How effective are interventions at enhancing empathy for service users with an intellectual disability who engage in sexually abusive behaviour? A review of the literature.
J Appl Res Intellect Disabil
; 34(6): 1373-1392, 2021 Nov.
Article
en En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-33754457
BACKGROUND: Sexual offending has been attributed to empathy deficits, implicating interventions targeting empathy as a potential mechanism for reducing sexually harmful behaviour. However, there is less known about how appropriate and effective interventions are for individuals with intellectual disabilities. This review aims to provide a comprehensive synthesis of research findings in this area. METHOD: Four databases were searched, yielding 13 studies meeting the inclusion criteria which were appraised using the CCAT. RESULTS: CBT group treatments adapted from mainstream treatment programmes for people with intellectual disabilities were widely used, demonstrating improvements in empathy and reductions in sexually abusive behaviour overall. CONCLUSIONS: Studies are limited by sample sizes, lack of control groups and inconsistent definitions of intellectual disabilities and sexually abusive behaviour. Future research should include evaluation of models other than CBT, further assessment of empathy-specific interventions and understanding of the mechanism underpinning empathy change.
Palabras clave
Texto completo:
1
Colección:
01-internacional
Base de datos:
MEDLINE
Asunto principal:
Delitos Sexuales
/
Discapacidad Intelectual
Tipo de estudio:
Prognostic_studies
Límite:
Humans
Idioma:
En
Revista:
J Appl Res Intellect Disabil
Año:
2021
Tipo del documento:
Article
Pais de publicación:
Reino Unido