Victim Empathy Research Articles

The Sex Offender Treatment Rating Scale: Initial Reliability Data

The Sex Offender Treatment Rating Scale (SOTRS) is proposed as a potential process and outcome measure for cognitive/behavioral sex offender treatment. Therapists complete a 6-point rating scale with behavioral descriptors of Insight, Deviant Thoughts, Awareness of Situational Risks, Motivation, Victim Empathy, and Offense Disclosure. The ratings are combined to produce a single treatment progress score. Pairs of therapists providing treatment for 122 court-referred male sexual offenders in 15 therapy groups independently completed the SOTRS twice, at 5-month intervals. The results showed that internal consistency, interrater agreement, and test-retest reliability were all high. While further studies are needed to validate the SOTRS against recidivism criteria, it can presently be used for staff development, treatment planning, program evaluation, and quality assurance objectives.

The sex offender treatment rating scale: Initial reliability data

The Sex Offender Treatment Rating Scale (SOTRS) is proposed as a potential process and outcome measure for cognitive/behavioral sex offender treatment. Therapists complete a 6-point rating scale with behavioral descriptors of Insight, Deviant Thoughts, Awareness of Situational Risks, Motivation, Victim Empathy, and Offense Disclosure. The ratings are combined to produce a single treatment progress score. Pairs of therapists providing treatment for 122 court-referred male sexual offenders in 15 therapy groups independently completed the SOTRS twice, at 5-month intervals. The results showed that internal consistency, interrater agreement, and test-retest reliability were all high. While further studies are needed to validate the SOTRS against recidivism criteria, it can presently be used for staff development, treatment planning, program evaluation, and quality assurance objectives.

Kia Marama: A Cognitive-Behavioural Program for Incarcerated Child Molesters

A comprehensive cognitive-behavioural treatment program for incarcerated child molesters is described. This program operates within Kia Marama, a medium-security unit for sex offenders in the New Zealand prison system. It lasts 32 weeks and includes a four-week assessment process both before and after the 24 weeks of intensive treatment. Treatment covers a variety of issues including distorted cognitions, sexual issues, victim empathy, social skills, problem solving, life skills, stress management, and relapse-prevention training. In addition, when offenders are released they are supervised by professionals trained in relapse-prevention procedures. As this program began in late 1989, it is too early to properly estimate its success, but similar programs in North America have produced promising outcome data, and what tentative evidence we have to date suggests that the program is valuable.

The Profile and Treatment of Male Adolescent Sex Offenders

ABSTRACT This article outlines the most prominent characteristics of male adolescent sex offenders including family and school histories, sexual attitudes, social skills and relationships, other delinquent behaviors, psychiatric diagnoses, and most importantly, cognitive distortions based on mythical beliefs and misinformation. Treatment mandates accountability and correcting of thinking errors while building a foundation of morality, remorse and empathy for victims, knowledge about sexuality, basic interpersonal skills, and effective self-interventions against relapse and reoffending.

Salient victim suffering and the sexual responses of child molesters.

In phallometric testing, audiovisual stimuli in which the audio component depicted a child victim's suffering described from the child's point of view were compared with similar scenarios described from the adult male offender's point of view and to portrayals of consenting adult heterosexual activity. Fifteen male participants who had sexually assaulted girls and 15 nonoffenders were also administered questionnaire measures of empathy and opinions regarding sex with children. Consistent with predictions, maximal discrimination between groups was obtained using deviance indices based on stimuli that emphasized victim trauma. Also consistent with predictions, the questionnaire measures were related to sexual deviance. Recommendations are made regarding stimuli for phallometric testing. The results point to the relevance of changing deviant preferences and enhancing empathy for the victim in the treatment of child molesters.

Sex and chernobyl: An overview and theoretical basis of the sex offender treatment program at westmorland institution

Abstract This paper provides an overview and theoretical basis of the sex offender program offered at Westmorland Institution, Dorchester, New Brunswick, Canada. The offender is viewed as an individual who has more than a problem with his/her sexuality. The root causes of this type of behavior are at the core of the individual. A treatment approach is described that keeps with this view of the offender. One of the most effective means for helping the offender achieve victim empathy is to facilitate a therapeutic environment that allows the individual to approach his or her own victimization in a meaningful manner. The main source for this paper has been the labor itself. Both authors have been working, researching, and teaching in this area for several years. It is important in the treatment process to approach the inner world of the offender, to build a bridge between therapist and inmate. With this in mind the necessity of ongoing supervision is discussed. Low recidivism rates indicate the benefits of this type of approach.

Process evaluation of a group therapy component designed to enhance sex offenders' empathy for sexual abuse survivors

A process evaluation was conducted to assess the extent to which a specialized treatment group might enhance the offenders' empathy for sexual abuse survivors. Therapeutic efficacy was assessed through pre- and post-treatment administration of a battery of paper-and-pencil inventories. Pedophiles demonstrated greater empathy at pre-treatment and post-treatment than rapists. Surprisingly, pedophiles and rapists did not differ in pre-treatment endorsement of cognitive distortions hypothetically related to rape. Post-treatment psychological inventories revealed significant changes on a variety of empathetic qualities. The results suggest that highly-specialized interventions can enhance sex offenders' empathy for sexual abuse victims and decrease endorsement of distortions justifying sexualized violence. Follow-up is underway to determine if these changes are associated with long-term reductions in recidivism.

Childhood Sexual Victimization and Lack of Empathy in Child Molesters: Explanation or Excuse?

There are reports that childhood sexual victimization is more prevalent among child molesters than among males in the general population. It has been hypothesized that past victimization is causally related to sex offending. The causal link, however, is not well defined, and the rate of sexual victimization among molesters is similar to that reported among other forensic and psychiatric populations. It has also been argued that victimization has a paradoxical, negative effect on victim empathy. The role of cognitive or emotional empathy in offending, though, remains unclear. The value of promoting victim empathy in an attempt to reduce offending is questionable. This article describes child molesters whose behavior is inconsistent with the victimization-based explanations they offer for their offending. Some implications for intervention are briefly reviewed, and the relation of victimization and lack of empathy to cognitive distortions is considered.

A brief group treatment for the modification of denial in child sexual abusers: Outcome and follow-up

We investigated whether brief structured group treatment could produce a reduction of denial of sexual offenses in males convicted of sexually offending against children. Such denial can additionally harm victims and often precludes admission into sex offender treatment programs, thus ruling out an opportunity to decrease the potential of reoffending. The group treatment contained elements of victim empathy, cognitive restructuring, sex education, assertiveness and social skills, education about sex offender therapy, and a discussion of the possible consequences of continued denial. Seventeen child sexual offenders in denial were run in two groups. Despite an average length of denial of nearly two years, by post-treatment the majority of offenders had come out of denial. Moreover, follow-up denial data indicated continued admission, and above-average compliance with subsequent sex offender therapy. Although the lack of an experimental design precludes causal inference, these results are suggestive of an effective method for modifying denial in sex offenders against children.

Sexual Abuse Prevention With High-Risk Males: The Roles of Victim Empathy and Rape Myths

The outcome of two sexual abuse prevention programs, one emphasizing victim empathy and the other stressing modifying rape myths, was evaluated with high-risk males. Sixty-eight high-risk males, as determined by self-reported likelihood of committing sexual abuse, were randomly assigned to an empathy-treatment, a facts-treatment, or a no-treatment control group. Treatment effects were assessed using subjects' pre- and post-treatment scores on the Likelihood of Sexually Abusing scale, the Rape Empathy Scale, the Acceptance of Interpersonal Violence scale, the Adversarial Sexual Beliefs Scale, and a test of self-reported sexual arousal to forced versus consenting sex. In addition, posttest scores on an Asch-type conformity measure were obtained. Results of validity checks indicated that high-risk subjects differed from low-risk subjects on a number of rape-related variables, that the victim-empathy condition increased subjects' empathy, and that subjects found both treatments to be credible and helpful. Comparisons between the empathy-, facts-, and no-treatment group contraindicated the practice of dispelling rape myths as a method of preventing rape among high-risk males.

The treatment of sexual offenders in Canada: An update.

Ontario Ministry of Correctional Servicesand University of OttawaR. KARL HANSON,Ministry Secretariat, Solicitor GeneralCanadaAbstractData were collected from X2 Canadian pro-grams for sex offenders by means of site visitsand questionnaires issued lo program direc-tors. Collectively, ihcsc programs providedservices to more than l.tyxj sex offendersannually. Programs varied considerably in size(7 to 250 clients), duration (3 10 36 months),and intensity (1 to 33 hours per week). Ingeneral, assessments of clients were morelikely to be undertaken for programmaticpurposes (e.g., identifying treatment targets)than for decision making (e.g., release deci-sions). Assessments were typically mullimodcl,involving interviews, file reviews, and psycho-logical testing. Similarly, the treatment ser-vices provided by most settings included avariety of behavioural, cognitive-behavioural,and psychodynamic approaches. On average,each program targeted 17 different risk fac-tors (e.g., empathy for victims, deviant sexualpreferences).

The Therapeutic Management of Violence

VioLit summary: OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this paper by Federn was to discuss the therapeutic management of violence. METHODOLOGY: The article was a non-experimental exposition on violence management therapy based on the author's experience. FINDINGS/DISCUSSION: Frustration has been found to be a frequent cause of violence. The author stated that therapists must recognize frustration exhibited by patients before it turns to aggression. The author pointed out that therapists should help patients verbalize their emotions to reduce the tendency toward violence. Lack of empathy for victim was discussed as another reason for violence that can also be dealt with therapeutically. Anxiety and fear were also seen as precipitating factors of violence. Domination of others in which the violence has a peak, was defined as a sexual disorder. The author explained it needs to be treated with intensive psychotherapy. When the patient had self restraints against hurting another, the patient's frustration led to injuring himself or herself. In some cases a patient's self-injuring was an act of vengeance. Very disturbed youngsters were split into two selves where one self punished the other self. Some patients felt that some parts of their bodies didn't belong to them and therefore it did not matter what they did to them. The author felt masochistic patients were not treatable. AUTHOR'S RECOMMENDATIONS: The author stated that staff must at all times refrain from being violent and hurtful to patients and that the staff must use talk as a means to diffuse and prevent violent behavior. The author also made these recommendations to staff, avoid the use of physical restraints and keep calm in the face of a violent episode of a patient. The author suggested that institutions and therapists have established sanctions. (CSPV Abstract - Copyright © 1992-2007 by the Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence, Institute of Behavioral Science, Regents of the University of Colorado)

Homophobia and attitudes towards AIDS patients among medical, nursing, and paramedical students.

For a previously developed 28-item questionnaire and a sample of 161 students training for careers in health professions, homophobia was inversely associated wth empathy for AIDS victims. Homophobia was also a better predictor of fear of AIDS than age, sex, marital status, or desired health career. It was concluded that students in the health professions may need additional instruction related to AIDS and homosexuality.

Empathy for Victims of Massive Human Rights Violations and Support for Government Intervention: A Comparative Study of American and Australian Attitudes

This study explores the extent of public concern in two Western societies for massive human rights violations elsewhere in the world, and public willingness to support international action on behalf of the victims. The survey samples consisted of 210 undergraduates at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, and 121 undergraduates at La Trobe University in Melbourne, Australia. The technique used was to determine the extent to which emotional arousal, prompted by depictions of atrocities, translated into empathy for victims and support for remedial political action. The results demonstrate that almost all American and Australian students clearly recognize certain governmental actions as human rights violations, and most of them accept the validity of government intervention on behalf of human rights. The study also shows that most respondents expressed willingness to make personal sacrifices in defense of other people's rights.

Women’s Attributions of Responsibility for Date Rape: The Influence of Empathy and Sex-Role Stereotyping

The purpose of the study presented here was to investigate the relationship among sex-role stereotyping, empathy with the victim, and subsequent blaming of the victim in response to a date-rape scenario. It was hypothesized that sex-typed (traditional) females would be less likely to perceive forced sex on a date as rape and would attribute more responsibility to the victim than would more egalitarian (nontraditional) females. It was also predicted that the enhancement of victim empathy would result in less victim blame. The subjects were 76 female undergraduates who were chosen on the basis of their extreme scores on a sex-role stereotyping scale. Vignettes describing a date rape were used to manipulate victim empathy. Findings indicated that although attributions of responsibility were influenced by the subject's sex-role stereotyping, the manipulation of empathy had no apparent influence on victim blame. Furthermore, the lack of correlation between the degree of victim empathy and the subject's own history of victimization suggests that victim empathy is not a component in victim blame.

Effects of Anticipated Victim Responsiveness and Empathy upon Volunteering

Summary Undergraduates (n = 96) scoring at the extremes on the Mehrabian and Epstein empathy measure were given the opportunity to volunteer to supervise the recreational activities of children suffering from a fictitious Neurological Dysfunction Syndrome (NDS). In the two conditions of the study, NDS children were described via videotape as either emotionally responsive or unresponsive to volunteers' attempts to offer assistance. Highly empathic Ss were found to volunteer for significantly more supervision sessions with responsive than unresponsive NDS children; the opposite pattern was found for low-empathic individuals. The results suggest that while highly empathic individuals may favor helping situations which portend the alleviation of empathic distress over ones which do not, low-empathic individuals may prefer helping encounters which can be viewed as relatively impersonal and demand little in the way of emotional interchange.