Development of a Case Formulation Model for Individuals Who Have Viewed, Distributed, and/or Shared Child Sexual Exploitation Material

Increases in the number of arrests of individuals who download or distribute Child Sexual Exploitation Material (CSEM) have highlighted a need to further understand the offending pathways of this offender group. This article describes the development of an aetiological model specific to CSEM offendi...

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Bibliographic Details
Authors: Merdian, Hannah L. (Author) ; Dustagheer, Elspeth (Author) ; Glorney, Emily (Author) ; Perkins, Derek E. (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
Published: 2020
In: International journal of offender therapy and comparative criminology
Year: 2020, Volume: 64, Issue: 10/11, Pages: 1055-1073
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Keywords:
Child sexual exploitation
Child sexual abuse
Illegal images of children
Risk management
Case formulation
Description
Summary:Increases in the number of arrests of individuals who download or distribute Child Sexual Exploitation Material (CSEM) have highlighted a need to further understand the offending pathways of this offender group. This article describes the development of an aetiological model specific to CSEM offending. Individuals who had viewed, distributed, and/or shared CSEM (n = 20) were interviewed regarding their life and sexual history, relationships, substance use, offending details, and circumstances leading to their CSEM offending, resulting in seven superordinate themes: Developmental Context, Individual Propensities (risk-related and risk-protective) and Psychological Vulnerabilities, Personal Circumstances, Permission-Giving Thoughts, Internet Environment and Behaviour, Evaluation of Consequences for the Individual, and Desistance. These themes were combined into a case formulation tool specific for CSEM offending behaviour, with the aim of providing systematic guidance for assessment and treatment providers.
ISSN:1552-6933
DOI:10.1177/0306624X17748067