Date of Conferral
4-17-2025
Date of Award
April 2025
Degree
Ph.D.
School
Psychology
Advisor
Eric Hickey
Abstract
Prior research established a positive correlation between childhood abuse and sexually motivated murders, and childhood abuse is considered a risk factor for serial murder, especially for sexually motivated serial murder. The purpose of this quantitative study was to assess whether a predictive relationship exists between childhood abuse types (physical, sexual, and psychological) and MacDonald triad behaviors (enuresis, fire setting, and animal cruelty) in predicting sexual homicide subtypes (sexualized, grievance, and rape murder) in a sample of male serial sexual homicide offenders. The subtypes were derived from the Higgs, Carter, Tully, and Browne systematic review. The theoretical lenses applied in the analysis were social learning theory and the trauma-control model. Results of multinomial logistic regression analyses indicated that the presence or absence of abuse types and MacDonald triad behaviors did not differentiate and statistically predict group assignment of offenders’ sexual homicide subtypes. The nonsignificant results suggest either that there was no true predictive relationship between the variables, the quantitative methodology required modifications to mitigate the limitations of the study (i.e., sample size), or this topic would be more effectively researched qualitatively. Results contribute to the psychological literature by advancing the field’s knowledge on this offender group and providing methodology recommendations for future research.
Recommended Citation
Dionne, Kevin, "Assessing the Predictability of Sexual Homicide Subtypes in Serial Homicide Offenders Using Childhood Abuse and the MacDonald Triad" (2025). Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies. 17616.
https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/17616
