Abstract
Interventions for offenders with intellectual disabilities (ID) have used cognitive variables as measures of treatment outcome. However, the relevance of cognitive variables to offending in people with intellectual disabilities is unclear. This review aimed to evaluate the evidence for a relationship between cognitive variables and offending in people with intellectual disabilities. A systematic search identified studies comparing offenders and non-offenders with intellectual disabilities on an aspect of cognition. Seven cognitive variables were found and compared across 15 studies. These were appraised for their quality using an adapted quality appraisal checklist. The reliability and validity of cognitive measures were also considered. Other than for cognitive distortions, the evidence for a relationship between cognitive variables and offending in people with intellectual disabilities is currently limited due to methodological weaknesses and the small number of studies assessing each variable. Clinicians are advised to focus on cognitive distortions until better evidence is available.
Highlights
Over the last decade, there has been an increasing amount of research focusing on people with intellectual disabilities (ID) who have committed offences (Hayes, 2018)
The altering of such cognitive distortions and attitudes through cognitive restructuring is considered to be an important aspect of treatment and so has become a targeted outcome in treatments for people who have intellectual disabilities (Broxholme & Lindsay,(2003)
This systematic review aims to evaluate the empirical evidence for a relationship between cognitive variables and offending in people with intellectual disabilities
Summary
Example questions on the QACSO include “if a man rapes a woman it is just a bit of fun” and “can you show you love a child by having sex with them.” The altering of such cognitive distortions and attitudes through cognitive restructuring is considered to be an important aspect of treatment and so has become a targeted outcome in treatments for people who have intellectual disabilities (Broxholme & Lindsay,(2003). Inclusion of control groups of people with intellectual disabilities who have not committed offences would help to determine whether, prior to treatment, there are any differences between people with intellectual disabilities who have and have not offended on the aspects of cognition under evaluation Without such control groups, it is unclear whether improvements on measures post-treatment indicate a clinically significant change from an offending to a non-offending range (Nicoll & Beail, 2013) and whether the likelihood of recidivism is reduced.
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