juvenile Male
Juvenile Offender
Juvenile Violence
Early Adolescence
Late Adolescence
Family Relations
Family Environment
Family Structure
Sexual Assault Offender
Rape Offender
Child Abuse Offender
Child Molester
Child Sexual Abuse Offender
Violence Against Women
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