Using Arousal Suppression Exercises to Decrease Inappropriate Sexual Arousal in Detained Adolescent Males: Three Clinical Demonstrations

Abstract

Reyes, Vollmer, and Hall (2011) found that 2 arousal suppression strategies, 1 of which involved counting backward from 100 to 0, decreased sexual arousal for 2 male sex offenders with intellectual disabilities. In the current clinical study, we taught 3 adolescent males who had been adjudicated for illegal sexual behavior to self-report arousal when they were presented with sexually arousing visual stimuli. Based on the procedures in the Reyes et al. ( 2011) study, we taught participants to count backward from 100 to 0 when they verbally reported a criterion level of sexual arousal in the presence of visual media. Subsequently, we gradually faded therapists' instructions for 2 participants until they independently used the arousal suppression exercise. Results showed that each participant's self-reported sexual arousal decreased upon implementation of treatment relative to baseline. Decreased sexual arousal continued even under conditions of faded therapist instructions for 2 participants. The relative merits of using self-report measures are discussed.

Mental health interventions for youth who are incarcerated: A systematic review of literature.

“…The two group interventions and one individual intervention that focused on symptom reduction addressed sexual arousal, trauma symptomology, and depressive symptoms. It is noteworthy that while the Haeffel et al (2017) and Brogan et al (2020) interventions were based on some limited and related research, the Calleja (2020) intervention included evidence-based T-F CBT. While Calleja modified the program due to a lack of parental participation and there were methodological concerns, results indicating a reduction in trauma symptoms are consistent with previous research.…”

“…Symptoms. In the one single-subject research design study, Brogan et al (2020) evaluated the effects of a sexual arousal suppression strategy (i.e., counting or writing numbers from 100 or 50 to 1) on three participant's subjective unit of sexual arousal via a three-tiered nonconcurrent multiple-baseline across participants design. There was also mention of a stimulus engagement variable (i.e., 10-s momentary time sampling of youth gaze toward a video), but no information was included in the results.…”

Improving Juvenile Justice Settings by Decreasing Coercion: One Lab’s Perspectives from Behind the Fence

“…In part, intervention for inappropriate sexual behavior within a juvenile facility involves inhibiting sexual behavior across most stimulus contexts, but permitting a narrow range of sexual behavior (in this context, masturbation only) in specific stimulus contexts (e.g., either while the resident is alone in their cell room and under the bed sheets or in the bathroom). To address inappropriate sexual behavior in the former contexts, Brogan et al ( 2020 ) designed a procedure using methods similar to those described by Reyes et al ( 2011 ) to teach three residents to decrease problematic sexual arousal. The intervention involved (1) providing education about sexual arousal, (2) conducting a baseline evaluation of self-reported sexual arousal while viewing nondeviant media, and (3) teaching students to engage in a counting exercise when they self-reported certain threshold of sexual arousal.…”

“…Returning to the Brogan et al ( 2020 ) study, it is important to note that the procedures’ effectiveness was likely based on the student’s motivation to decrease sexual arousal. In particular, students expressed interest in controlling their sexual arousal and participating in this assessment and intervention.…”

“…Despite promising outcomes of arousal suppression in Brogan et al ( 2020 ), further research is needed to assess generalization of arousal suppression to nonsimulated contexts, which is complicated by federal and state laws forbidding direct measurement of sexual arousal for minors. In addition, it remains unknown if direct measurement of sexual arousal could result in negative emotional side effects, in particular given that many residents have experienced past sexual trauma.…”