Evaluation of Cognitive Sexual Distortions in Persons Who have Committed Sex Crimes Against Minors

Abstract

We provide a definition of the concept of "cognitive distortions in the sexual sphere," reveal the relevance of the study of these distortions in the context of sexual offenses against minors. We briefly review the literature of research on the subject. We describe a research, the aim of which was to study a group of individuals who have committed sexual crimes against minors: how homogeneous is the sample in terms of the severity of the distortion. The group was divided into two subgroups: those who have been diagnosed with pedophilia, and those without pedophilia. The norm group also included persons who has never been prosecuted. To assess cognitive distortions in the sexual sphere we used SONAR method (The Sex Offender Need Assessment Rating). The obtained results confirm the importance of the factor of cognitive biases in the field of sexuality in the assessment of sexual crimes risk, as well as in the differential diagnosis of pedophilia.