reoffending than those who completed treatment. The predictors of nonsexual violent recidivism and general (any) recidivism were similar to those predictors found among nonsexual criminals (e.g., prior violent offenses, age, juvenile deliquency). Our results suggest that applied risk assessments of sexual offenders should consider separately the offender's risk for sexual and nonsexual recidivism. Assessing chronicity is crucial for clients whose sexual behaviors have brought them into conflict with the law. Many exceptional criminal justice policies, such as postsentence detention (e.g., Anderson & Masters, 1992), lifetime community supervision, and community notification, target those sexual offenders likely to reoffend. Clinicians need to judge whether the client's behaviors are truly atypical of the individual (as the client would like us to believe) or whether the client merits a virtually permanent label as a sexual offender.

/pdf/predicting-relapse-a-meta-analysis-of-sexual-offender-ml492rgh0h.pdf

Predicting relapse: a meta-analysis of sexual offender recidivism studies.

A meta-analysis of 82 recidivism studies (1,620 findings from 29,450 sexual offenders) identified deviant sexual preferences and antisocial orientation as the major predictors of sexual recidivism for both adult and adolescent sexual offenders. Antisocial orientation was the major predictor of violent recidivism and general (any) recidivism. The review also identified some dynamic risk factors that have the potential of being useful treatment targets (e.g., sexual preoccupations, general self-regulation problems). Many of the variables commonly addressed in sex offender treatment programs (e.g., psychological distress, denial of sex crime, victim empathy, stated motivation for treatment) had little or no relationship with sexual or violent recidivism.

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The Characteristics of Persistent Sexual Offenders: A Meta-Analysis of Recidivism Studies.

This meta-analytic review examined the effectiveness of psychological treatment for sex offenders by summarizing data from 43 studies (combined n = 9,454). Averaged across all studies, the sexual offence recidivism rate was lower for the treatment groups (12.3%) than the comparison groups (16.8%, 38 studies, unweighted average). A similar pattern was found for general recidivism, although the overall rates were predictably higher (treatment 27.9%, comparison 39.2%, 30 studies). Current treatments (cognitive–behavioral, k = 13; systemic, k = 2) were associated with reductions in both sexual recidivism (from 17.4 to 9.9%) and general recidivism (from 51 to 32%). Older forms of treatment (operating prior to 1980) appeared to have little effect. Future directions for improving the quality of sex offender treatment outcome evaluations are discussed.

First report of the collaborative outcome data project on the effectiveness of psychological treatment for sex offenders.

The article reports a meta-analysis on controlled outcome evaluations of sexual offender treatment. From 2,039 documents published in five languages, 69 studies containing 80 independent comparisons between treated and untreated offenders fulfilled stepwise eligibility criteria (total N = 22,181). Despite a wide range of positive and negative effect sizes, the majority confirmed the benefits of treatment. Treated offenders showed 6 percentage points or 37% less sexual recidivism than controls. Effects for violent and general recidivism were in a similar range. Organic treatments (surgical castration and hormonal medication) showed larger effects than psychosocial interventions. However, this difference was partially confounded with methodological and offender variables. Among psychological programs, cognitive–behavioral approaches revealed the most robust effect. Nonbehavioral treatments did not demonstrate a significant impact. There was no outcome difference between randomized and other designs, however, group equivalence was associated with slightly larger effects. Various other moderators had a stronger impact on effect size (e.g., small sample size, quality of outcome reporting, program completion vs. dropout, age homogeneity, outpatient treatment, and authors’ affiliation with the program). More differentiated, high-quality evaluations are needed to clarify: What works for whom under which circumstances?

The effectiveness of treatment for sexual offenders: A comprehensive meta-analysis

This study examined how parenting factors were associated with adolescent problem behaviors among urban minority youth and to what extent these relationships were moderated by family structure and gender. Sixth-grade students (N = 228) reported how often they use alcohol, smoke cigarettes, or engage in aggressive or delinquent behaviors; a parent or guardian reported their monitoring and other parenting practices. Findings indicated that boys and those from single-parent families engaged in the highest rates of problem behavior. More parental monitoring was associated with less delinquency overall, as well as less drinking in boys only. Eating family dinners together was associated with less aggression overall, as well as less delinquency in youth from single-parent families and in girls. Unsupervised time at home alone was associated with more smoking for girls only. Implications for prevention interventions are discussed.

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Parenting Practices as Predictors of Substance Use, Delinquency, and Aggression Among Urban Minority Youth: Moderating Effects of Family Structure and Gender

The importance of positive communication for optimal family functioning has important implications for delinquent behavior. Using self-reported delinquency in conjunction with self-reported perceptions of open and closed communication with one's parents, the relationship between communication and delinquency is explored. Results indicate that communication is related to the commission of delinquent behavior. Differences in age, sex, and family marital status are noted.

Family communication and delinquency.

Although interest in the treatment of juvenile sexual offenders has increased significantly in recent years, there are still few programs specifically geared toward these youths and few of the existing programs have been evaluated. This article presents an evaluation of one court-based program. The results show that youths handled in the program fare no better than youths processed through normal, nonoffense specific programming. These results suggest that the growth of interventions has proceeded without adequate knowledge of how to identify at-risk youths, the causes of the behavior, and the most appropriate treatment for juvenile sexual offending.

Research Note: An Evaluation of Juvenile Sexual Offender Treatment

This study examined the type and extent of psychological aggression and physical violence experienced by 171 human service workers in four Midwestern rural communities and an in urban children services agency. Worker interviewing skills were also studied since the authors believed that appropriate interviewing skills could influence worker-client relationships in a positive manner, thus reducing the potential for violence. Data showed that there were some differences in the amount and intensity of client violence between rural and urban settings, although all workers were routinely subjected to psychological aggression. In addition, some workers were physically assaulted. In spite of constant threats, workers displayed professional demeanor that may diminish threats and reduce violence. Implications for policy and training concerning workplace violence in social service agencies are discussed.

Violence and Aggression Directed toward Human Service Workers: An Exploratory Study:

When a child is diagnosed with cancer, the family is confronted with meeting both the physical and psychosocial needs of the child and maintaining normal family functioning. This study assessed the perceived psychosocial needs of 77 families who have a child diagnosed with cancer. Preliminary results suggest practical application for social work interventions in specific areas such as the development of an informal support network, enhancement of communication within families concerning the disease, the need for adequate information at various stages of the disease, and continued supportive services for the family.

Social work in pediatric oncology: a family needs assessment.

A scale, "Attitudes Towards Volunteer Motivation," was developed to measure motivation of volunteers who work with people with AIDS (PWAs). Fifty five questions were initially determined to have content validity. They were then administered to a random sample of youth service volunteers (n = 150) and members of an AIDS volunteer organization (n = 247). Results of factor analysis produced five subscales. Reliability of the constructed scale was established. It was correlated with a theoretically related scale to establish construct validity. Results of this initial research are promising and suggest further testing of the instrument.

Glenn Shields

Papers

Family communication and delinquency.

Research Note: An Evaluation of Juvenile Sexual Offender Treatment

Violence and Aggression Directed toward Human Service Workers: An Exploratory Study:

Social work in pediatric oncology: a family needs assessment.

Development of an instrument to measure volunteer's motivation in working with people with AIDS.