<- Home <- Arhive <- Vol. 20, Issue 1, March 2012



Rom J Leg Med20(1)73-76(2012)
DOI:10.4323/rjlm.2012.73
© Romanian Society of Legal Medicine


Cultural patterns in personality differences between child molesters and general population

J. A. Becerra-García, A. García-León, V. Egan


Abstract: The study evaluated the Five Factor Model (FFM) in populations of child molesting sexual offenders from the UK and Spain, comparing these FFM-based personality traits in relation to population norms for both countries. Our objective was to study if there exists cultural patterns in personality differences between child molesters and general populations. In this study were included two groups from the general population (United Kingdom-Spain) and two groups of child molester (United Kingdom-Spain). The results showed that the differences in Neuroticism between the general population and child molesters for both countries reflect the same pattern. Whereas some personality domains (Extraversion, Openness and Conscientiousness) between general population and sex offenders against children did not show the same pattern in both countries, this may reflect cultural differences. The current study provides evidence of: 1) existence of cultural differences in FFM characteristics between general population and child molester and 2) existence of personality characteristics of sex offenders against children (as high Neuroticism) that are independent of the culture.
Keywords: Child molesters, Five Factor Model, personality traits, cultural patterns



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