全球智库信息集成服务系统

Sexual Assault Perpetrators Are a Very Heterogeneous Group

• Sexual assault perpetrators are diverse in their motivations, types, and offending patterns.
• Most research focuses on male perpetrators who assault female victims. Very little is still known about female sexual assault perpetrators, men who assault other men, and perpetrators who participate in group sexual assault.

Sexual Assault Perpetration Is Likely Influenced by Different Combinations of Factors

• Research has identified many different factors that are correlated with sexual assault perpetration, including developmental factors and family history; individual-level characteristics such as attitudes/cognitions; and environmental factors such as peer influences and alcohol consumption.
• No single identifier alone, however, has been found to be highly predictive of sexual assault perpetration.
• The complexity of factors influencing sexual assault perpetration and the multiple pathways that may lead an individual to commit a sexual assault make it difficult to predict whether an individual is likely to commit sexual assault.

Sexual Assault Perpetrators Make a Series of Decisions That Lead to Opportunities to Commit Assault

• Some research examining behavioral patterns in sexual assault perpetration describe a cycle of sexual offending whereby prior to an attack, perpetrators make a series of decisions that leads to an opportunity to commit sexual assault. Therefore, there may be decision points along the pathway to sexual assault.
• Perpetrators' behavior may differ based upon the type of assault, for example, whether the assault is committed by a stranger or an acquaintance or whether alcohol is consumed prior to the assault.

Sexual assault continues to be a pervasive problem, both for society in general and within the military community. To assist the Air Force in its continued efforts to combat sexual assault within its ranks, we reviewed the existing empirical literature on the characteristics and behaviors of adult perpetrators who commit sexual assault against other adults. Our search was not limited to studies of military populations. While a vast majority of the existing literature has focused on sole male perpetrators who assault female victims, we identified some research on other types of perpetrators, including female sexual assault perpetrators, men who perpetrate assault against other men, and perpetrators who participate in group sexual assault. This body of research indicates that adult perpetrators are diverse in terms of their demographics, background characteristics, and motivations. Moreover, research indicates that sexual assault perpetration is likely influenced by a combination of factors, including an individual's developmental and family history; his or her personality, including attitudes/cognitions; and environmental factors, including peer attitudes and alcohol consumption. The complexity of factors that influence sexual assault perpetration and the multiple pathways that lead to an attack make it difficult to predict whether an individual is prone to commit sexual assault. While predicting sexual assault perpetration is problematic, we identified a number of factors related to perpetration that may be relevant for intervention efforts and offer recommendations for the Air Force.

• Chapter One

  Introduction

• Chapter Two

  Characteristics of Male Perpetrators Who Sexually Assault Female Victims

• Chapter Three

  Behaviors of Male Perpetrators Who Sexually Assault Female Victims

• Chapter Four

  Female Sexual Assault Perpetrators

• Chapter Five

  Male Perpetrators Who Sexually Assault Male Victims

• Chapter Six

  Multiple-Perpetrator Sexual Assault

• Chapter Seven

  Conclusions and Implications for Prevention Efforts