The Self-regulation Model of Sexual Offending: the Relationship Between Offence Pathways and Static and Dynamic Sexual Offence Risk

T. Ward and S. M. Hudson (1998) have proposed a self-regulation model of the offence process which is specific to sexual offenders and which attempts to account for the deficiencies in the traditional relapse prevention model as applied to this group of offenders. The self-regulation model is a nine-stage process of offending that addresses both the individual's goals with respect to the offending behavior (approach versus avoidance) and the manner in which the individual attempts to achieve these goals (passive versus active), resulting in four hypothesized pathways that lead to sexual offending. The present study evaluated the validity of this model with a sample of adult male sexual offenders (N=80) treated within the Correctional Service of Canada. Results demonstrated support for the self-regulation model. Specifically, it was found that the four pathways contained in this model were differentially associated with offender types (e.g., incest offender, rapist, extrafamilial child molester, etc.). In addition, static and dynamic risk factors were found to vary among the four pathways in predicted directions and are consistent with the theoretical model. Finally, static and dynamic risk factors differentially predicted pathway membership, again in the expected directions. Implications of findings and the self-regulation model for the assessment and treatment of sexual offenders are discussed.