Sharing in Group Was Freeing: A Mixed Methods Group Therapy Intervention Study Centering the Experiences of Adolescents Who Have Sexually Offended

Background and Purpose: 17% individuals charged with sexual assault under the age of 18 in the United States (US DOJ, 2015). Individual treatment has demonstrated a reduction in recidivism for adolescents who sexually offend (Worling, et al., 2010), however, group therapy has not been a modality well researched for this population. While groups have been demonstrated to reduce recidivism and increase knowledge regarding sexual health (Hagan & Gust-Brey, 2008), social work research has yet to evaluate the mechanisms of group therapy that support behavioral and attitudinal change. This pilot intervention research explores and evaluates the effects of an online group therapy intervention for adolescents who have sexually offended on the indicators of masculinity attitudes, reducing shame, and instilling hope.

Methods: Participants (N=9) were male adolescents, aged 13-19, in treatment for sexual offending. Participants were referred to the telehealth group intervention by their individual treating therapists, as a complement to their individual therapy sessions. The intervention, Unite and Redefine, consisted of 12 group sessions with modules on processing emotions, expanding definitions of masculinity, and creating hope for the future. Participants completed the State Shame and Guilt Scale (α=0.82) (Tangney & Dearing, 2002), The Adolescent Masculinity Ideology in Relationships Scale (Chu, et al., 2005), The Masculine Discrepancy Stress Scale (α=0.86) (Reidy, et al, 2018), The Self-Compassion Scale (Neff, 2003), and The Therapeutic Factor Inventory-8 (Tasca, et al., 2016) before and after receiving the intervention. Participants then engaged in semi-structured virtual 1-hour long interviews. Three coders analyzed interview transcripts and videos concurrently using constructivist grounded theory.

Results: Paired sample t-tests indicated that no significant difference was observed for shame, masculinity ideology, and overall self-compassion. A significant decrease was observed for masculinity stress (p<0.05), guilt (p<0.05), and overidentification subscale (p<0.001), while a significant increase was observed in group cohesion (p<0.05). From the qualitative analysis, three themes emerged regarding the benefits of the intervention: an opportunity to share vulnerably in the group, challenging masculinity constructs, and group member support. Participants stated that the opportunity to meet other youth was especially valuable, as isolation was a shared experience Participants did demonstrate evidence of lingering shame such as denying their abuse behaviors. All reported that they will be unlikely to offend again.

Conclusions and Implications: While the intervention did not demonstrate changes in treatment goals quantitatively, qualitative results demonstrate that mutual aid (Glassman, 2009) is an effective social groupwork mechanism to increase feelings of inclusion and support for this population. Research for adult offenders has demonstrated that social inclusion is a key factor in reducing recidivism (Levinson & Cotter, 2005). The qualitative portion of this research, unique in this area of research, gave adolescents who have sexually offended an opportunity to share the treatment practices they considered effective and their experiences. Practice recommendations to increase member sharing will be discussed, such as extended check ins, modelling by facilitators, and examples of men demonstrating vulnerability. As well, future research directions, such as further quantitative research to increase sample size, and additional avenues of qualitative inquiry, will be shared.