Author Identifier (ORCID)
Abstract
Purpose: Using neural network analysis, we examined how specific dispositional and situational factors influence pathways for the commission of sexual offending against children. Use of non-linear multifactorial models is still developing in psychological and criminological research, making this a unique contribution to these fields.
Method: We used prior offence status as the outcome variable in a multi-stage analytical strategy that included chi-squared analysis, sequential binary regression and neural network modelling. Subjects came from a database containing pre-collected psychological and criminological information on Western Australian men who had sexually offended. An initial sample of offenders convicted of sexual offences against children (N = 539) guided the selection of relevant variables. Nearly half of these offenders had prior charges for violent, sexual or combined violent and sexual offences (N = 260).
Results: Offenders with prior charges followed three pathways: impulsivity, congruence and sexualized coping. Each reflected known criminogenic risk factors and offender models. Offenders without prior charges followed two pathways: opportunity and sexual dysfunction. Differences and inconsistencies across pathways revealed gaps in current knowledge about this cohort.
Conclusion: The study's findings support the presence of distinct pathways. New insights into how individual dispositions interact with situational factors to influence sexual offending against children can directly inform risk assessment, rehabilitative treatment and offence prevention.
Keywords
multifactorial theories, neural network analysis, offence commission, offence pathways, pathways model to child sexual offending, sexual offending against children
Document Type
Journal Article
Date of Publication
1-1-2026
E-ISSN
20448333
ISSN
13553259
Publication Title
Legal and Criminological Psychology
Publisher
Wiley
School
Centre for Precision Health
RAS ID
101942
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
Recommended Citation
Jackson, K., Arlettaz, R., Allan, A., Clare, J., Morgan, F., & Tubex, H. (2026). Commission pathways for sexual offences against children: A novel methodological approach exposing distinct pathways as a function of offending history. Legal and Criminological Psychology. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1111/lcrp.70056