Pathways to sexual aggression according to modus operandi in male and female perpetrators: A systematic review

Over the last 40 years, studies have been carried out to investigate the pathways to sexual aggression. However, the heterogeneity of these pathways across studies remains unspecified, due to the use of diverse terminology. Consequently, the aim of the current systematic review was to investigate these pathways in various offender categories. A search of 21 online databases identified 29,218 candidate studies, of which 23 specifically examined pathways to sexual aggression. These pathways include developmental, personality, lifestyle, disinhibitor, and modus operandi characteristics. In the 23 studies, which used a variety of quantitative and qualitative methodologies, we found 7 prototypical pathways. Some are specific to one category of sexual aggressor (e.g., the sadistic pathway in adult male perpetrators having adult female victims) and others are found in all categories of aggressors (e.g., escaping negative mood). These results support the view that internal (e.g., psychopathy, deviant sexual fantasies) and external (e.g., victim resistance) constraints interact in a limited number of ways, and so give rise to only a limited number of prototypical pathways to sexual aggression. • There is a limited number of pathways leading to the commission of a sexual assault. • Some pathways are specific to the sexual aggressors of women (sadistic and angry). • Some pathways are specific to the sexual aggressors of children (non-coercive deviant). • One pathway is common to all types of sexual aggressors (escaping negative affect).