Self-efficacy and sexual offending against children: construction of a measure and changes following relapse prevention treatment
The enhancement of self-efficacy beliefs is considered a pivotal aspect in the successful treatment of sex offenders and represents a central feature in the relapse prevention model of sexual crimes (Hall, 1989). The possible relationship between self-efficacy and recidivism has not been investigate...
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Format: | Electronic Article |
Language: | English |
Published: |
1996
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In: |
Legal and criminological psychology
Year: 1996, Volume: 1, Issue: 2, Pages: 219-228 |
Online Access: |
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
Journals Online & Print: | |
Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
Summary: | The enhancement of self-efficacy beliefs is considered a pivotal aspect in the successful treatment of sex offenders and represents a central feature in the relapse prevention model of sexual crimes (Hall, 1989). The possible relationship between self-efficacy and recidivism has not been investigated. The paper describes a relapse prevention treatment study of 50 male sex offenders against children employing a new measure of self-efficacy which applies to sexual crimes. The test was constructed based on Kirsch's (1985) causal model of self-efficacy. The three subscales of the test represent: 1. demands of high-risk situations; 2. efficacy of coping skills and ability; 3. appreciation and expectation of rewards. Treatment outcome showed significant changes for the three self-efficacy test subscales. A preliminary analysis demonstrated that subscale 3 and the speed at which a coping response was produced accurately classified recidivist and non-recidivist participants at a three-year follow-up period. The findings suggest the importance of assessing self-efficacy beliefs when treating child sex offenders and their relevance to treatment is discussed. |
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ISSN: | 2044-8333 |
DOI: | 10.1111/j.2044-8333.1996.tb00320.x |