Online Sexual Offending: Cognitions, Sexual Deviance and Anonymity

• In Event: Understanding Factors Related to Sexual Offending

Abstract

While offense-related cognitions are known to contribute to sexual offending, no established measure has been designed to assess cognitions of Internet sexual offenders. Moreover, Quayle and Taylor (2003) hypothesized that indicators of sexual deviance, such as pedophilic interest, and the perceived anonymity afforded by the Internet would give rise to unique cognitions that specifically support online sexual offending. Therefore, it is possible that sexual deviance and the perceived anonymity of Internet may be related to online sexual offenders’ cognitions. To date, no study has investigated the relationship among cognitions, sexual deviance and anonymity among Internet sexual offenders.

This study examines cognitions exhibited by online, contact and non-sexual offenders. It also examines the inter-relationships among offenders’ cognitions, indicators of sexual deviance and anonymity. Internet offenders’ cognitions were assessed via a new instrument designed specifically for Internet sexual offenders. Sexual deviance and anonymity were assessed with existing psychometric questionnaires. A total of 180 offenders participated in the study. As expected, results show that sexual deviance and the perceived of anonymity are linked to offenders’ cognitions. Analyses also show that online sexual offenders endorse cognitions that support the idea that the Internet is different from reality. Implications for future research will be discussed.

Authors

• Sarah Paquette, University of Montreal

• Franca Cortoni, University of Montreal