Male adolescent sexual offenders: the offender and the offense.

A group of male adolescent sexual offenders were divided into three groups: Courtship Disorders (Exhibitionism, Toucherism and Obscene Phone Calls), Sexual Assaults, and Pedophilic Offenses. Group I offenders tended to come from a less disorganized family background, were better adjusted to school and in the community and were seen by clinicians as less seriously disturbed than the adolescents in the other two groups. In addition, these adolescents did not experience the offense as a sexual act. Group II offenders (Sexual Assaulters) came from a more disturbed family background characterized by a high rate of long-term parent-child separations, committed more violent offenses and had a higher frequency of intellectual functioning in the Borderline Range of Intelligence. Group III offenders (Pedophilic Offenses) were Canadian born, had witnessed physical violence between their parents, were described as having been infants who did not enjoy being cuddled and had siblings who were truant. This study suggests that classifying adolescent sexual offenders along the line suggested in adult literature seems to be justified.