Testosterone, sexuality and antisocial personality in rapists and child molesters: a pilot study

Morning and afternoon levels of saliva testosterone levels in Finnish imprisoned rapists ( n=10) and child molesters ( n=10) were compared to those in randomly selected control subjects ( n=31). The associations of saliva testosterone with sexual behavior and antisocial personality traits were explored in all groups. The sexual offenders and control subjects did not differ in the between-subjects main effect estimated for the averaged morning and afternoon testosterone levels. Seven rapists and three child molesters met the criteria for antisocial personality disorder (ASP). In the sexual offenders, a summed ASP index was positively correlated with mean saliva testosterone. Sexual activity as estimated from self-reports of sexual intercourse and masturbation was significantly related to testosterone in both rapists and child molesters but not in the control males. The implications of these results are discussed.