Examining Implicit Theories in mentally disordered sex offenders V1

  • Research type

    Research Study

  • Full title

    Examining Implicit Theories and Underlying Early Maladaptive Schema’s in Mentally Disordered Sex Offenders.

  • IRAS ID

    167476

  • Contact name

    Shevaun Carter

  • Contact email

    SKC324@student.bham.ac.uk

  • Sponsor organisation

    University of Birmingham

  • Research summary

    Males who have committed a sexual offence against children, and who have been diagnosed with a mental illness will be recruited from the following forensic mental health settings: St Andrew’s Northampton, St Andrew’s Birmingham and Birmingham & Solihull Mental Health Foundation Trust.

    The participants will be giving their consent to take part in 2 interviews and to complete one questionnaire. The first interview is a semi-structured interview conducted by the Chief Investigator. The focus of the interview is on the participants’ personal history: familial relationships, schooling, employment, intimate relationships, on-set of mental illness, and the participants’ views on their childhood and early adult life.

    There will be a gap of approximately one week before the participants meet with the Chief Investigator a second time to complete the second interview. This is also a semi-structured interview conducted by the Chief Investigator. The focus of this interview is on the specific offending behaviours of the participants. Questions focus on the participants’ thoughts and action prior to, during and after the offence, and also their views on the victims.

    Both interviews will last approximately one hour and a half.

    There will be a gap of approximately one week before the participants meet with the Chief Investigator for the final time to complete a questionnaire. During the third and final meeting, the participants will be asked to complete Young’s Schema Questionnaire – shortened version (1998), this is a 75 item, self-report questionnaire aimed at assessing the 18 Early Maladaptive Schemas. The Chief Investigator will administer this questionnaire and support the participants to complete the questionnaire if necessary.
    After this has been completed, the Chief Investigator will debrief the participants and arrange to meet with them once the data analysis has been completed to discuss the findings, should they wish for this to happen.

    Template Analysis (King, 2004), is the method of analysis that will be used to code and analyse the data obtained during the interviews.

  • REC name

    West Midlands - Solihull Research Ethics Committee

  • REC reference

    15/WM/0051

  • Date of REC Opinion

    17 Mar 2015

  • REC opinion

    Further Information Favourable Opinion