Effect of CORE Program on Cognitive, Social and Emotional Characteristics of Sex Offenders

Korean J Legal Med 2013;37:145-152. Korean.

Department of Psychiatry, National Institute of Forensic Psychiatry, Ministry of Justice, Gongju-si, Chungcheongnam, Korea, doctorpj@hanmail.net

Solmaeum Psychiatric Clinic, Daejeon, Korea

The purpose of this study was to develop the CORE Program for sex offenders and to determine its effectiveness. The CORE Program was designed with an aim to achieve cognitive restructuring, improve the ability to empathize in interpersonal relationships, and enhance self-esteem and intimacy. We conducted this program over 48 sessions for 28 sex offenders. The effectiveness of the program was evaluated using the Interpersonal Responsiveness Index (IRI), Self-esteem Questionnaire (SEQ), UCLA Loneliness Scale (UCLALS), Coping Using Sex Inventory (CUSI), Rape Myth Acceptance Scale (RMAS), and Wilson’s Sex Fantasy Questionnaire (WSFQ). The data were analyzed using paired t-tests. Our results showed no significant changes in the SEQ, UCLALS, and IRI scores after the treatment program. However, the scores for the CUSI, RMAS, and WSFQ significantly improved after this program. In this paper, we demonstrate the effectiveness of the CORE Program for sex offenders. We also discuss the limitations of our study and provide suggestions for future research. Our findings indicate that this treatment program should be provided to sex offenders for preventing recidivism.

Key Words : Sex offender, Paraphilia, CORE Program, Recidivism

Original article