Kelly Babchishin

Kelly M. Babchishin is an Assistant Professor of forensic psychology within the Department of Psychology. After completing her Ph.D. (experimental psychology, Carleton University), Kelly completed a Banting postdoctoral fellowship at the Institute of Mental Health Research (Ottawa) and the Karolinska Institute Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics (Stockholm; 2013-2017). Prior to starting at Carleton, Kelly was a research advisor at Public Safety Canada (2017-2019) and the Parole Board of Canada (2019-2021) where she conducted research to facilitate evidence-based policies for justice-involved individuals within Canada.

Kelly is the director of the Sexually Harmful Behaviour Research Lab. In the lab, we use an epidemiological and socioecological framework to provide novel information on factors involved in the development and maintenance of sexually harmful behaviours with the goal of improving prevention efforts. The research we conduct strives to examine all systems of influences and uses population-based, family-based, cohort, and convenience sampling strategies. We also harness the latest methodological and statistical developments, and use both quantitative and qualitative approaches. The lab is currently supported by grants from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC Insight), the Tech Coalition Safe Online Research Fund, and internal grants from Carleton University and the Royal Ottawa Hospital.

Ongoing research projects involves: (1) incest and sexual behaviours between siblings, (2) online sexual offending, (3) causal candidates for sexual offending, (4) sexting and the non-consensual sharing of sexual materials, and (5) risk assessment. More information on Kelly’s research can be found on her lab’s website.

Interested in supervision, volunteering, or research assistantships? Students interested in volunteering in the lab, paid research assistantships, or supervision (undergraduate, graduate, postdoctoral) are encouraged to peruse the prospective students section of the lab’s website.

Selected Publications (students/trainees are underlined)

Brown, S., Olver, M., Babchishin, K. M., & Forth, A. (2023). Psychology of Criminal Behaviour: A Canadian Perspective (3^rd edition). Pearson.

Fraser, J., Babchishin, K. M., & Helmus, L. M. (2023). Emotional congruence with children: An empirical examination of different models in men with a history of sexually offending against children. Advance online publication. Sexual Abuse. doi: 10.1177/10790632231172160.

Pezzoli, P., Babchishin, K. M., Pullman, L., & Seto, M. C. (2022). Viewing time measures of sexual interest and sexual offending propensity: An online survey of fathers. Advance online publication. Archives of Sexual Behaviors. doi:10.1007/s10508-022-02324-5

Babchishin, K. M., Lee, S. C., Eke, A. W., & Seto, M. C. (2022). Temporal order of sexual offending is risk-relevant for individuals with Child Sexual Exploitation Material Offences. Sexual Offending: Theory, Research, and Prevention, 17(6), 1-22.  doi: 10.5964/sotrap.7229

Martijn, F. M., Babchishin, K. M., Pullman, L. E., Roche, K. & Seto, M. C. (2022). Attraction to physical and psychological features of children in child attracted persons. Journal of Sex Research, 59(3), 391-402. doi:10.1080/00224499.2021.1948957

Babchishin, K. M., & Hanson, R. K. (2020). Monitoring changes in risk of reoffending: A prospective study of 632 men on community supervision. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 88, 886–898. https://doi.org/10.1037/ccp0000601

Babchishin, K. M., Seto, M. C., Fazel, S., Långström, N. (2019). Are there early risk markers for pedophilia? A nationwide case-control study of child sexual exploitation material offenders. Journal of Sex Research, 56, 203-212.  doi: 10.1080/00224499.2018.1492694.