Postcards from the Id

Female Sex Offenders Often Have Mental Health Difficulties

According to research discussed in this article, female sex offenders tend to have mental health issues equal to that of women who have committed other violent crimes (the sex offenses used in this study included rape, non-consensual sex, sexual assault, and sexual molestation). In addition, the rates of mental health problems as compared to a control group were significantly higher. From the article:

“However, the figures differ widely from the control group. Incidences of psychosis were 16 times higher amongst the sex offenders than the control group, drug abuse 23 times higher. According to the research team, the results indicate that women suspected or convicted of sexual offences should undergo routine psychiatric examination, something which, at present, is not done.”

The article notes that previous research has not shown higher levels of mental health problems for male sex offenders. Having worked with both male and female offenders, I am not surprised by this finding. Without making any comment on whether the mental health issues present are mitigating in terms of the offending behavior, in my experience female offenders by and large do have a significantly higher number of mental health issues, as compared with male offenders. It seems reasonable that this general trend would also apply to this specific class of offender. Female offenders not only tend to have more mental health difficulties, they also utilize mental health services far more than their male counterparts. Part of this may be the types of mental health issues typically present in the female offender population, part of this may be that mental health services are less stigmatizing in the female offender population, and part of this difference is likely due to other factors as well. In general, the differences in the prison culture at female prisons versus male prisons are fascinating. In addition to the differences in the usage of mental health services (as well as the need for crisis services due to self-injurious behavior, or “crises” that turn out to be not-quite crisis level), there are a number of other dynamics that are really interesting. Sounds like a great future blog post topic!

Memory Problems in Older Adults Impact Men More than Women

According to this article, the onset of mild cognitive impairment (often considered a potential precursor to Alzheimer’s Disease) afflicts men more than women. Mild cognitive impairment is defined as a display of memory difficulties and other mild cognitive deficits that are above and beyond what would typically be expected, given the person’s age and level of education. Over 2,000 individuals were assessed as part of the study, as well as a family member or other person familiar with the person’s functioning. The researchers found:

* 16.7 per cent of the group had mild cognitive impairment.

* Men were 1.6 times more likely to have mild cognitive impairment than women.

* This statistic was the same regardless of the men's level of education or marital status.

Interestingly, the study also found men and women have the same levels of full dementia. This suggests that while men show signs of impairment earlier, their decline is less steep, compared to women. In other words, there is a delayed progression from normal cognitive functioning to dementia for men, when compared with women.

In addition, the article also mentions other lifestyle factors that influence the onset and progression of cognitive difficulties, including fitness level and diet.

Women Don't Want Everything...Just Perfection

Okay, I'm exaggerating (a little).  Here is a review of some research that suggests, contrary to previous research, women seek all desirable traits in a male partners, but that expectations are tempered by their own desirability.  That is, a woman who is extremely desirable (to men) will seek men that meet all criteria, but that as you lower the woman's desirability, she is willing to prioritize, and sacrifice certain traits in order to secure a partner with the most important traits (to her).  The article lists the desired traits in men as the following:

The researchers identified four categories of characteristics women seek in a partner:

* good genes, reflected in desirable physical traits,

* resources,

* the desire to have children and good parenting skills, and

* loyalty and devotion.

Men, in contrast, are less complicated.  The researchers state that the, ahem, "traits" males seek in partners did not vary among men based on their desirability.  That is, Danny Devito and Brad Pitt have the exact same expectations of who they prefer as a partner.  I'm sure people everywhere are shocked by this last bit of information...