The relationship of abuse history, denial and erectile response profiles of adolescent sexual perpetrators

Erectile responses were examined among 83 inner-city male adolescent perpetrators of sexual offenses whose victims were female and ranged in age from children to adults. Responses to 19 audio cues portraying sexual and nonsexual interactions were measured. Profiles were produced from the responses to female cues depicting targets of different ages. Profile classifications included: (1) Nonresponder and Minimal responder; (2) Nondiscriminator; and (3) Child, Peer, Adult & Adult-Child responder. Participants were grouped according to self-report of sexual and/or physical victimization as well as their admission of a sexual crime. Over half of the participants discriminated between female age categories. Although only 25 in our sample were Nonresponders, they were more likely to be subjects who denied committing any sexual crimes. Perpetrators who reported having been abused were less likely to be Nonresponders and more likely to be Nondiscriminators than non-abused participants. Since a history of victimization and denial are associated with erectile response profiles, these differences must be recognized whenever penile plethysmography is applied.