Validation and revision of the multidimensional assessment of sex and aggression

Abstract

The Multidimensional Assessment of Sex and Aggression (the MASA) was initially created to supplement the often poorly represented information in the archival records of sex offenders and to provide sufficient data to classify adult sex offenders. It has now been revised four times, expanding the breadth of its assessment, simplifying its language to make it appropriate for juveniles, and computerizing its administration. This article summarizes some of the recent reliability and validity analyses that have been calculated on a wide variety of samples including college students, community non-criminals, non-sex offending criminals, and adult and juvenile sex offenders. Continued reliability and cross-sample stability of factor structures and the intercorrelations across its scales suggest that the inventory shows promise as a useful assessment instrument for sex offenders.