Using Relationship-Focused Group Therapy to Target Insecure Attachment as a Barrier to Sex Offense-Specific Treatment: A Pilot Study

Given the high rates of insecure attachment and adverse childhood experiences in men who sexually abuse, this pilot study examined whether an eight-month course of relationship-focused group therapy could make a positive impact on insecure attachment as a barrier to treatment engagement. Fifty subjects were identified by treatment teams as failing to make progress and/or engage meaningfully in a facility-based, sex offense-specific treatment program for civilly committed men who sexually offend. The subjects were assigned to five simultaneous new “motivational” groups that applied interpersonal-focused group therapy that emphasized interpersonal relating rather than criminogenic offense behavior. Participants showed significant improvement on the Secure Attachment subscale and three Secure items of the Relationship Styles Questionnaire (RSQ), suggesting that group-centered group promoted positive gains in interpersonal attachment, particularly in terms of reduced loneliness, reduced fear of acceptance, and greater comfort in depending on others. Participants assessed as having made good progress in the pilot treatment also showed significant improvement on a fourth Secure subscale item pertaining to greater ease with emotional closeness. Results further suggested that groups with better overall ratings of therapeutic climate using the Group Climate Questionnaire (GCQ) generally showed more movement toward secure attachment.