Research

Research interests

• The cognition of child molesters, rapists, and violent offenders
• Female sex offenders
• The rehabilitation and treatment of sexual offenders
• Applied cognitive-experimental psychology
• Arson and firesetting

Research on female sex offenders

I have been researching female sexual offending over the past few years. I first began researching female sexual offenders in 2006 when I was awarded an Economic and Social Research Council Grant to investigate female sexual offenders’ offence supportive beliefs (Gannon, T. A., & Rose, M. R. (2009) Offence-related interpretative bias in female child molesters: A preliminary study. Sexual Abuse: A Journal of Research and Treatment, 21, 194- 207, and Gannon, T. A., Rose, M. R., & Williams, S. E. (2009). Do female child molesters hold implicit associations between children and sex? A preliminary investigation. Journal of Sexual Aggression, 15, 55-61).

I have also expanded my interests in female sexual offenders through investigating the offending styles of female sexual offenders, and through developing the first model of female sexual offending. This model is called the Descriptive Model of Female Sexual Offending and outlines the role of cognitive, behavioural, affective, and contextual factors associated with female perpetrated abuse. I am currently working on further developing this model, but it can be used as a preliminary guide to treatment in its current form and we have written a publication outlining some key case studies which we hope might be useful to treatment professionals (Gannon, T. A., Rose, M. R., & Ward, T. (in press). Pathways to female sexual offending: A preliminary study. Psychology, Crime and Law).

My key collaborators on the topic of female-perpetrated sexual offending are Mariamne Rose (Clinical Psychologist in Training) and Dr Franca Cortoni (University of Montreal). Mariamne and I have written some key reviews on the nature and extent of female-perpetrated abuse (Gannon, T. A., & Rose, M. R. (2008). Female child sexual offenders: Towards integrating theory and practice. Aggression and Violent Behavior, 13, 6, 442-461), and Franca Cortoni and I have just completed a co-edited book together on the topic of female-perpetrated abuse which is due out early 2010 [click here to see a sample introductory chapter].

To request an interview with Dr Gannon on the topic of female sexual offenders, or any of her specialist research interests please contact the Media Office at the University of Kent:

Tel: 01227 823581/823100
Email: MediaOffice@kent.ac.uk

Key publications

Gannon, T. (2010). Female arsonists: Key features, psychopathologies and treatment needs. Psychiatry: Interpersonal and Biological Processes, 73, 173-189.

Gannon, T. A., & Rose, M. R. (2009) Offence-related interpretative bias in female child molesters: A preliminary study. Sexual Abuse: A Journal of Research and Treatment, 21, 194-207.

Gannon, T. A., Rose, M. R., & Ward, T. (2008). A descriptive model of the offense process for female sexual offenders. Sexual Abuse: A Journal of Research and Treatment, 20, 352-374.

Gannon, T. A., Ward, T., Collie, R. M., & Thakker, J. (2008). Rape: Psychopathology, theory and treatment. Clinical Psychology Review, 28, 982-1008.