Do adolescent child abusers, peer abusers, and non-sex offenders have different personnality profiles ?

The aim of this study was to identify two sub-populations of sex offenders based on the age of the victims and on the age difference between the abuser and the victim (child sexual abusers versus peer sexual abusers), and to and compare the personality characteristics of these two subgroups with those of juvenile non-sex offenders. Method : The group was composed of 67 adolescent offenders aged 13-18 years old who were adjudicated for sexual offences or non-sexual offences : 20 non-sex offenders (JNSOs), 26 child sexual abusers (CAs), and 21 peer sexual abusers (PAs). The Millon Adolescent Clinical Inventory (MACI) was administered to all participants. The mean scores and clinical cutoffs on the MACI scales were compared across the three samples. Results: Compared to PAs, CAs were more submissive and conforming, and they experienced more anxious feelings. PAs scored higher on the unruly and forceful personality scales, on social insensitivity and on delinquent predisposition. PAs also reported higher scores on substance-abuse proneness, impulsive propensities, and antisocial functioning than CAs, but their scores were similar to those of JNSOs. Conclusions: Our results show clear similarities between PAs and JNSOs in terms of personality and clinical characteristics, especially with regard to antisocial personality traits. CAs did not display the personality characteristics typical of PAs and JNSOs which predisposed them to delinquent activities. These results raise questions as to whether juvenile sex offenders should be treated within the same institutions as non-sex offenders, and whether the same treatment programs should be implemented for all types of juvenile sex offenders