Process evaluation of a group therapy component designed to enhance sex offenders' empathy for sexual abuse survivors.

A process evaluation was conducted to assess the extent to which a specialized treatment group might enhance the offenders' empathy for sexual abuse survivors. Therapeutic efficacy was assessed through pre- and post-treatment administration of a battery of paper-and-pencil inventories. Pedophiles demonstrated greater empathy at pre-treatment and post-treatment than rapists. Surprisingly, pedophiles and rapists did not differ in pre-treatment endorsement of cognitive distortions hypothetically related to rape. Post-treatment psychological inventories revealed significant changes on a variety of empathetic qualities. The results suggests that highly-specialized interventions can enhance sex offenders' empathy for sexual abuse victims and decrease endorsement of distortions justifying sexualized violence. Follow-up is underway to determine if these changes are associated with long-term reductions in recidivism.