Talking for Change: Secondary Prevention of Child Sexual Abuse Perpetration

Summary

The goal of this patient preference randomized controlled trial is to investigate the efficacy of Talking for Change (TFC), an intervention for the secondary prevention of child sexual abuse and exploitation (CSA) perpetration. Blinded clinical raters will evaluate the primary endpoint-reductions in dynamic risk factors for sexual offending against children-and clients will provide self-reports to evaluate a second primary outcome-reductions in sexual contact with children, accessing online child sexual exploitation material (CSEM), and desire for sexual contact with children. Researchers will compare the following groups: (1) those receiving 20 weeks of the experimental TFC group psychotherapy; (2) those receiving 20 weeks of a control group psychotherapy targeting mental health and stress more broadly; and (3) those receiving no treatment.

Conditions

• Pedophilia
• Hebephilia
• Child Sexual Abuse
• Program Evaluation
• Prevention Intervention
• Paraphilias and Paraphilic Disorders

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

Talking for Change Group Psychotherapy

Talking for Change (TFC) is a secondary prevention program that targets dynamic risk factors for child sexual abuse, including (1) atypical sexual interests and sexual self-regulation problems; (2) problems in relationships; (3) offense-supportive attitudes; and (4) general self-regulation deficits and related traits (e.g., impulsivity, emotion regulation deficits). Participants will complete 20 weekly, 120-minute sessions delivered via WebEx.

BEHAVIORAL

Healthier Me: Managing Risk and Stress in Everyday Life

The active therapeutic control is a non-directive supportive psychotherapy that targets general mental health concerns. It consists of psychoeducation about human sexuality and common mental health concerns, as well as instruction and practice in applied relaxation and stress management, and group discussions that will facilitate sharing and problem-solving current stressors. This active control intervention is equivalent in length to Talking for Change (TFC), consisting of 120-minute long occurring weekly over the course of 20 weeks.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

  collaborator OTHER

• Centre for Addiction and Mental Health

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Artemis Igoumenou, M.D., Ph.D. · Complex Care and Recovery Program, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH)

• Ian McPhail, Ph.D., C. Psych. · Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University

• Cory Gerritsen, Ph.D., C. Psych · Slaight Centre for Early Intervention, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH)

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

SINGLE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

18 Years

Sex

MALE

Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2025-04-17

Primary Completion

2026-11-15

Completion

2026-12-15

Countries

• Canada

Study Locations