Cognitive-behavioural treatment for men with intellectual disabilities and sexually abusive behaviour: a pilot study

Background: Cognitive-behaviour therapy (CBT) seems to be becoming the treatment of choice for non-disabled sex offenders. Nevertheless, there have been relatively few evaluations of such treatment for men with intellectual disabilities (ID) and sexually abusive behaviour.

Method: A pilot study providing CBT for two groups of men with ID is described. Measures of change in sexual knowledge, victim empathy and cognitive distortions were collected, together with a log of further sexually abusive behaviour.

Results: Fifteen men were offered treatment but some dropped out and some declined to take part in the research. The results for the eight men who consented to the research and completed treatment showed significant positive changes in sexual knowledge and victim empathy (two men completed both groups, making 10 sets of data in all). Cognitive distortions showed significant change on only one of the two measures. Some men showed further sexually abusive behaviour either during or after the treatment group (all had been previously diagnosed as on the autistic spectrum).

Conclusion: There is a need for a larger multi-site trial of treatment with a broad set of measures and the ability to analyse who benefits from such treatments and who does not.