Sexual Assaults in Therapeutic Relationships: Prevalence, Risk Factors and Consequences

A law has been passed in Germany (paragraph 174c StGB), which prohibits therapists from having sexual contact with their patients. This provides the background for a follow-up survey to the previous study completed by Becker-Fischer and Fischer in 1995. The results of this survey are discussed here on the basis of the current status of research concerning prevalence and risk factors of sexual assaults in therapeutic relationships. The focus of the research lies in determining the specific conditions of sexual assaults in psychotherapy and psychiatry, risk variables of the therapists and patients, the effects it has on the patients as well as the legal consequences it results in. To ensure the comparability of the data, an online version of the Questionnaire about Sexual Contacts in Psychotherapy and Psychiatry (SKPP; Becker-Fischer, Fischer & Jerouschek) was created and a survey of N=77 affected patients was conducted. The majority of the participants in the study reported a serious decline in their overall well being following the incident. However only very few undertook legal steps-only in three cases did it come to a legal procedure. The assumption that sexual contacts in psychotherapy result in extremely damaging consequences to patients, was affirmed. Despite the changed legal situation, therapists in Germany are still not held legally responsible more often than they were 10 years ago. Based on these results a more intensive education of the patients concerning their legal rights is recommended.