Preliminary findings of problematic sexual behavior-cognitive-behavioral therapy for adolescents in an outpatient treatment setting.

Background: The lack of empirical support for interventions commonly used to treat adolescents with problematic sexual behaviors (PSB) has led to restrictive policies and interventions largely based on perceptions of these youth as younger versions of adult sex offenders, without consideration for developmental and etiological differences between populations.

Objective: This study's aim is to evaluate a low-intensity outpatient treatment regarding the reduction of internalizing symptoms and externalizing behaviors to include, PSB.

Participants & Setting: The study examined outcomes for 31 adolescents who completed Problematic Sexual Behavior - Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Adolescents (PSB-CBT-A) at a Children's Advocacy Center between 2013 and 2016.