The excuses of child molesters

Clinicians often regard the excuses of child molesters as important indicators of remorse, rehabilitation potential and the likelihood of recidivism. Despite the implications for clinical decision-making and judicial deliberations, relatively little is known about the content and structure of these explanatory statements. This study was an attempt to delineate the range of thematic content and logical structure of the excuses of child molesters. Over 250 justificatory statements were examined from the clinical records of 86 child molesters referred for psychiatric assessment. A total of 21 distinct excuses and six thematic categories were identified. An ‘excuse syntax’ was devised to define the structure of the offenders' reasoning about their sexual improprieties. The excuse syntax has the advantage of formalizing clinical judgements about the individual's level of denial and personal responsibility, his degree of defensiveness and the logical consistency of his justifications. Implications for clinical practice and research are discussed.     

The effects of masturbatory reconditioning with nonfamilial child molesters.

Abel and Annon's (Reducing deviant sexual arousal through satisfaction, Denver, Colo., 1982) suggested combination of 'directed masturbation' and 'satiation' to alter deviant sexual preferences, was applied to 10 nonfamilial child molesters. Post-treatment assessments revealed significant reductions in deviant arousal as was expected, but unfortunately there were also reductions in appropriate arousal although these changes did not achieve statistical significance. The results are discussed in terms of their meaning but it is concluded that empirical support for these clinically popular procedures remains weak.     

Psychological profile of pedophiles and child molesters

Pedophiles and child molesters share some characteristics. Most are male, and they can be heterosexual, homosexual, or bisexual. Some prefer adult sex partners but choose children because they are available and vulnerable. The sexual abuse perpetrated may be a 1-time incident and may consist only of fondling. Penetration is unlikely with young children. Perpetrators' ages range from teens to midlife. Most victims are girls, and the perpetrator usually is a relative, friend, or neighbor. The home of the victim is often the setting for the incident. When boys are victims, sexual abuse may take place outside the home, and perpetrators may be strangers. Perpetrators of sexual abuse of children often claim that they themselves were victims of childhood sexual abuse. Psychological profiles are helpful but are compromised partly because many perpetrators are prisoners and control groups are lacking for this research.     

A simple behavioral treatment program for psychogenic encopresis

A treatment program based on behavioral psychological principles which can be explained to parents in one session and supervised by letters and phone calls each week was found to be highly effective in completely eliminating the problem of psychogenic encopresis. A controlled study and extensive clinical use have indicated 100% effectiveness for the program when carefully adhered to.     

The psychometric properties of the penile tumescence assessment of child molesters

The presence of sexual arousal to children or a sexual preference for children are commonly hypothesized as being related to child molesting. Sexual arousal and sexual preference do not appear to be accurately assessed by traditional assessment methods such as the clinical interview and traditional personality testing or by projective testing (Earls, 1992). Penile tumescence measurement is an increasingly utilized method for assessing sexual arousal and preference in child molesters. The published literature concerning the psychometric properties of this technology as used with child molesters is critically reviewed. Basic questions concerning the sexual preference hypothesis, the criterion problem, the lack of procedural standardization, the kind of test penile tumescence measures exemplifies, and potentially problematic inferences involved in penile tumescence assessment are examined. There is evidence of test-retest and internal consistency reliabilities for certain penile tumescence measurement procedures. While there are a significant number of studies providing evidence that these techniques can accurately distinguish child abusers from nonoffenders, many are plagued by methodological problems. Suggestions for future research are given.The authors would like to thank Henry Adams, Christopher Earls, Steven R. Gold, D. Richard Laws, Barry M. Maletzky, and several anonymous reviewers for their comments on earlier versions of this paper.     

A maintenance program for behavioral treatment of anxiety disorders

A maintenance program for behavioral treatments of anxiety disorders is presented in some detail, together with preliminary results of its application as part of three treatment trials. Compared to previous studies reporting long-term effects of behavioral treatments, the present program yielded a larger percentage of improvement during the follow-up period, a lower proportion of patients needing further treatment, and fewer relapses.     

A standardized behavioral group treatment program for obsessive-compulsive disorder: preliminary outcomes

This paper provides outcome data about the efficacy of a behavioral group therapy program for obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Thirty-six patients completed a 7-week outpatient treatment program which provides: (1) education about OCD and its treatment, (2) instruction in a cognitive and behavioral approach to the self-treatment of OCD and (3) guided behavioral treatment. Significant improvement in obsession, compulsion, and depression scores were observed at completion of the group and at 3 month follow-up. Significant improvement in obsessions and compulsions was observed for both patients taking anti-obsessional medications and those who did not.     

The measurement of self-esteem for program evaluation

The purpose of this paper is to examine the area of self-esteem in the professional literature, its relationship to educational programs, its measurement problems, and one approach to program evaluation in terms of students' self-esteem. Self-esteem has been an important topic in the educational literature in recent years. There have been many important contributions by investigators on the relationship between self-esteem and educational achievement. Until recently, the results of self-esteem investigations have yielded a somewhat negative appraisal from reviewers, but there is optimism for the future possibilities of assessing this elusive construct. The investigator focusing upon program evaluation has advantages over his predecessors. He can utilize different measurement strategies. The strengths and criticisms of Q methodology are discussed. The L-L Q-Sort is presented as one approach to the evaluation of self-esteem in educational program evaluation.     

Designing a behavioral program for a barrio in Tegucigalpa, Honduras

Health in Housing initiated a behavioral program of education and skills training for children and adults in a community of 30,000 persons living in substandard conditions in Tegucigalpa, Honduras. To measure achievement in the long-range project, 21 families of Flor del Campo participated in a preliminary three-part survey of their (a) health, (b) housing and the environment, and (c) family history. Doctors, designers, and educators worked with Honduran personnel in the first survey. Following functional analyses of the home and surrounding environment and the physical status of the individuals living there, procedures provide the family with treatment and training for home and environment improvement. Graphic, verbal, and numerical data, incorporated into a master computerized system, record events of each family member: training programs experienced, health care delivery courses taken, medical treatments, growth of children, literacy changes, educational courses completed, kinds and amounts of foods eaten, household and building materials purchased. Ongoing functional analysis and a long-range evaluation are made of the progress of each participating individual in a family. Teams revisit each house to observe and record any changes in the physical and environmental facility and the health and life-styles, and to report any indications of new health problems or recurrences.     

Implementation of a comprehensive schoolwide behavioral intervention: The ABC program

The Academic and Behavioral Competencies (ABC) Program, a schoolwide program to reduce classroom disruption and encourage rule following, academic task completion, and homework completion, is described. The program was initially developed and implemented in an elementary school with a high-risk population. Data from teachers, parents, and children indicate high levels of satisfaction with the program. In addition, unobtrusive measures of program impact, reported as reductions in referrals to the principal's office, suspensions, and increases in homework completion rates relative to the year prior to implementation of the program, suggest a preliminary positive impact of the program. A replication is reported for another school district, with teacher evaluations of satisfaction and effectiveness reported, supporting the flexibility and adaptability of the program. Although the present article does not constitute a systematic evaluation of the ABC Program, it presents preliminary data on the process of implementation and stakeholder satisfaction.