Adolescent male sexual offenders' perceptions of their family characteristics

• Main Author: Bischof, Gary Paul
• Other Authors: Family and Child Development
• Format: Others
• Language: en
• Published: Virginia Tech 2014
• Subjects: LD5655.V855 1991.B483; Family assessment; Sex offenders
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10919/44269; http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/theses/available/etd-08182009-040313/

Literature on families of adolescent sexual offenders is sparse. Adolescents' perception of family structure, family adaptability and cohesion, parent-child communication, and family communication about sexuality are considered in an effort to identify family characteristics that distinguish families of adolescent sex offenders (n=39) from violent juvenile delinquents (n=25), non-violent juvenile delinquents (n=41), and from non-problem families (normative data). Families of sex offenders are characterized by greater family cohesion, poorer communication with fathers than with mothers, a higher value on family sex communication, and a change in living arrangement when compared to other delinquents' families. Several variables differentiate between families of delinquents in this study and non-problem families. In general, there are some differences between families of adolescent sex offenders and other delinquents, but more dramatic differences emerge between non-problem families and all delinquent samples. Implications for practice are offered. === Master of Science