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Denial and its relationship with treatment perceptions among sex offenders

Faculty Advisor

Date

2012

Keywords

denial, minimization, treatment, motivation, sex offenders

Abstract (summary)

We examined the relationship between denial/minimization and treatment perceptions using multiple measures of each construct in a sample of 185 adult male sex offenders. Denial/minimization was measured with the Comprehensive Inventory of Denial—Sex Offender version (CID-SO), Sex Offender Acceptance of Responsibility Scales (SOARS), and an item from a risk assessment measure (Sexual Violence Risk-20; SVR-20). Treatment perceptions were measured with the treatment readiness scale of the Multiphasic Sex Inventory (MSI and MSI-II) and the treatment rejection scale of the Personality Assessment Inventory (PAI). Most aspects of denial and minimization had significant moderate to strong associations with more negative perceptions of treatment. Questions about the distinctiveness versus overlap between measures of denial/minimization and treatment perceptions notwithstanding, our findings are consistent with conceptualizations in past research and practice that greater denial/minimization is associated with lower motivation for treatment. Rather than excluding deniers from treatment, additional efforts are required to engage higher risk sex offenders exhibiting denial and minimization.

Publication Information

Jung, S., & Nunes, K. (2012). Denial and its relationship with treatment perceptions among sex offenders. Journal of Forensic Psychiatry and Psychology, 23, 485-496. https://doi.org/10.1080/14789949.2012.697567

DOI

Notes

Item Type

Article

Language

English

Rights

All Rights Reserved