How do Adults Sexual Offender Against Pre-pubescent Minors Perceive the Notion of Consent Based on the Account of Their Lived Experience ? (SOconsent)

Condition(s) studied

Investigational drug(s) / intervention(s)

Patient interview: A semi-structured interview with five questions will be conducted, with audio recording, which will later be transcribed verbatim.

Study summary

In 2024, the police and gendarmerie recorded 12,260 victims of sexual violence, an increase of 7% compared with 2023. In 2019, 36,000 cases of sexual violence (rape or sexual assault) were handled by the public prosecutor's office. In 53.3% of cases, sexual violence was committed against minors. In 95% of cases, the perpetrators were male. The word is getting out about sexual violence, bringing the subject of consent to the forefront of media and scientific news. Even if the word is common, its definition is subtle, its understanding complex and many factors can influence its perception, including sex education, psychosocial skills and adherence to gender stereotypes.

Research has shown that most people define sexual consent in the context of an oral conversation. However, studies show us that this is not what is done in practice: sexual consent or refusal is most often non-verbal and indirect.

No studies have been carried out on consent in a population of perpetrators of sexual violence against minors.

It is know that perpetrators of sexual violences exhibit alexythmias and cognitive distortions in the area of sexuality. The issue of consent is crucial, since perpetrators of sexual violences may believe that prepubescent children are capable of consenting to a sexual act.

The aim of this study is to obtain a better analysis of the mechanisms, situations, facilitating factors, representations, sensitive perceptions and attitudes that lead perpetrators of sexual violences of minors to experiment with consent in their relationships. A better assessment of their understanding of consent and the factors that may have influenced it could have an impact on primary, secondary and tertiary prevention, as well as on treatment, and avoid potential new acts.

Eligibility

Primary outcome measure(s)

• One guided interview to measure the consent perception of patient — Baseline single time point
  The objective of this study is to understand the determinants of consent perception among individuals who have committed sexual violence against minors, based on the collection of their lived experiences. The interviews will be analyzed using a phenomenological approach, aiming to generate data from the lived experiences captured in the verbatim transcripts, in order to identify categories related to the phenomenon under study-namely, consent-each representing a distinct dimension of it. This analysis will be structured in several stages. Raw data will be compiled in a Word document. Following segmentation into meaning units and thematization through an inductive coding process and classificatory logic, the analysis will focus on identifying elements relevant to the research question, with particular attention to predefined indicators (such as empathy, coercion, cognitive distortions, and negative past experiences related to consent).

Trial sites (1)

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