Treatment paradigms of sex offenders of children: An analysis of professional journals

The purpose of this study is to: (1) examine the types of paradigms in the professional literature on sex offenders of children between 1993 and 2002, (2) address paradigm change in the treatment models of sex offenders based on the work of Thomas Kuhn, (3) comprehensively analyze the professional journal literature available on the theories and treatments of sex offenders. These journals include: the Journal of Sex & Marital Therapy (JSMT), The Journal of Sex Research (JSR), the Journal of Sex Education and Therapy (JSET), the Archives of Sexual Behavior (ASB), the Canadian Journal of Human Sexuality (CJHS), Child Abuse and Neglect (CAN), and the Journal of Interpersonal Violence (JIV). The articles chosen in this study were expected to focus on either the medical or three-pronged approach in the treatment of sex offenders: antiandrogens, psychotropic medications, and psychotherapy. However, this was not the case. The psychological paradigm remains the dominant paradigm in this professional literature, although sex research and therapy journals were more likely to have medically based theories and interventions than the abuse and neglect oriented journals. The implications of these findings are discussed.