RCT of group CBT for men with IDD and harmful sexual behaviour
Research type
Research Study
Full title
RCT of group CBT for men with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities and harmful sexual behaviour: the HaSB-IDD trial
IRAS ID
291027
Contact name
G.H. Murphy
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Univeristy of Kent
ISRCTN Number
ISRCTN21187053
Duration of Study in the UK
4 years, 6 months, 0 days
Research summary
The public are concerned about men who commit sexual offences. Cognitive behavioural treatment (CBT, a specific kind of talking therapy) seems to help non-disabled men when they have committed sex offences. This treatment is available in prisons, probation and in health settings, and research shows this can be helpful in stopping men from reoffending.
Some men who commit sex offences have learning disabilities or autism. However, these men often do not get any treatment.
This project will offer men with learning disabilities and/or autism the same kind of treatment that non-disabled men get. The treatment has been specifically adapted for them and is called SOTSEC-ID. We will look at whether this is helpful for the men, in the way they feel and the way they behave.
So, men with learning disabilities and/or autism who have harmful sexual behaviour, from 4 areas of England (South East, East, Midlands and North), will be asked to join the project. They will be randomised to get Treatment as Usual (TAU) or the special new treatment, called SOTSEC-ID, which is a form of group CBT. They will be asked how they feel and what they think, and we will record any harmful sexual behaviours, at the start of the research, then 6 months later, then one year later, and two years later.
The research will last for 54 months overall (4 and a half years), and if the treatment is successful, the men will be less risky so that they do not commit (or commit fewer) sexual offences. A positive result will improve public safety, and reduce the number of victims. It is also likely to mean that the cost of care for the men is lower.
REC name
East Midlands - Nottingham 2 Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
21/EM/0270
Date of REC Opinion
5 Jan 2022
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion