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Sustaining Treatment for Youth with Problematic Sexual Behavior: Administrator and Stakeholder Perspectives Following Implementation

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Abstract

This study examines administrator and stakeholder perspectives on factors influencing the sustainability of Problematic Sexual Behavior Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (PSB-CBT). After initial implementation of PSB-CBT, qualitative interviews (N = 42) on the sustainability of services were conducted with treatment program administrators (n = 10) and community stakeholders (n = 32) from six sites across the USA. Interviewees discussed key facilitators and barriers for sustainability and identified the following factors as impacting the sustainability of PSB-CBT: public relations, policy, inter-agency collaboration, funding, and workforce issues. Results were overall consistent with the EPIS (Exploration, Preparation, Implementation, Sustainment) model for implementation in public service sectors, but proposed modifications are also noted. Findings underscore the value of qualitative research in identifying best practices for sustaining valuable therapeutic interventions. The authors argue that future efforts to sustain evidence-based interventions, especially those dealing with sensitive topics around which misinformation and stigma are associated, should prioritize public relations (i.e., outreach, education) in addition to the intervention.

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Notes

  1. Copies of the interview guides are available from the first author upon request.

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Acknowledgments

The authors thank the interviewees who participated in this study and graciously shared their insights on the sustainability of PSB-CBT. We are also appreciative of the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) for funding this research and for the helpful feedback of two anonymous reviewers.

Funding

This project was supported by Grants 2010-WP-BX-K062 and 2013-MU-MU-K102 (PI: Silovsky) awarded by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, Office of Justice Programs, US Department of Justice. The opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this publication/program/exhibition are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the Department of Justice. A.R.D. is an investigator with the Implementation Research Institute (IRI), at the George Warren Brown School of Social Work, Washington University in St. Louis; through an award from the National Institutes of Mental Health (5R25MH08091607) and the Department of Veterans Affairs, Health Services Research & Development Service, Quality Enhancement Research Initiative (QUERI).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Social & Behavioral Sciences, Savannah State University, 3219 College St, Savannah, GA, 31404, USA

    Peter Mundey PhD

  2. Department of Sociology, Iowa State University, 510 Farm House Lane 103 East Hall, Ames, IA, USA

    Alexandra Slemaker MA

  3. RAND Corporation, 1776 Main Street, Santa Monica, CA, USA

    Alex R. Dopp PhD

  4. Department of Human Development and Family Science, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK, 74078, USA

    Lana O. Beasley PhD

  5. Department of Pediatrics, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Nicholson Tower, Suite 4900, Oklahoma City, OK, USA

    Jane F. Silovsky PhD

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  1. Peter Mundey PhD
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  2. Alexandra Slemaker MA
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  3. Alex R. Dopp PhD
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  4. Lana O. Beasley PhD
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  5. Jane F. Silovsky PhD
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Correspondence to Peter Mundey PhD.

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Mundey, P., Slemaker, A., Dopp, A.R. et al. Sustaining Treatment for Youth with Problematic Sexual Behavior: Administrator and Stakeholder Perspectives Following Implementation. J Behav Health Serv Res 48, 410–426 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11414-020-09726-0

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