TITLE:
Using Relationship-Focused Group Therapy to Target Insecure Attachment as a Barrier to Sex Offense-Specific Treatment: A Pilot Study
AUTHORS:
Jerry L. Jennings, Shan Jumper, Christopher Baglio
KEYWORDS:
Sex Offense-Specific Treatment, Group Therapy, Sexual Abuse, Attachment
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Social Sciences,
Vol.9 No.2,
February
25,
2021
ABSTRACT: Given the high rates of insecure
attachment and adverse childhood experiences in men who sexually abuse, this
pilot study examined whether an eight-month course of relationship-focused
group therapy could make a positive impact on insecure attachment as a barrier
to treatment engagement. Fifty subjects were identified by treatment teams as
failing to make progress and/or engage meaningfully in a facility-based, sex offense-specific
treatment program for civilly committed men who sexually offend. The subjects
were assigned to five simultaneous new “motivational” groups that applied
interpersonal-focused group therapy that emphasized interpersonal relating
rather than criminogenic offense
behavior. Participants showed significant improvement on the Secure Attachment
subscale and three Secure items of the Relationship Styles Questionnaire (RSQ),
suggesting that group-centered group promoted positive gains in interpersonal
attachment, particularly in terms of reduced loneliness, reduced fear of
acceptance, and greater comfort in depending on others. Participants assessed
as having made good progress in the pilot treatment also showed significant
improvement on a fourth Secure subscale item pertaining to greater ease with
emotional closeness. Results further suggested that groups with better overall ratings of
therapeutic climate using the Group Climate
Questionnaire (GCQ) generally showed more movement toward secure
attachment.