Is hostility toward women a substantiated risk factor for sexual recidivism? A meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE: Hostility toward women (HTW; as part of hostile masculinity) is regarded as a risk factor for sexual offending behavior. However, its connection with sexual recidivism is largely unknown. The purpose of this preregistered meta-analytic review is to provide a synthesis of the state of the art on HTW as a risk factor for recidivism in adult male sexual offenders. HYPOTHESES: We postulated that HTW would significantly increase the odds of sexual recidivism in male individuals with a history of sexual offenses. METHOD: Inclusion criteria were (a) male individuals with a history of sexual offenses, (b) follow-up assessment of reconviction, and (c) assessment of HTW. Log odds ratio effect sizes were calculated and synthesized with a random-effects meta-analytic model. Between-study heterogeneity was high and not reduced by controlling follow-up time, recidivism rates, or operationalization of HTW. Leave-one-out sensitivity analysis revealed effect significance was dependent on the inclusion of the complete set of eligible studies. CONCLUSIONS: should be interpreted cautiously with respect to the substantiation of HTW as a risk factor for sexual recidivism Further research should aim to increase statistical power, examine potential moderators such as antisociality and impulsivity, and encourage the development of more robust diagnostic measures and validated scales to improve the reliability with which HTW is assessed by practitioners in the field. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).