Working with adolescent girls who display harmful sexual behaviour
Denise Moultrie

The Taith Service
 Established in 2000
 Specialist service for children and young people with
 Sexually harmful behaviours, (8-21 years)
 Dedicated staff team and expert consultancy
 Work with circa 120 young people per year
 Over 1000 referrals
 The Taith Service accepts referrals across Wales

Girls with sexually harmful behaviour
 11% referral rate Taith (2011/ 12)
 Big Innovation lottery funding 2012-15

Research
 Limited research available in regards to assessment of adolescent females – however, growing body in regards to adult females – still small comparisons to adolescent males.
 May be due to relatively fewer females reported to display sexually harmful behaviour as compared to males.

 Considerable variations regarding the numbers of females who display sexually harmful behaviour – ranging from
5%
(Hislop) 2001 to 40% (Risin & Koss)1987, males who were incarcerated for sexual offences.
 Also socio-cultural resistance in acknowledging females as abusive as opposed to caring/ nurturing, or vulnerable victims. May lead to under reporting

Problem definition
 Considerable information and models of why men, women and boys sexually assault others
 Currently no basic systematic information on girls who sexually harm others
 Current interventions with girls based on models of why boys, particularly, commit sexual assaults

What do we think we know about girls and SHB?
 Own victimisation may be higher
 Trauma, PTSD more prevalent-impact on mental health
 Relational development is important
 Parental, particularly maternal relationship is key
 Exposure to domestic abuse, parental abuse leads to negative beliefs about self/ relationships

 Early maturation, risk of increased sexualisation/ exploitation
 No one single motivation to offend
 ADHD/ conduct problems more likely to be undiagnosed
 Relational or other aggressive behaviour present

Typologies
 Limited studies regarding typologies of adolescent females who display sexually harmful behaviour - (Matthew et al )
1997 described 3 subtypes.
 Those who are acting out their own abuse for other reason other than to gain power/ control.

 Those who abuse out of curiosity
 Those who are psychosexually/ psychiatrically disturbed – usually high levels of trauma
 May also apply to males

One size does not fit all!
 Like adult male, adult female and adolescent boys, girls who display SHB are a heterogeneous group
 Assessment should be about this girl with good case formulation
 Although… there may be some common risk and protective factors

Assessment approach
STATIC RISK
Unchangeable factors in a young person’s life
DYNAMIC RISK
Factors that are changeable over time

80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
Static factors b
Adult information (Beckett) 2006
Adolescent Females
Adult Females
Adolescent Males

females males
35%
30%
25%
20%
15%
10%
5%
0%
Dynamic factors
Adolescent
Fem ale
Adolescent
M ale
Adult Fem ale
40%
35%
30%
25%
20%
15%
10%
5%
0%

Psychometrics
 Used with children and young people aged 12+
 Sufficient reading and comprehension
 Assess factors such as self esteem, emotional loneliness, general empathy, sexual knowledge, victim impact, cognitive distortions
 Attitudes towards females, endorsement of violence
 Standardised on non offending populations, adolescent males and adult females

40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
80%
70%
60%
50%
Adolescent Females
Males

Specific objectives of girls’ project
 Develop standardised assessment measures
 Develop treatment manual
 Evaluation of treatment manual
 Increased awareness through training of professionals and publication of project findings

Group task
We need your views!

Group task
 What aspects of sex education/ sex and relationships education might girls with sexually harmful behaviour particularly benefit from?
 What other areas of health related input might be particularly relevant?

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