Psychological interventions for women with intellectual disabilities and forensic care needs: a systematic review of the literature.
CBT group therapy looks helpful for women with ID in forensic care, but only four weak studies back it—demand stronger proof while you deliver services.
01Research in Context
What this study did
The authors hunted for every paper that tested CBT-style group therapy for women with intellectual disability who were in forensic care.
They kept only studies with real clients, real groups, and real measures.
Four tiny papers made the cut; none were strong enough to trust alone.
What they found
All four studies said problem behaviour dropped after the group.
Yet every study was small, had no control group, or used shaky measures.
Bottom line: the idea looks hopeful, but the proof is paper-thin.
How this fits with other research
Whitehouse et al. (2014) warned the whole ID field lacks solid trials for any psychological therapy. The new review narrows the gap to one slice—women in forensic care—and finds the same hole.
Doughty et al. (2015) showed MBCT groups cut anxiety and depression in general ID adults. Their cleaner design shows positive effects are possible when studies are tighter.
Rose (2010) ran a controlled CBT anger group and saw carer-rated aggression fall. That study gives more confidence than the four forensic studies because it had a wait-list control.
Akhtar et al. (2022) found only seven small weight-loss studies for kids with ID. The pattern repeats: bright ideas, but almost no sturdy data—no matter the age or problem.
Why it matters
If you run or supervise CBT groups for women with ID in secure units, treat them as pilots. Track behaviour weekly, use clear operational definitions, and add a control phase when you can. Share your data so the next review has more than four shaky studies to count on.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
OBJECTIVE: Research evidence to date concerning offending by people with intellectual disabilities (ID) has concentrated on male perpetrators and little is known about their female counterparts. This systematic literature review examines evidence on psycho-social therapies for the female intellectually disabled population within healthcare forensic facilities. METHODS: A search of health, psychology and social science databases was conducted, using a varying combination of search words to detect relevant literature for this review. Four studies published between 2001 and 2012 were identified for inclusion. Articles were organised and compared in relation to study characteristics, sample, kind of treatment, instruments used to measure treatment impact, and study findings. FINDINGS: In total, four studies were identified that met the inclusion criteria. A range of Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT)-orientated group interventions for people with learning disabilities were evaluated and in most studies improvements were reported in relation to reducing problem behaviour. Evidence that has been generated by the studies is, however, limited in its explanatory value because of study design and related methodological issues. CONCLUSIONS: This review has identified a significant gap in relation to research-based therapies for women with ID and forensic care needs. In particular, more research is needed focusing on women with a dual diagnosis of ID and psychiatric disorder who present challenging or criminal behaviour.
Journal of intellectual disability research : JIDR, 2015 · doi:10.1111/jir.12133