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The Screening Scale for Pedophilic Interests (SSPI): Construct, Predictive, and Incremental Validity

Helmus, L., Ó Ciardha, Caoilte, Seto, M.C. (2014) The Screening Scale for Pedophilic Interests (SSPI): Construct, Predictive, and Incremental Validity. Law and Human Behavior, . ISSN 0147-7307. (doi:10.1037/lhb0000099) (KAR id:41545)

Abstract

This study of 410 adult male sex offenders against children, using data from the Dynamic Supervision Project (Hanson, Harris, Scott, & Helmus, 2007), examined the construct, predictive, and incremental validity of the Screening Scale for Pedophilic Interests (SSPI; Seto & Lalumière, 2001), a brief proxy measure of phallometrically assessed sexual response to children that is based on sexual victim characteristics. As predicted, the SSPI was significantly related to the Deviant Sexual Interests item on the STABLE-2007 (Hanson et al., 2007), a dynamic risk measure encompassing multiple domains, and with the Deviant Sexual Interests item from its predecessor, the STABLE-2000 (Hanson et al., 2007). The SSPI was unrelated (or more weakly related) to items measuring general antisociality. In addition, the SSPI significantly predicted sexual recidivism, defined as new charges or convictions for sexual offenses, and a broader sexual recidivism outcome that included breaches of community supervision conditions that might involve sexually motivated behavior (e.g., being in the presence of children unsupervised). The SSPI did not add to the predictive accuracy of 2 actuarial risk measures, the Static-99R and Static-200R (Helmus, Thornton, Hanson, & Babchishin, 2012), but it did add to the predictive accuracy of the STABLE-2007. Additional analyses suggest the SSPI can serve as a substitute for the STABLE-2007 Deviant Sexual Interests item, if necessary (e.g., in archival research), when assessing sexual offenders against children.

Item Type: Article
DOI/Identification number: 10.1037/lhb0000099
Subjects: B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BF Psychology
Divisions: Divisions > Division of Human and Social Sciences > School of Psychology
Depositing User: M.L. Barnoux
Date Deposited: 26 Jun 2014 12:35 UTC
Last Modified: 08 Dec 2022 21:42 UTC
Resource URI: https://kar.kent.ac.uk/id/eprint/41545 (The current URI for this page, for reference purposes)

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