Men with intellectual disabilities who have attended sex offender treatment groups: a follow-up

Background:

There have been a number of studies of treatment for men with intellectual disabilities and sexually abusive behaviour but few follow-up studies. Our aim was to follow up men with intellectual disabilities who had attended group cognitive behavioural treatment (CBT) for sexually abusive behaviour.

Method:

Thirty-four men (from seven treatment sites) were followed up. All had attended SOTSEC-ID groups. The mean length of follow-up, since the end of the treatment group, was 44 months (SD 28.7, range 15–106 months).

Results:

The statistically significant improvements in sexual knowledge, empathy and cognitive distortions that occurred during treatment were maintained at follow-up. In all, 11 of the 34 (32%) men showed further sexually abusive behaviour, but only two of these men received convictions. Analyses of the variables associated with further sexually abusive behaviour indicated that a diagnosis of autism was associated with a higher likelihood of further sexually abusive behaviour.

Conclusions:

This study provides some evidence of the longer-term effectiveness of group CBT for men with intellectual disabilities and sexually abusive behaviour.