The Relevance of Self-Report Measures in the Prediction of Recidivism Risk in Individuals Convicted of Sexual Offenses: A Systematic Review

In personality psychology, questionnaires are an established tool for assessing psychological traits. In forensic risk assessment, however, their use is often met with skepticism. The aim of this review is to critically evaluate the role of self-report information for assessing the risk of sexual recidivism. Focusing on individuals convicted of sexual offending, about 500 publications were identified through a systematic, string-based search across three electronic databases. The final sample was constituted by 95 publications that met the inclusion criteria - empirical studies using or investigating self-report measures in sexual risk assessment, with a minimum of 50 participants. Various risk-relevant constructs assessed by self-reports were examined. The results predominantly support the validity of self-report measures, particularly for assessing sexuality-related constructs, offense-supportive cognitions, prior offenses, and aggression. Comparing self-reports to other instruments showed some unique variance to the prediction of recidivism. The association with desirable responding was found to have an overall small effect size. Additionally, social desirability often emerged not as a response bias but as a risk-relevant trait. However, contextual factors, such as confidentiality and incentives, may significantly influence response distortion, presenting limitation for their use in high-stakes forensic decision-making. Overall, self-reported information appears to be a valuable complement to other assessment methods, significantly contributing to the prediction of recidivism. Nevertheless, the relationship between self-reports, contextual factors, and offender characteristics should be carefully considered when selecting the most appropriate assessment method. The findings of this study, along with its limitations and implications for future research, are discussed.