One size does not fit all: Future directions for the treatment of sexually abusive youth in New Zealand

Abstract

In recent years the problem of sexually abusive youth has been increasingly recognized as a significant issue in our community. This paper provides a brief overview of the literature that shows sexually abusive youth to be a heterogeneous population. We argue for the development of typologies of adolescent sexual offenders to assist in the guiding of individualized treatment plans to suit adolescents’ and families’ needs. Further research should focus on development and interventions that are appropriate to adolescent sexual offender types. A description of how treatment issues are being addressed in New Zealand is included and recommendations are made regarding possible future directions for the treatment of sexually abusive youth.

Keywords:

• Sexually abusive youth
• typologies
• treatment diversity
• New Zealand

Acknowledgments

We would like to thank Marlyn Robson, Nigel Latta, John McCarthy, Kathryn Barriball and Jan Geary for their helpful feedback on this paper. We would also like to thank the SAFE Network, Auckland for their ongoing research support.