Newsletters
MASOC’s newsletter is called Translating Research into Practice. It is intended for professionals who treat young people with problematic sexual behaviors. The newsletter is easy to read and short enough to digest over that first cup of coffee in the morning.
Inform your practice
If you care about and work with these children and teens, then the MASOC newsletter will be a “must” for your work and your practice. We will not flood your inbox with materials.
With our newsletter, MASOC’s goals are to help you:
- Stay current with emerging and cutting-edge research
- Integrate new information into your practice
- Keep updated on key policy initiatives
Subscribe
Our free newsletter is just once a month. Providers can stay current with emerging and cutting-edge research, integrate new information into your practice and receive updates on key policy initiatives.
MASOC does not sell your information.
2024 Newsletters
February 2024
Motives for Sex and Sexual Perpetration in College Men: An Exploratory Study
By better understanding the “sexual” aspect of “sexual violence,” we may improve our understanding of the fundamentals of this crime and identify new avenues for prevention.
January 2024
Abuse Disclosures of Youth Engaging in PSB and Trauma Symptoms
Children who are exposed to pornography at a young age are significantly more likely to disclose engaging in problematic sexual behaviors (PSB).
2023 Newsletters
December 2023
Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survie and Some Die
It is possible to make a truly worthwhile idea circulate as effectively as a great urban myth (e.g., strangers placing razor blades in applies on Halloween – or sex offenders luring kids into their houses).
November 2023
Trends in Recidivism for Youth Engaging in PSB
Echoing previous studies, sexual recidivism for adolescents is low and has remained low for decades. And the paper cautions against the idea of a single base rate and argues for the need of a “whole person” approach.
October 2023
Unwanted Sexual Acts Among University Students: Correlates of Victimization and Perpetration
Risk correlates for unwanted sexual victimization and perpetration include gender (in this study, female for victimization and male for perpetration), undergraduate student status and prior victimization or perpetration before entering campus.
September 2023
Protective Factors in Preventing Sexual Violence in High School
Youth who did not perpetrate sexual violence in high school showed higher empathy, and experienced higher parental monitoring, and social support – especially in the middle school years.
August 2023
Bias in Adolescent Risk Assessment
Black and Hispanic boys had the highest base rates for re-arrest and also the highest inaccurate classification.
June 2023
Pathways to the Emergence of Pre-Teen Problematic Sexual Behavior (PSB)
Child sexual abuse exerted a direct effect on PSB while no direct effect of child physical abuse was found. However, physical abuse exerted a direct effect on self-dysregulation which is associated with PSB.
May 2023
Which Online Abuse Activities are More Emotionally Impactful?
The highest negative impact of online sexual abuse and cyberstalking is connected to the misuse of sexual images such as non-consensual taking, non-consensual sharing, and threats of sharing and sextortion, most typically by peers.
April 2023
Sending, Receiving, and Non-consensually Sharing Nude Images by Youth
Technology use and attitudes about peer norms were most significantly associated with sexting behavior in youth. Image-related behavior overall was positively correlated with the participant’s age.
March 2023
Risk Markers for Male Perpetration of Sexual Assault on College Campuses: A Meta-Analysis
In this meta-analysis, the significant risk markers for college male sexual assault perpetration related to hegemonic masculinity, other forms of dating violence, and college party culture. Empathy emerged as a key protective factor.
February 2023
The Disclosure of Children Who Exhibit Problematic Sexual Behaviors
Disclosure of having engaged in problematic sexual behavior (PSB) by a child or teen appears to
be influenced by a number of factors including: 1) the role of the person doing the interview, 2)
feelings of remorse expressed by the child, and 3) a witness or evidence of the PSB.
January 2023
Effectiveness of Sexual Violence Prevention Programs Targeting Adolescents
Psychosocial sexual violence prevention programs were associated with significant reductions in both the perpetration and experience of sexual violence during adolescence.
2022 Newsletters
December 2022
How Sexual and Gender Minority Students Discuss Experiences of Sexual Violence
The findings suggest an overlap between sexual violence and heterosexist/cissexist experiences for sexual and gender minority students..
November 2022
Factors Affecting Continuity of Sex Offending into Adulthood
The most notable risk factor for continuing PSB into adulthood are non-sexual juvenile offenses.
October 2022
What Kind of Therapy Works with Adolescents Who Have Sexually Offended?
The current comparison study found a greater reduction of sexual re-offense through offending specific skills-based therapy over general skills-based training to prevent re-offense.
September 2022
Racial Disparities Associated with the Child’s or Accused Race
The race of the person accused of harming a child significantly influenced substantiation of abuse allegations by child welfare agencies, particularly for Black children and families.
June 2022
Trends in Choking/Strangulation During Partnered Sex on Campus
Understanding the changing norms and the growing trend of choking/strangulation during partnered sex among young adults.
May 2022
Repairing Trust: Effectiveness of Apologies
Results showed that apologies between individuals and between groups significantly increased trust. However, their impact was far greater with interpersonal interactions than the intergroup contact. Furthermore, the effectiveness of an apology was shaped by their emotional content.
April 2022
Characteristics of Children and Adolescents with Problematic Sexual Behaviors
Children and adolescents with Problematic Sexual Behaviors (PSB) are a heterogeneous group committing a large percentage of the cases of child sexual abuse. This study summarizes what is known and what is not known about this population.
February 2022
Online Sexual Harassment
Females experienced significantly higher levels of online sexual harassment then males and the emotional impact was significantly more upsetting as well.
January 2022
Childhood Community Risk Factors on Intimate Partner Violence Perpetration Among College Students
Higher community cohesion during childhood lowered the risk of IPV perpetration in both male and female students in the campus setting.
2021 Newsletters
November 2021
Racial Disparities in Child Abuse Reports
Research suggests that children in non-White and Hispanic/Latinx communities are at higher risk for child maltreatment. This is especially true for children from Black communities.
October 2021
Is Sex-Offending Treatment Trauma Informed?
Given what we know about trauma and adversity, it is essential to understand the contribution of developmental trauma to sexual behavior problems as a part of the treatment process.
August 2021
Disparate Reports between Youth with PSB and their Caregivers
Key to developing more effective interventions is an understanding of the differing perceptions of family dynamics and stress levels between youth and their caregivers.
July 2021
Barriers to Treatment for Victims of Children with PSB
Children who are sexually harmed by other children or youth may be especially hard to identify and have additional barriers for accessing and receiving the services they need.
June 2021
Motivational Interviewing in a Campus Setting: Impact of Therapist Behavior
Therapists using Motivational Interviewing approaches will be much more likely to elicit conversations about the target behaviors that will, in turn, lead to positive behavior change.READ FULL NEWSLETTER
May 2021
Risk Factors of Sexual Violence Perpetration: The Confluence Model
The successful identification of risk factors for sexual violence can be used to develop more accurate assessments and more effective interventions for both large groups as well as individually tailored interventions.READ FULL NEWSLETTER
April 2021
Help Wanted: Lessons on prevention from young adults with a sexual interest in prepubescent children
Adolescents with a sexual interest in younger children are a hidden population, with little or no access to resources or positive role models of others living safe healthy and connected lives.
March 2021
What we know about girls with problematic sexual behaviors
Girls who have committed a sexual offense are not a homogenous group. This article shows that girlsGirls who have committed a sexual offense are not a homogenous group. This article shows that girls who have sexually abused and have a history of child maltreatment are more likely to have a mental health diagnosis and experience high levels of anger, depression and anxiety than girls without this history.READ FULL NEWSLETTER
January 2021
Risk Assessment of Adolescents for Possession of Child Sexual Exploitation Materials
Adolescents who have viewed CSEM are less likely than adults to have prior or subsequent sexual offenses. However, given that this is a heterogenous group: treatment and prevention need to be individually tailored to the needs identified in a risk assessment. At present, there are no risk assessment measures for youth who are known to have used CSEM.READ FULL NEWSLETTER
2020 Newsletters
November 2020
Prevalence and Risk in Adolescents for Stalking and Harassment
Nearly half (48%) of 12-18-year-old youth who are dating, experience stalking and harassment and the prevalence of perpetrating these behaviors was 43%. Given the relative normality of these behaviors in the current climate, Interventions targeting these less severe forms of dating abuse are warranted.
October 2020
Sexual Abuse and Assault in a Large National Sample of Children and Adolescents
From this study, most sexual abuse and assault of children and adolescents are at the hands of other children and adolescents (76.7% for males and 70.1% for females). This sexual abuse identified in this study is perpetrated primarily by acquaintances, and occurring more frequently for adolescents ages 14–17.
August 2020
Comprehensive Sexuality Education as a Primary Prevention Strategy for Sexual Violence Perpetration
A comprehensive sexuality education K-12 program targeting risk factors for perpetration has theA comprehensive sexuality education K-12 program targeting risk factors for perpetration has the potential to prevent the initial perpetration of sexual violence early on in an individual’s life.
July 2020
Addressing Microaggressions in Racially Charged Patient-Provider Interactions: A Pilot Randomized Trial
Whether we see our own racial microaggressions or not, this combination of mindfulness and intergroup exercises can significantly decrease racial bias and increase the clinician/client rapport.
March 2020
I Didn’t Want to be that Girl: The Social Risks of Labeling, Telling, and Reporting Sexual Assault
Understanding the process of disclosing sexual abuse involves complex personal decisions includingUnderstanding the process of disclosing sexual abuse involves complex personal decisions including labeling the experience, telling someone and reporting to an official, may open unexplored opportunities to address the needs of those harmed as well as the risks of those who have caused the harm.READ FULL NEWSLETTER
February 2020
Understanding Children Who Engage in Interpersonal Problematic Sexual Behaviors
Children who exhibit problematic sexual behaviors are more likely to have been exposed to multiple adverse experiences. Sadly, a high percentage of these children had also accessed sexually explicit materials and were associated with more invasive sexual acts.READ FULL NEWSLETTER
January 2020
Understanding the Buffering Effects of Protective Factors on the Relationship between Adverse Childhood Experiences and Teen Dating Violence Perpetration
Prevention strategies that address social support, empathy, school belonging and parental monitoring impact students in a variety of ways, and most significantly, act as a buffer against the negative effects of exposure to family and community violence.
2019 Newsletters
December 2019
Effects of Defendant and Victim Race on Perceptions of Juvenile Sex Offenders
Understanding racial biases that might influence the application of sex offender registration of adolescents can be a challenge, but that doesn’t excuse us from reaching for a deeper understanding.
November 2019
Sextortion of Minors: Characteristics and Dynamics
Without a contact offense, It is easy to lose sight of the impact of sextortion on those who have been targeted. Understanding the impact as well as who is causing the harm are the first steps towards prevention and more effective interventions.
September 2019
Development of a Risk/Treatment Needs and Progress Protocol for Juveniles With Sex Offenses
Professional Trainings
Keep up with best practices and earn continuing education units with MASOC’s webinars, conferences, M-CAAP trainings and other opportunities.
Keep informing your practice
Through our policy work, MASOC aims to educate legislators, policy makers, clinicians, case managers, and other professionals about the need to provide different standards for care, different treatment and management options, and different policies for youth that are distinctly different from what is offered and mandated for adults.