Inadequate Coping Strategies of Men who Have Committed Sexual Aggression Against Women: A Study of Their Developmental Antecedents

Abstract

Several researchers have found that men who have committed sexual aggression have inadequate coping strategies (e.g., paraphilic sexual fantasies, substance abuse). However, very few researchers have empirically examined the factors potentially associated with the development of these strategies. In 2011, Maniglio hypothesized that the inadequate coping strategies of men who have committed sexual aggression are the result of childhood victimization, mediated by internalized psychological problems. The present study therefore empirically tested this hypothesis in a Canadian sample of 205 men who had committed sexual aggression against women, of whom 37 committed sexual murder. Structural equation modeling (SEM) resulted in the identification of several direct and indirect trajectories leading from childhood victimization (psychological, physical, sexual) to the development of inadequate coping strategies (paraphilic sexual fantasies, alcohol and drug use) mediated by internalized psychological problems (e.g., anxiety, depression, social isolation). The theoretical and clinical implications of these developmental trajectories are discussed.