Thesis
Crime script analysis of child sexual Offender life histories: A psychological approach
Honours, Murdoch University
2022
Abstract
Child sexual abuse is a global and prevalent problem with disastrous outcomes for victims. There is a growing amount of research highlighting both similarities and differences between sex offender typologies and their theoretical pathways that lead to offending. The current study uses a crime script analysis as a temporal method approach to map out 41 real-world life stories of child sexual offenders (online (n = 23), contact (n = 7) and mixed (n = 11) to better understand the psychological concepts prior to offending. Crime script analysis highlighted six key scenes through which offenders developmentally progressed from childhood to the time of offending. These scenes were: influences, warning signs, triggers, operational, activity and withdrawal. The results found child sex offender typologies experienced similar adverse childhood experiences with emotional neglect and social difficulties as the highest reported adverse experiences. However, typologies differed in antisocial attitudes and psychological mechanisms underlying situational factors that led to offending behaviour. This research contributes to the growing body of research examining the risk factors of child sex offending and forms the foundation for future research on which further developments can be made to better understand CSO as well as assist in the development of trauma-informed clinical intervention and prevention strategies.
Keywords: Child sex offenders; crime script analysis; developmental psychology; risk factors; adverse life experiences.
Details
- Title
- Crime script analysis of child sexual Offender life histories: A psychological approach
- Authors/Creators
- Cailin N Taylor
- Contributors
- Jon Prince (Supervisor) - Murdoch University, Centre for Healthy AgeingDavid Keatley (Supervisor) - Murdoch University, Centre for Biosecurity and One Health
- Awarding Institution
- Murdoch University; Honours
- Identifiers
- 991005582970207891
- Murdoch Affiliation
- School of Psychology
- Resource Type
- Thesis
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