Socially desirable responding and offence characteristics among rapists.

The relationship between socially desirable responding and offence characteristics is examined with 49 rapists. Socially desirable responding (SDR) was measured by the Balanced Inventory of Desirable Responding. Offence characteristics included: (a) perpetrator's relationship to the victim; (b) severity of victim injury; and (c) victim's age. Greater victim injury was associated with lower Impression Management (r = -.27, p < .03) and Denial scores (r = -.32, p < .01). No significant relationship occurred between offence characteristics and the self-deceptive scales of Denial of the Negative and Over Confident Rigidity. Alternative to the underreporting hypothesis, self-presentation and the acquisition of socially appropriate skills may explain the SDR/violence relationship.