Empathy and Cognitive Distortions in Sex Offenders Participating in Community Based Treatment

This study examined the relationship between empathy as measured by the Empathy Index (EI) and the Cognitive Distortion Scale (CDS) among a sample (N = 151) of individuals who committed sexual offenses who were receiving community-based sex offender treatment in a large southern state. The extent to...

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Bibliographic Details
Authors: Cartwright, Angie D. (Author) ; Craig, Jessica M. (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
Published: 2023
In: International journal of offender therapy and comparative criminology
Year: 2023, Volume: 67, Issue: 16, Pages: 1599-1614
Online Access: Volltext (lizenzpflichtig)
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Keywords:
Counseling
Sex offender
sex offender treatment
Cognitive distortions
Empathy
Description
Summary:This study examined the relationship between empathy as measured by the Empathy Index (EI) and the Cognitive Distortion Scale (CDS) among a sample (N = 151) of individuals who committed sexual offenses who were receiving community-based sex offender treatment in a large southern state. The extent to which the relationships by age was also considered. The findings indicated a weak but significant positive correlation between total empathy and each of the cognitive distortion scales, and a similar positive correlation between the instrumental aggression empathy subscale and the three cognitive distortion scales. Furthermore, these findings suggested that those with lower empathy were more likely to have cognitive distortions than those with higher empathy. Recommendations for future research and implications for treatment are provided.
ISSN:1552-6933
DOI:10.1177/0306624X221133000