Date

7-22-2025

Department

School of Behavioral Sciences

Degree

Doctor of Philosophy in Psychology (PhD)

Chair

Bethany Mims-Beliles

Keywords

adult male sexual offenders, recidivism risk, attachment style

Disciplines

Psychology

Abstract

This study investigated the possible relationship between attachment to adult romantic partners and attachment to God style and sexual/violent recidivism risk scores. The study, also, sought to understand the lived experiences of adult male sexual offenders in relation to their family of origin, romantic partners, and with the Christian God. Participants (N=38) completed self-report questionnaires on their attachment styles to adult romantic partners (ECR-R) and to God (AGI). These scores were analyzed using chi-squared test of independence and multiple linear regression with scores of sexual/violent recidivism risk assessments performed by their probation or corrections officers (STATIC 99R, CPORT). This study further interviewed a subgroup of participants (N= 18) and used a phenomenological approach to find common themes among participants related to personal relationships with family, romantic partners, and with God. Results showed offenders with an insecure attachment to God style predicted higher overall recidivism risk scores. In-depth interviews revealed themes of emotionally detached mothers, abusive fathers, legalistic or hypocritical experiences with the Christian faith, emotional detachment, intimacy fearfulness, and emotional emptiness among the qualitative sample. However, participants who reported positive experiences with faith-based communities while incarcerated reported experiencing profound change gaining a personal, secure relationship with the Christian God. These findings have implications for the etiology of sexual offending to expand the pathway model to include insecure relationship to God alongside insecure relationships to childhood caregivers.

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