Web-Based Health Services in Forensic Psychiatry: A Review of the Use of the Internet in the Treatment of Child Sexual Abusers and Child Sexual Exploitation Material Offenders
In recent years, web-based health services for a variety of mental disorders have been developed and evaluated. Evidence suggests that guided internet-based therapy can be as effective as conventional face-to-face therapy. In forensic psychiatric practice, few web-based treatments have been implemen...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2019-02-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Psychiatry |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fpsyt.2018.00763/full |
| _version_ | 1819240918425796608 |
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| author | Tamara S. N. Wild Peter Fromberger Kirsten Jordan Isabel Müller Jürgen L. Müller |
| author_facet | Tamara S. N. Wild Peter Fromberger Kirsten Jordan Isabel Müller Jürgen L. Müller |
| author_sort | Tamara S. N. Wild |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | In recent years, web-based health services for a variety of mental disorders have been developed and evaluated. Evidence suggests that guided internet-based therapy can be as effective as conventional face-to-face therapy. In forensic psychiatric practice, few web-based treatments have been implemented up to now. However, to our knowledge, there do not yet exist guided internet-based treatments for child sexual abusers and child sexual exploitation material offenders. This review aims at examining under what conditions patients are most likely to benefit from internet-based treatments. In addition, some computer-based health services in forensic psychiatry will be summarized and their potentials and weaknesses will be discussed. Subsequently, the review focuses on the implications for the development of online treatments for child sexual abusers as well as on a variety of ethical and legal issues that practitioners may encounter during the development, evaluation and delivery of online health services. The review will conclude with proposed quality standards for the development and implementation of web-based interventions for child sexual abusers and child sexual exploitation material offenders. By virtue of the low number of psychotherapists offering therapy to this clientele as well as individual barriers to seeking treatment such as fear of stigmatization, feelings of shame, long access routes, or limited mobility due to physical handicaps, the development of mental eHealth services in this sector could close an important healthcare gap. By increasing the density of supply, more child sexual abusers and child sexual exploitation material offenders would have the chance to engage in treatment and, ultimately, more incidents of sexual assault against minors could be prevented. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-23T14:15:39Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-0c299a70207e4e719a8e96243b3dc8cb |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1664-0640 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-23T14:15:39Z |
| publishDate | 2019-02-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Psychiatry |
| spelling | doaj.art-0c299a70207e4e719a8e96243b3dc8cb2022-12-21T17:43:56ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Psychiatry1664-06402019-02-01910.3389/fpsyt.2018.00763427308Web-Based Health Services in Forensic Psychiatry: A Review of the Use of the Internet in the Treatment of Child Sexual Abusers and Child Sexual Exploitation Material OffendersTamara S. N. Wild0Peter Fromberger1Kirsten Jordan2Isabel Müller3Jürgen L. Müller4Clinic for Psychiatry and Psychotherapy–Forensic Psychiatry, Human Medical Center Göttingen, Georg-August-University Göttingen, Göttingen, GermanyClinic for Psychiatry and Psychotherapy–Forensic Psychiatry, Human Medical Center Göttingen, Georg-August-University Göttingen, Göttingen, GermanyClinic for Psychiatry and Psychotherapy–Forensic Psychiatry, Human Medical Center Göttingen, Georg-August-University Göttingen, Göttingen, GermanyPrevention of Sexual Abuse (PsM), Asklepios Psychiatric Clinic Göttingen, Göttingen, GermanyClinic for Psychiatry and Psychotherapy–Forensic Psychiatry, Human Medical Center Göttingen, Georg-August-University Göttingen, Göttingen, GermanyIn recent years, web-based health services for a variety of mental disorders have been developed and evaluated. Evidence suggests that guided internet-based therapy can be as effective as conventional face-to-face therapy. In forensic psychiatric practice, few web-based treatments have been implemented up to now. However, to our knowledge, there do not yet exist guided internet-based treatments for child sexual abusers and child sexual exploitation material offenders. This review aims at examining under what conditions patients are most likely to benefit from internet-based treatments. In addition, some computer-based health services in forensic psychiatry will be summarized and their potentials and weaknesses will be discussed. Subsequently, the review focuses on the implications for the development of online treatments for child sexual abusers as well as on a variety of ethical and legal issues that practitioners may encounter during the development, evaluation and delivery of online health services. The review will conclude with proposed quality standards for the development and implementation of web-based interventions for child sexual abusers and child sexual exploitation material offenders. By virtue of the low number of psychotherapists offering therapy to this clientele as well as individual barriers to seeking treatment such as fear of stigmatization, feelings of shame, long access routes, or limited mobility due to physical handicaps, the development of mental eHealth services in this sector could close an important healthcare gap. By increasing the density of supply, more child sexual abusers and child sexual exploitation material offenders would have the chance to engage in treatment and, ultimately, more incidents of sexual assault against minors could be prevented.https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fpsyt.2018.00763/fullinternet-based interventionforensic psychiatrychild sexual abusechild pornographysex offenderpedophilia |
| spellingShingle | Tamara S. N. Wild Peter Fromberger Kirsten Jordan Isabel Müller Jürgen L. Müller Web-Based Health Services in Forensic Psychiatry: A Review of the Use of the Internet in the Treatment of Child Sexual Abusers and Child Sexual Exploitation Material Offenders Frontiers in Psychiatry internet-based intervention forensic psychiatry child sexual abuse child pornography sex offender pedophilia |
| title | Web-Based Health Services in Forensic Psychiatry: A Review of the Use of the Internet in the Treatment of Child Sexual Abusers and Child Sexual Exploitation Material Offenders |
| title_full | Web-Based Health Services in Forensic Psychiatry: A Review of the Use of the Internet in the Treatment of Child Sexual Abusers and Child Sexual Exploitation Material Offenders |
| title_fullStr | Web-Based Health Services in Forensic Psychiatry: A Review of the Use of the Internet in the Treatment of Child Sexual Abusers and Child Sexual Exploitation Material Offenders |
| title_full_unstemmed | Web-Based Health Services in Forensic Psychiatry: A Review of the Use of the Internet in the Treatment of Child Sexual Abusers and Child Sexual Exploitation Material Offenders |
| title_short | Web-Based Health Services in Forensic Psychiatry: A Review of the Use of the Internet in the Treatment of Child Sexual Abusers and Child Sexual Exploitation Material Offenders |
| title_sort | web based health services in forensic psychiatry a review of the use of the internet in the treatment of child sexual abusers and child sexual exploitation material offenders |
| topic | internet-based intervention forensic psychiatry child sexual abuse child pornography sex offender pedophilia |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fpsyt.2018.00763/full |
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