A DESCRIPTIVE MODEL OF DYSFUNCTIONAL COGNITIONS IN CHILD MOLESTERS

Distorted or maladaptive thinking is widely acknowledged as an importa nt variable in both the initiation and maintenance of sexual offending . The aim of this study was to develop a descriptive model to classify sex offenders' cognitions concerning their offending behavior Offense descriptions were obtained from 20 incarcerated male child sex offend ers undergoing assessment for a sex offender treatment program. A data -driven approach to model development-grounded theory-was taken in the qualitative analysis of these offense accounts. The resulting model c onsisted of four categories: offense chain, cognitive operations, cogn itive content, and meta-variables. To determine its content validity a nd reliability, the model was applied to the offense descriptions of a sample of 25 incarcerated child molesters also undergoing pretreatmen t assessment Results suggest that the model has provisional validity a nd adequate interrater reliability. Finally, the authors discuss the t heoretical and clinical implications of the model.