The sexual struggles of 23 clergymen: A follow-up study

Abstract

Nineteen clergymen, 17 of whom were Catholic, were followed up 1 to 6 years after their initial evaluation in a program designed to assess the sexual offenses and rehabilitation potential of offending professionals. Methods used included a semistructured interview with a research psychiatrist and a repeat of the MCMI-III. At follow-up, the clergymen were relatively psychologically healthy. The vast majority of the men had returned to previous or higher levels of vocational functioning and felt that they had benefited from their initial evaluation and therapy. None of those who were initially suspected of sexual compulsivity met criteria for excessive sexual expression at follow-up, and none had re-offended. The typical clergyman, whether heterosexual or homosexual, was strugling with loneliness, masturbation conflicts, and the wish to be known beyond their role by others. The confrontative style of the evaluators in pursuing the veracity of the clergy's initial explanations of their behaviors and the use of penile plethysmography were the primary objections to the methods used. Brief psychotherapy seemed to be a cost-effective, well-received intervention for clergy struggling with their sexual conflicts.