Arousal Management Techniques, Effectiveness and Therapeutic Applications in Sexual Offending Treatment: A Review

Techniques aimed at modifying or managing paraphilic sexual interests have been a mainstay of many sexual offending treatment programs internationally for a number of decades, based largely on behavioral traditions. However, research interest and innovation with regard to these techniques has notably stagnated over time. The current narrative review aimed to explore arousal management techniques used in contemporary rehabilitative practice, to consider current evidence regarding the effectiveness of such methods, as well as to overview available guidance regarding the suitability of therapeutic applications of the techniques with different populations of those who have been apprehended for perpetrating sexual offenses. Overall conclusions support the inclusion of some form of arousal modification and management targets in programs for selected individuals, largely based on recent meta-analytic findings regarding the effectiveness of relevant techniques in reducing paraphilic interest, as well as their empirical association with reduced sexual reoffending. The need for fresh research in this area is also highlighted.