Behavioral and psychological predictors of multiple-perpetrator rape proclivity: A community sample study of men

Most of the sexual violence research focuses on incidents involving a single offender, yet one-fourth to one-third of rapes involved multiple offenders (Horvath & Kelly, 2009). The present study aimed to build upon the multiple-perpetrator rape (MPR) literature by investigating potential correlates associated with a proclivity for MPR and reconfirming prior findings. Community men completed a series of questionnaires that included the Multiple-Perpetrator Rape Interest Scale, the UCLA Loneliness Scale: Short-Form, the Buss–Perry Aggression Questionnaire: Short Form, the Sexual Fantasy Questionnaire, the Anger Rumination Scale, the Measure for Assessing Subtle Rape Myths, and the Self-Report Psychopathy-III: Short Form. The strongest relationship for M-PRIS was SFQ Sado-Masochistic (r = .79, p < .001). In a multiple linear regression, results showed a significant model, F(6, 108) = 28.6, p < .05, which explained 61.4% of the variance in a proclivity for MPR. Specifically, BPAQ Total, SFQ Total, and ARS Total were significant (sr2 = .0543, 0.0499, 0.0488, respectively). One implication is for clinicians to target various types of aggression, deviant sexual fantasies, and anger rumination in therapy among those with an interest to commit MPR to potentially reduce the urge to commit the action. Educational and preventive initiatives aimed at addressing sexual violence behaviors may also gain insights into individuals prone to engaging in such behaviors, where these programs seek to diminish the likelihood of MPR occurrences.