Group CBT for men with intellectual disabilities and/or autism who have harmful sexual behaviour

Abstract

AbstractObjectivesMen with intellectual disabilities and/or autism sometimes engage in harmful sexual behaviour (HSB), but it may be harder for them to access treatment, than it is for non‐disabled men. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of attending an adapted CBT group, known as SOTSEC‐ID, on men with intellectual disabilities and/or autism who had HSB.MethodNinety‐eight men from intellectual disability services, who had ID and/or autism and a history of HSB were recruited, and they received group CBT for a year (46 of these men have been previously reported). Harmful sexual behaviour, sexual knowledge, distorted cognitions and victim empathy were measured before and after treatment, and at 6 month follow‐up.ResultsThere were low levels of further harmful sexual behaviour: 12% of men engaged in further HSB during the 1‐year period of the group, and 8% engaged in further HSB in the 6‐month follow‐up period. There were also significant improvements in sexual knowledge, distorted cognitions and victim empathy following treatment, maintained at 6‐month follow‐up. Men with autism showed significantly more non‐contact HSB, were less likely to have been interviewed by police and had higher rates of further HSB, compared to men without autism.ConclusionsIt is concluded that SOTSEC‐ID is a promising treatment for men with ID/autism and HSB. Nevertheless, the study had a number of limitations and lacked a control group, so there is now an urgent need for a proper controlled study.