Attachment Styles, Dysregulation, Criminogenic Needs, and Successive Sexual Offending

Background: Attachment theory has been posited as a viable etiological explanation underlying the manifestation of sexual violence. Some studies have denoted differences between adolescent sexual and non-sexual offenders relative to attachment characteristics, specifically trust, communication, and alienation with caregivers. Complimentary research has found elevated rates of certain attachment styles, specifically anxious attachments, among adolescents who commit sexual crimes relative to non-sexual offenders. In these studies, insecure attachments were connected to later sexual offending behaviors. However, the linkage between attachment and sexual offending may be better explained by deficit-based mediational pathways including emotional or affect regulation. In fact, individuals with insecure attachments have been found to display emotional dysregulation, intimacy challenges, and cognitive distortions related to relationships. Even still, it is possible that adolescents with insecure attachments commit sexual crimes also because of the formation of criminogenic needs (CNs) resulting from dysregulation.

Methods: The current study tested these complex relationships. Using data collected from adolescents adjudicated of sexual and non-sexual crimes in a western state in the United States (N=200), structural equation models (SEM) tested direct and indirect relationships between anxious and avoidant attachment styles (in separate models), dysregulation (including cognitive and behavioral transitions, emotional control, and inhibited/impulsive behaviors), callousness, delinquency, and offending type (sexual or non-sexual offending).

Results: Results from the anxious attachment model (RMSEA= .047, CI= .0021-.069; CFI=.989; TLI =.9982) and the avoidant attachment model revealed good fit (RMSEA=.027 CI=.000-.053; CFI=.996; TLI=.993). The standardized path results indicated there were significant (p<.001) relationships between anxious and avoidant attachments and all dysregulation factors, with pathway coefficients ranging from β=.491 to β=.616. In the anxious attachment model, attachment (β=-.174, p=.024), impulsivity (β=.144, p=.016), and emotional control (β=.237 p<.0001) were associated with callousness. Callousness (β=.230, p=.001) and emotional control (β=.349, p=.001), were associated with delinquency, and delinquency (β=-.553, p<.001), impulsivity (β=.294, p=.001), and behavioral transitions (β=-.226, p=.021) were associated with sexual offending. In the avoidant attachment model, emotional control (β=.220, p<.001) was associated with callousness. Callousness (β=.249, p<.001) and emotional control (β=.324, p=.001) were associated with delinquency, and delinquency (β=-.571, p<.001), impulsivity (β=.328, p=.001), and behavioral transitions (β=-.233, p=.041) were associated with sexual offending. In both models, there were multiple indirect effects between relationships.

Conclusions: The results from these analyses adhere closely to the Grady et al. (2016) model in demonstrating a linear progression from early attachment formation to later risk for sexual offending behavior. The implications from this study can inform how prevention and early intervention programming for juveniles can infuse more attachment and relational experiences within families and between peer groups. Given that relational experiences are critical for positive youth development, programs can consider tailoring services to promote or enhance interactions between caregivers and youth and also develop prosocial connections within peer groups. There are also implications for additional research that takes a prospective and longitudinal approach to collecting data on youth.