Assessment of sexual knowledge and attitudes in an adolescent sex offender population

A total of 213 inner-city male adolescent sex offenders were administered a standardized test of sexual knowledge, attitudes, and values during an initial assessment and after participation in a 40-week group treatment program, during which 4 weekly group sessions were devoted to sex education. There was a large attrition rate. Only 127 subjects entered treatment, and of those, only 52 (40.9%) completed 70% or more of the group treatment sessions. Results indicated that subjects who completed the entire program, including pre-and posttests (n = 45), significantly shifted their sexual attitudes and values. Improvements in the knowledge portion of the test were statistically reliable only for subjects who completed all items on the test (n = 19). Results indicate that a 4-session sex education program may be too short for this population, and the findings underscore the importance of attention to individual differences in experience and capability when assessing sexual knowledge.