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A Meta –Analysis of the Relationship Between Social Skills and Sex Offenders
Tara M. Emmer-Sommer, Mike Allen, John Bourhis, Erin Sahlstein, Kara Laskowski, Wendy Faloat, Jeff Ackerman, Marian Erian, Doreen Barringer,
Judith Weiner, Jane Corey, Janice Krieger, Gren moramba, and Laurie Cashman
Jane Sirkel
Radford University
Purpose
• To examine the relationship between social skills ( communication competence) and weather the person was a sex offender
(rapist, molester, incest offender,
pedophile, exhibitionist)
• Can communication skills play a role in understanding the nature of sex offenders?
Considerations
• How are social sills to be defined ?
• Ability to interpret the message and situation correctly.
• Ability to generate the appropriate message within the context
Considerations
• How are social skills to be evaluated?
• Must include some ability of the individual to interact in an appropriate manner in a social setting
Considerations cont.
• How is sex offender to be defined? GUILTY by self-confession orlegal judgment of some sexual offence
• Incest, pedophilia-homosexual or heterosexual,
• child molestation • rape
Literature Search Procedures• 1983-1995• Method:
Hand search for journals
Electronic sources- Keywords: social skills, decoding accuracy, communicative competence, interpersonal competence, sexual offender, rapist, child molester, sexual aggression
Databases: ComIndex
ERICSocInfo
Literature ReviewResults
• Studies– Approximately 14 studies found– Three dropped
• Provided no appropriate statistical information
• Had no control groups
• Considered response from victim not aggressor
Evaluation of progress
•
Studies To Include• Group of persons
admitting to or adjudicated as guilty of nonconsensual sexual offenses
• Measure of social skill or communicative
competence• Use of non-offender
control group• Statistical information
Permitting the estimation of effect
Potential Moderators sex offenders
• Source of data• Measurement • Offense• Age• Gender• Relationship to victim• Sample • interrater bias
• Reference period• Definition of legal
system• Self reports• Statistics used to
calculate• Outcome measure
Potential Moderators social skills
• Source of data• Measurement• Age• Sample• Outcome measure• Interrater bias• Reference period
Results
• Average across ten studies demonstrates that less social skill is associated with greater likely hood of sexual offense / aggression.
• R = - .334, k = 10,
N= 918, var. r =.011• Homogeneous
sample of effects• X2 = 8.11, df =9,
N=918, p> .05
Discussion•Results indicate when compared to non offenders sexual offenders consistently demonstrate lower levels of social skills. •This does not indicate that all sex offenders have a low level of social skills or that all individuals with low levels f social skills are sex offenders.
Discussion
• Communicative competence is considered across collaborative norms, sex offenders may be competent however they measure competence along different expectations than other member of society.
End Notes
• One of the major conclusions of this study is that because of all the diverse aspects represented here there s need for further study in this area.
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