@article{ref1,
title="Cognitive, affective, and general empathy in individuals convicted of a sexual offense: a meta-analysis",
journal="Sexual abuse: a journal of research and treatment",
year="2019",
author="Morrow, Elijah Paul",
volume="ePub",
number="ePub",
pages="1079063219858062-1079063219858062",
abstract="Empathy has an important role in promoting proper societal functions. Those who violate societal functions, such as those convicted of having committed a criminal offense, are theorized to possess deficits in their empathic capacity. This assumption has been adopted by many criminological models, including for individuals convicted of a sexual offense (ICSO). However, contradictory research results have resulted in conflicting theories regarding the level of empathy within ICSO. This meta-analysis compiled available data to provide empirical clarity in a divided theoretical field. <br><br>RESULTS of the meta-analysis indicate that ICSO have lower levels of cognitive (Hedges's <i>g</i> = -.303, <i>p</i> =.007) and general empathy (Hedges's <i>g</i> = -.188, <i>p</i> =.020) than those in the general population but do not have significantly lower levels of affective empathy (Hedges's <i>g</i> =.023, <i>p</i> =.849). Several moderator analyses were conducted, including type of sexual offense, assessment instrument used, and age at conviction.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="1079-0632",
doi="10.1177/1079063219858062",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1079063219858062"
}