The Greek version of the Perceptions Of Sex Offenders Scale: Preliminary psychometric evaluation and sociodemographic differences

This study presents a preliminary psychometric evaluation of the Greek version of the Perceptions of Sex Offenders scale (PSO) in a community sample in Greece and examines the sociodemographic differences in its score. The participants were 452 people between 18 and 74 years old (mean age: 38). There were 141 men (31.27%) and 310 women (68.73%). The results supported a two-factor structure for the Greek PSO (factor I = Sentencing and Management and factor II = Stereotype Endorsement), while the third factor of the original PSO (“Risk Perception”) was not supported. These subscales demonstrated good internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha was .88 for the full scale with 18 retained items, .90 for the Sentencing and Management subscale and .83 for the Stereotype Endorsement subscale). There was also preliminary evidence for adequate construct validity. The older participants and those with lower educational levels asked for harsher managing and sentencing of sex offenders and had more stereotypes. The Greek version of the PSO is reliable, easy to administer and can be used for research and clinical purposes in men and women. This highlights the necessity for the cultural adaptation of the PSO in many other languages and countries. Future studies could use the PSO in specific samples like students, social workers, psychologists, correctional or judicial employees, police officers etc. to evaluate the possible differences between these groups.