Indirect measures of deviant sexual interest

Latency and accuracy-based indirect measures have become of increasing interest to researchers and clinicians who work with sexual offenders. Most notably, they have been regarded as a useful tool for measuring deviant sexual interests, as they are thought to circumvent many of the issues associated with existing assessment tools. Thus, over the past 10 years, a number of tasks have been adapted to indirectly assess deviant sexual interest and an increasing body of research detailing their utility and psychometric properties has amassed. In this chapter, we examine this literature, providing a comprehensive overview that we hope proves useful for both clinicians and researchers. Specifically, details on how each measure works; their underlying rationale; their validity and reliability; and their limitations are discussed. Suggestions for future research are also offered throughout the chapter.