Opinions of male adolescent sexual offenders on treatment groups

Group treatment is widely used for the treatment of juveniles who sexually offend (Letourneau and Borduin, 2008; Veneziano and Veneziano, 2002), yet research into the participant\u27s perceptions and experience of this treatment is almost non-existent (Sribney and Reddon, 2008). This study investigates the perceptions and concerns of a sample (N=198) of incarcerated male juvenile sex offenders in regards to their experience of group treatment and reported iatrogenic effects. Measures of hopelessness and anxiety were also tested in relationship to feelings of group experience, after controlling for age. Overall, the participants reported satisfaction with their group treatment and low levels of hopelessness. While a small percentage of respondents reported arousal as byproduct of group treatment, a negative relationship was seen for respondents with higher general delinquency levels in regards to arousal. Anxiety levels were also reportedly inversely correlated with general delinquency