Psychopathy and Deviant Sexual Arousal in Incarcerated Sexual Offenders

This study investigates the relationship between psychopathy and deviant sexual arousal in a sample of 65 sexual offenders, with approximately equal numbers of rapists and child molesters. Psychopathy, measured by the Psychopathy Checklist-Revised and phallometric indexes of deviant sexual arousal were significantly correlated, r (63) =. 28, p <. 02. Differentiating between rapists, extrafamilial pedophiles, and incest offenders revealed that this relationship, however, was most apparent for extrafamilial child molesters, somewhat less for rapists, and not at all for incest offenders. The incidence of psychopathy was substantially lower than previous rates in incarcerated samples and a psychiatric sample of sexual offenders. Rapists had higher psychopathy ratings than child molesters, approaching statistical significance t (60) = -1.88, p < .07.