Citation

Miccio-Fonseca LC. J. Child Adolesc. Trauma 2019; 12(4): 457-467.

Affiliation

Clinic for the Sexualities, 591 Camino de la Reina, Suite 705, San Diego, CA 92108 USA.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2019, Holtzbrinck Springer Nature Publishing Group)

DOI

10.1007/s40653-018-0242-8

PMID

32318215

PMCID

PMC7163815

Abstract

Applied are empirical findings from two major studies employing the ecologically framed MEGA
^♪
risk assessment tool: MEGA
^♪
Combined Samples Studies (N = 3901 [1979-2017] (Miccio-Fonseca 2017a, d) and MEGA
^♪
Combined Cross Validation Studies (N = 2717). Samples consisted of male, female, and transgender-female sexually abusive youth, ages 4-19, including youth with low intellectual functioning of borderline or low average.

FINDINGS further support a previously presented nomenclature identifying two subsets overlooked by most contemporary risk assessment tools: sexually violent and predatory sexually violent youth (Miccio-Fonseca and Rasmussen Journal of Aggression Maltreatment & Trauma, 18, 106-128, 2009, 2014). MEGA
^♪
Studies provided normative data, with cut-off scores (calibrated) according to age and gender, establishing four risk levels: Low, Moderate, High, and Very High. The fourth risk level, Very High, sets MEGA
^♪
apart from other risk assessment tools for sexually abusive youth, which are limited to three risk levels. Very High risk level definitively identifies the most dangerous youth, thus empirically supporting the nomenclature of sexually violent and predatory sexually violent youth.

© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2018.

Language: en

Keywords

Adolescent sex offender; MEGA risk assessment tool; Sexually abusive youth; Sexually violent predator; Violent sex offender