4 102 CHAPTER 4 and as a result may have a larger impact on the risk of sexual reoffending. A relatively less central (and so less influential) position was found for significant social influences and capacity for relationship stability. Further research could empirically validate and verify these and other hypotheses on causal interrelated dynamic risk factors and their relationship with sexual reoffending. Third, future longitudinal studies with repeated measurements of dynamic risk factors could provide information on the direction of observed relationships and may offer more insight in processes that result from changes in dynamic risk factors. Fourth, in accordance with a recent factor analysis of the STABLE-2007 (Etzler et al., 2020), all networks in both samples showed two pairs of relatively strong interconnected dynamic risk factors within the community concerning sexual self-regulation: sexual preoccupation and sex as coping, and deviant sexual interests and emotional identification with children. To further elucidate the nature of sexual self-regulation, future studies could examine the causal relationships within and between these pairs of dynamic risk factors. Fifth, replication studies in different samples (and different cultures) are needed. For example, to reveal to what extent college students or self-referred men, seeking help to refrain from future sexual offending behavior, could benefit from existing risk-reducing treatment, networks of dynamic risk factors in these community samples could be compared with those of men engaged in criminal justice systems for committing sexual offenses (Wittström et al., 2020). Besides, future research comparing networks of dynamic risk factors based on offense type (e.g., possession of child sexual exploitation material, voyeurism, indecent exposure, child sexual abuse, rape, sexual murder) or on whether participants received mandated treatment would provide insight into similarities and differences in the underlying dynamics between these risk factors. 4.4.3 CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS Assuming the network structures found in our study indeed represent causal interactions between dynamic risk factors, we believe our findings have several clinical implications. Given their central position, dynamic risk factors concerning social rejection/loneliness, cognitive problem-solving skills, impulsive behavior, and callousness might be considered to have a substantial influence on the risk of sexual recidivism. Consequently, the effects of risk management and treatment of adult men with a history of sexual offenses could strengthen when these dynamic risk factors are given more attention. In addition, therapists and probation officers could assign lower priority to dynamic risk factors that are characterized by low-strength centrality (e.g., significant social influences and capacity for relationship stability). Further, this study visualized interrelated dynamic risk factors on a group level. However, network analysis can also be applied to individual cases. This can be accomplished through the use of a structured self-report diary technique, the so-called experience sampling method, which allows for the investigation of psychological and behavioral features within and in
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