The Impact of Family Service Involvement on Treatment Completion and General Recidivism Among Male Youthful Sexual Offenders

Abstract

Few studies have systematically evaluated outcomes of services for youth with sexually problematic behaviors. Evaluations are particularly sparse for youth receiving family-oriented treatment despite an increased emphasis on family in healing and rehabilitation contexts. There are common approaches to family inclusion that have been argued by field professionals as "best practice," and this study quantitatively investigates the usefulness of such approaches. With support from the state Sex Offender Management Board, data were collected from probation files of male youth adjudicated of a sexual crime (N ¼ 81). Logistical regression models revealed that youth with greater family service involvement were almost three times more likely to successfully complete treatment and youth living in an in-home placement were 73% less likely to reactivate. Inherent implications suggest that family is a protective factor and community-based, family-oriented services ought to occur uniformly. Policy implications and suggestions for future research are provided.

Family Experiences and Sexual Victimization Histories: A Comparative Analysis Between Youth Sexual and Nonsexual Offenders

“…A latent barrier to family treatment is the finding that youth who commit sexual crimes tend to have low levels of family involvement (Efta-Breitbach & Freeman, 2004). Still, family involvement in treatment for sexually offending youth has been found to be an inherent protective factor against recidivism, and family participation yields higher rates of successful treatment completion by youth (Yoder et al, 2015). Family treatment may strengthen protective properties in the parent-child relationship and home environment.…”

“…Further research is needed on family-oriented approaches to prevention and treatment programs. While programs like Multisystemic Therapy have been tested and proven effective (Letourneau et al, 2013), and other family-oriented community-based treatments have shown promise (Yoder et al, 2015), there are variations of family service delivery that can be tested, and certainly more research can be done on how to successfully engage and maintain involvement in treatment (Yoder, 2014). Furthermore, the field surrounding youth who commit sexual crimes has yet to fully test the impact of poly-victimization on youth sexual offending.…”

“…For example, youth sexual offenders relative to nonsexual offenders have greater deficits in mother and father attachment characteristics (Yoder, Leibowitz, & Peterson, 2016). This growing body of evidence suggests that behavioral challenges may stem from the family system of sexually offending youth, underscoring the importance of family engagement and inclusion in services for successful rehabilitation (Yoder, Hansen, Lobanov-Rostovsky, & Ruch, 2015). However, research shows that there is great criminal versatility in youth sexual offenders, and they are much more likely to reoffend nonsexually rather than sexually (Caldwell, 2016).…”

Parental and Peer Attachment Characteristics: Differentiating Between Youth Sexual and Non-Sexual Offenders and Associations With Sexual Offense Profiles

“…In fact, many have contextualized sexual offending behaviors through a family-oriented lens (Burton, Smith-Darden, & Frankel, 2006;Friedrich, 2007;Schladale, 2006;Thomas, 2004Thomas, , 2010. Researchers have also documented the critical influence family can play in shaping treatment outcomes for youth sexual offenders (Yoder, Hansen, Lobanov-Rostovsky, & Ruch, 2015). So, understanding the family, particularly parent-child relationships, can be essential to broader conceptualizations of the problem of youth sexual offending.…”

“…As these findings are replicated, treatment agencies can begin to target family-level attachment characteristics through multi-modal intervention approaches (Fortune, Ward, & Print, 2014). As research has begun to show the positive impact of family-based models for youth sexual offenders (Letourneau et al, 2013; Yoder et al, 2015), it becomes increasingly important to amalgamate families into the treatment context to advance best practices in the field (Longo & Prescott, 2006). Furthermore, it may be necessary to deeply dissect family attachments within treatment to enhance communication skills with parents and reduce feelings of anger and alienation (Yoder & Ruch, 2016).…”