Sexual deviance and psychopathy as risk factors for sexual violence

This study examined the co-occurrence of psychopathy and sexual deviance in sexual offenders (N = 76). The relationship between psychopathy and sexual deviance was assessed in terms of their independence and whether they interacted to increase sexual recidivism significantly. The predictive values of psychopathy and sexual deviance as individual risk factors were also explored. Psychopathy and sexual deviance as general constructs were independent, although a number of specific aspects of psychopathy were positively correlated with specific aspects of sexual deviance. No interaction effect was found between psychopathy and sexual deviance in predicting sexual recidivism, a finding that suggested these two risk factors act independently and share an additive relationship. Both psychopathy and sexual deviance as individual risk factors predicted sexual recidivism but these findings failed to be replicated across all of the analyses within this study.