Hostname: page-component-5db58dd55d-pjp64 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2026-06-10T16:02:11.288Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Perceptions of Sex Offenders’ Partners: Associated with Perceptions of Offenders and Influenced by Attachment

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 December 2020

Jason P. Martens Open the ORCID record for Jason P. Martens [Opens in a new window]  and
Jessica L. Stewart
Jason P. Martens*
Affiliation:
Faculty of Business, Law & Social Sciences, Birmingham City University, Birmingham, UK
Jessica L. Stewart
Affiliation:
Faculty of Business, Law & Social Sciences, Birmingham City University, Birmingham, UK
*
Address for correspondence: Jason P. Martens, Department of Psychology, Capilano University, North Vancouver, Canada, V7J 3H5. Email: jasonmartens@capilanou.ca
Get access

Abstract

Little research exists on how partners of sex offenders are perceived. Using attachment theory, we hypothesised that one's attachment would generalise to perceptions of sexual offenders and their partners. One hundred and six British adults’ attachment styles were assessed, as well as perceptions of sex offenders and their partners. Generally, perceivers’ attachment avoidance was associated with positive perceptions of both partners and offenders, while attachment anxiety was associated with negative perceptions of partners but positive perceptions of sex offenders. Perceptions of sex offenders and their partners were highly correlated and negative in nature, and sex offenders were more negatively perceived.

Keywords

attachmentinterpersonal perceptions

Information

Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Relationships Research , Volume 11 , 2020 , e19
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2020. Published by Cambridge University Press.

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Article purchase

Temporarily unavailable

References

Baldwin, M.W., Fehr, B., Keedian, E., Seidel, M., & Thomson, D.W. (1993). An exploration of the relational schemata underlying attachment styles: Self-report and lexical decision approaches. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 19, 746–754.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bartholomew, K., & Horowitz, L. (1991). Attachment styles among young adults: A test of a four-category model. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 61, 226–244.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Bowlby, J. (1988). A secure base: parent–child attachments and healthy human development. New York, NY: Basic Books.Google Scholar
Breithaupt, F. (2012) A three-person model of empathy. Emotion Review, 4, 84–91.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Collins, N.L., & Feeney, B.C. (2004). Working models of attachment shape perceptions of social support: Evidence from experimental and observational studies. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 87, 363–383.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Collins, N.L. & Read, S.J. (1990). Adult attachment, working models, and relationship quality in dating couples. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 58, 644–663.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Collins, N.L., & Read, S.J. (1994). Cognitive representations of attachment: The structure and function of working models. In Bartholomew, K. & Pelham, D. (Eds.), Attachment processes in adulthood (pp. 53–90). London, UK: Kingsley.Google Scholar
Crewe, B. (2009). The prisoner society: Power, adaptation, and social life in an English prison. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Farkas, M.A., & Miller, G. (2007). Reentry and reintegration: Challenges faced by the families of convicted sex offenders. Federal Sentencing Reporter, 20, 88–92.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Faul, F., Erdfelder, E., Buchner, A., & Lang, A.-G. (2009). Statistical power analyses using G*Power 3.1: Tests for correlation and regression analyses. Behavior Research Methods, 41, 1149–1160.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Fraley, R.C., Heffernan, M.E., Vicary, A.M., & Brumbaugh, C.C. (2011). The experiences in close relationships—relationship structures questionnaire: A method for assessing attachment orientations across relationships. Psychological Assessment, 23, 615–625.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Fraley, R.C., Waller, N.G., & Brennan, K.A. (2000). An item response theory analysis of self-report measures of adult attachment. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 78, 350–365.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Feeney, J.A., & Noller, P. (1990). Attachment style as a predictor of adult romantic relationships. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 58, 281–291.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Goffman, E. (2009). Stigma: Notes on the management of spoiled identity. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster.Google Scholar
Gorsuch, R.L. (1983). Factor analysis (2nd ed.). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.Google Scholar
Griffin, D., & Bartholomew, K. (1994). Models of the self and other: Fundamental dimensions underlying measures of adult attachment. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 67, 430–445.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Haggbloom, S.J., Warnick, R., Warnick, J.E., Jones, V.K., Yarbrough, G.L., Russell, T.M., … Monte, E. (2002). The 100 most eminent psychologists of the 20th century. Review of General Psychology, 6, 139.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hanson, R.K., & Harris, A.J. (2000). Where should we intervene? Dynamic predictors of sexual offense recidivism. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 27, 6–35.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hanson, R.K., & Morton-Bourgon, K.E. (2005). The characteristics of persistent sexual offenders: a meta-analysis of recidivism studies. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 73, 1154–1163.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Harper, C.A., & Hogue, T.E. (2015). Measuring public perceptions of sex offenders: reimagining the Community Attitudes Toward Sex Offenders (CATSO) scale. Psychology, Crime & Law, 21, 452–470.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hart, J., Shaver, P.R., & Goldenberg, J.L. (2005). Attachment, self-esteem, worldviews, and terror-management: Evidence for a tripartite security system. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 88, 999–1013.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hazan, C., & Shaver, P. (1987). Romantic love conceptualized as an attachment process. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 52, 511–524.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hepburn, J.R., & Griffin, M.L. (2004). The effect of social bonds on successful adjustment to probation: An event history analysis. Criminal Justice Review, 29, 46–75.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Herman, J.L. (2000). Father–daughter incest. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.Google Scholar
Humphreys, C. (1992). Disclosure of child sexual assault: Implications for mothers. Australian Social Work, 45, 27–35.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kimble, C., & Helmreich, R. (1972). Self-esteem and the need for social approval. Psychonomic Science, 26, 339–342.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kline, P. (1994). An easy guide to factor analysis. New York: Routledge.Google Scholar
Lavrakas, P.J. (2008). Feeling thermometer. Encyclopedia of survey research methods. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lee, A., & Hankin, B.L. (2009). Insecure attachment, dysfunctional attitudes, and low self-esteem predicting prospective symptoms of depression and anxiety during adolescence. Journal of Clinical Child & Adolescent Psychology, 38, 219–231.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Levenson, J., & Tewksbury, R. (2009). Collateral damage: Family members of registered sex offenders. American Journal of Criminal Justice, 34, 54–68.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lustig, N., Dresser, J.W., Spellman, S.W., & Murray, T.B. (1966). Incest: A family group survival pattern. Archives of General Psychiatry, 14, 31–40.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Maisch, H. (1973). Incest. London, UK: Andre Deutsch.Google Scholar
Malinen, S., Willis, G.M., & Johnston, L. (2014). Might informative media reporting of sexual offending influence community members’ attitudes towards sex offenders? Psychology, Crime & Law, 20, 535–552.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Masilo, G.M., & Davhana-Maselesele, M. (2016). Experiences of mothers of sexually abused children in North-West province, post disclosure. Curationis, 39, 1–9.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
McDermott, R.C., & Lopez, F.G. (2013). College men's intimate partner violence attitudes: Contributions of adult attachment and gender roles stress. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 60, 127–136.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Murray, S.L., Rose, P., Bellavia, G.M., Holmes, J.G., & Kusche, A.G. (2002). When rejection stings: How self-esteem constrains relationship-enhancement processes. Journal or Personality and Social Psychology, 83, 556–573.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Mikulincer, M. (1995). Attachment style and the mental representation of the self. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 69, 1203–1215.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Miller, R., & Dwyer, J. (1997). Reclaiming the mother-daughter relationship after sexual abuse. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy, 18, 194–202.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ministry of Justice. (2017, July 27). Offender management statistics quarterly, England and Wales. Retrieved from https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/633154/offender-managemen-statistics-bulletin_-q1–2017.pdfGoogle Scholar
Morris, A. (2003, May). The mother of the victim as potential supporter and protector: Considerations and challenges. Paper presented at Child Sexual Abuse: Justice Response or Alternative Resolution Conference, Adelaide, Australia.Google Scholar
Petsnik, C. (2018). Dispositional attachment moderates the effect of observing ostracism on observers’ views of human nature and endorsement of aggressive norms (Unpublished master's thesis). The University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada. https://mspace.lib.umanitoba.ca/bitstream/handle/1993/33208/Petsnik_Corey.pdfGoogle Scholar
Philpot, T. (2009). Understanding Child Abuse: The Partners of Child Sex Offenders Tell Their Stories. New York, NY: Routledge.Google Scholar
Pietronomaco, P.R., & Barrett, L.F. (2000). The internal working models concept: What do we really know about the self in relation to others? Review of General Psychology, 4, 155–175.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Plogher, T.J., Stevenson, M.C., & McCracken, E.W. (2016). Stereotypes of sex offenders’ romantic partners predict intent to discriminate. Analyses of Social Issues and Public Policy, 16, 227–260.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Porter, S., & ten Brinke, L. (2009). Dangerous decisions: A theoretical framework for understanding how judges assess credibility in the courtroom. Legal and Criminological Psychology, 14, 119–134.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Priestly, P. (1980). Community of scapegoats: The segregation of sex offenders and informers in prison. Oxford, UK: Pergamon Press.Google Scholar
Ricks, M. (1985). The social transmission of parental behaviour: Attachment across generations. Monographs of the Society for Research in Child Development, 50, 211–230.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Robbers, M.L. (2009). Lifers on the outside sex offenders and disintegrative shaming. International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology, 53, 5–28.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Roberts, J.E., Gotlib, I.H., & Kassel, J.D. (1996). Adult attachment security and symptoms of depression: The mediating roles of dysfunctional attitudes and low self-esteem. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 70, 310–320.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Rudman, L.A., Ashmore, R.D., & Gary, M.L. (2001). ‘Unlearning’ automatic biases: The malleability of implicit prejudice and stereotypes. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 81, 856–868.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Schiavone, S.K., & Jeglic, E.L. (2009). Public perception of sex offender social policies and the impact on sex offenders. International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology, 53, 679–695.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Shackley, M., Weiner, C., Day, A., & Willis, G.M. (2014). Assessment of public attitudes towards sex offenders in an Australian population. Psychology, Crime & Law, 20, 553–572.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Skarżyńska, K., & Radkiewicz, P. (2014). Adult attachment styles and negativistic beliefs about the social world: The role of self-image and other-image. Polish Psychological Bulletin, 45, 511–520.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tewksbury, R., & Lees, M. (2006). Perceptions of sex offender registration: Collateral consequences and community experiences. Sociological Spectrum, 26, 309–334.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Waldram, J.B. (2007). Everybody has a story: Listening to imprisoned sexual offenders. Qualitative Health Research, 17, 963–970.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Willis, G.M., & Grace, R.C. (2008). The quality of community reintegration planning for child molesters: Effects on sexual recidivism. Sexual Abuse, 20, 218–240.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Willis, G.M., & Grace, R.C. (2009). Assessment of community reintegration planning for sex offenders: Poor planning predicts recidivism. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 36, 494–512.CrossRefGoogle Scholar