Background: Despite considerable advance and growth in the evidence base for psychological interventions as treatment for sex offenders with intellectual disabilities (ID), there remains limited evidence to support their effectiveness. This systematic review seeks to evaluate the effectiveness of psychological interventions on reducing reoffending…

This article presents a historical overview of research on sexually abusive youth. The evolution of the field over the past 30 years is discussed--from the initial development of treatment interventions to contemporary efforts of professionals to move from traditional, adult-oriented interventions toward developmentally sensitive assessment…

Discusses work with thousands of siblings, parents, therapists, survivors, and retractors concerning sexual abuse reported by individuals with false memory syndrome. States that mind-altering techniques that help to create confabulations have been unleashed on an unwary public. In the hands of some therapists, these techniques create false…

Complex issues are involved in the controversy about memories of childhood sexual abuse. Questions of childhood trauma, traumatic memory, the memory process, clinical issues, and forensic implications are reviewed. This article is condensed and modified from a more comprehensive document prepared by and available from the International Society for…

Discusses the factors underlying the use of therapy and counseling as a medium for therapist abuse. Examines the prevailing conditions for abuse to occur, how the therapist overcomes client resistance, and the implications for the maintenance of professional standards. (Author/GCP)

The aim of the study was to understand why the dynamic of sexual abuse is perpetuated across successive generations. A qualitative analysis was conducted on therapy session transcripts and diaries written during the therapy of 24 mothers who were survivors of incest, and whose children were the victims of incest. Four types of mothers were…

The literature on incest was reviewed with specific emphasis on the psychological impact that the incestuous relationship has on the female victim. The goals of the review were to identify the psychological impact of incest as supported by clinical observations and empirical research and to review literature on intervention strategies. These…

Examines perception of past sexual abuse experiences and quality of life among adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse. Interviews (N=52) reveal three types of explanations for the offenders' behavior. Results indicate that survivors who attributed the abuse to the offenders' characteristics managed to keep their self esteem fairly intact and…

Reviews methods of treatment used with sex offenders, each based on the erroneous belief that sex offenders constitute a relatively homogeneous taxonomic class. Asserts that sex offenders are people with a sad personal history, in which their deviant sexual behavior represents an effort to banish the pain they experienced during their developing…

"Traumatic bonding" is defined as "the evolution of emotional dependency between...a child and an adult [in] a relationship characterized by periodic sexual abuse." Maintains that the concept holds promise for explaining confusing dynamics of incest. Demonstrates ways in which traumatic bonding can be applied to cases of incest…

This brief review traces the evolution of clinical understanding about borderline syndromes during the last three decades of the 20th century. The focus shifted from descriptive phenomenology in the 1970s to documenting linkages with childhood trauma in the 1980s. In the 1990s, effective and teachable techniques for emotional containment in these…

The development of comprehensive treatment services for intellectually disabled sex offenders has been slow in comparison with mainstream sex offender treatment services, which have now achieved Home Office accreditation within the National Probation Service. The author discusses some of the reasons for this failure to keep pace, focusing on the…

This article reviews the major forms of violence against women, including sexual assault, intimate-relationship violence, and stalking and outlines the known psychological effects of such victimization. Also discussed are a number of variables that combine to determine the effects of such victimization, including type and characteristics of the…

Background. A variety of research designs have been employed to explore the efficacy of the wide range of interventions for sex offenders with learning disabilities. This paper reviews these studies to consider the efficacy of such treatments. Methods. Computerized searches and less formal literature gathering led to the identification of 31…

The documented incidence of sexual abuse of boys is reported. Though prevalence rates varied from different sources, all sources agreed that reported cases reflect only a fraction of the actual prevalence. The paper also discusses characteristics of the abusers, risk factors of victims, the effects of abuse, and the coping styles of the young male…