This Article Full Text (PDF) References Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Request Permissions Request Reprints Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Citing Articles via Scopus Google Scholar Articles by Pithers, W. D. Articles by Houchens, P. Search for Related Content PubMed Articles by Pithers, W. D. Articles by Houchens, P. Social Bookmarking                         What's this?

Children with Sexual Behavior Problems: Identification of Five Distinct Child Types and Related Treatment Considerations

Griffith University

Alison Gray

Partnerships Promoting Child Safety International

Aida Busconi

Partnerships Promoting Child Safety

Paul Houchens

Partnerships Promoting Child Safety

This research was conducted to define empirically derived and clinically relevant types of children with sexual behavior problems. A theory-driven hierarchical cluster analysis was performed using Ward's method. Five distinct types of children with sexual behavior problems emerged. Significant differences were found among the five child types on a large number of historical, diagnostic, behavioral, and demographic variables, including number of victims, degree of aggression employed during sexual acting out, sexual penetration, psychiatric diagnosis, internalizing, and externalizing. Clinical relevance of the child types was examined by analyzing change scores on an objective measure of sexualized behaviors in children who had earlier been assigned randomly to one of two treatment conditions. The analysis of treatment efficacy revealed a significant main effect of child type and a significant child type by treatment type interaction. After a short time in treatment, the highly traumatized child type derived significantly more benefit from a cognitive behavioral intervention than from an expressive therapy. This study demonstrates that distinct types of children with sexual behavior problems exist, that they can be distinguished on a wide range of clinically relevant variables, and that identification of child type may be relevant to choice of treatment modalities and outcome.

Child Maltreatment, Vol. 3, No. 4, 384-406 (1998)
DOI: 10.1177/1077559598003004010


CiteULike    Complore    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    Twitter    What's this?

This article has been cited by other articles:

				M. C. Seto, J. K. Marques, G. T. Harris, M. Chaffin, M. L. Lalumiere, M. H. Miner, L. Berliner, M. E. Rice, R. Lieb, and V. L. Quinsey Good Science and Progress in Sex Offender Treatment Are Intertwined: A Response to Marshall and Marshall (2007) Sexual Abuse: A Journal of Research and Treatment, September 1, 2008; 20(3): 247 - 255. [PDF]

				E. J. Letourneau, J. E. Chapman, and S. K. Schoenwald Treatment Outcome and Criminal Offending by Youth With Sexual Behavior Problems Child Maltreat, May 1, 2008; 13(2): 133 - 144. [Abstract] [PDF]

				A. St. Amand, D. E. Bard, and J. F. Silovsky Meta-Analysis of Treatment for Child Sexual Behavior Problems: Practice Elements and Outcomes Child Maltreat, May 1, 2008; 13(2): 145 - 166. [Abstract] [PDF]

				M. Chaffin, L. Berliner, R. Block, T. C. Johnson, W. N. Friedrich, D. G. Louis, T. D. Lyon, I. J. Page, D. S. Prescott, J. F. Silovsky, et al. Report of the ATSA Task Force on Children With Sexual Behavior Problems Child Maltreat, May 1, 2008; 13(2): 199 - 218. [PDF]

				E. J. Letourneau, S. K. Schoenwald, and A. J. Sheidow Children and Adolescents with Sexual Behavior Problems Child Maltreat, February 1, 2004; 9(1): 49 - 61. [Abstract] [PDF]

				J. F. Silovsky and L. Niec Characteristics of Young Children with Sexual Behavior Problems: A Pilot Study Child Maltreat, August 1, 2002; 7(3): 187 - 197. [Abstract] [PDF]

				E. J. Brown and D. J. Kolko Treatment Efficacy and Program Evaluation with Juvenile Sexual Abusers: A Critique with Directions for Service Delivery and Research Child Maltreat, November 1, 1998; 3(4): 362 - 373. [Abstract]