Comparing Social Climate Perceptions of Staff and Juveniles with Sexual Behavior Problems

Increases in research on juvenile sexual behavior problems have created a need for more evidence-based treatment.Furthermore, literature shows that the social climate of a treatment facility is an important variable, yet more empirical data exploring how it impacts juveniles with sexual behavior problems in secure care facilities is needed.This study evaluated the perceived social climate of both staff and juveniles in two secure care facilities; as measured by a onetime administration of the Ward Atmosphere Scale (WAS).The total sample consisted of 56 subjects, of which35 were adjudicated male juveniles with sexual behavior problems (n=35) and 21 were staff (n=21).Overall, the staff and juveniles' social climate perceptions were found to be significantly different in the System Maintenance higher order domain of the WAS.Additionally, preliminary data analysis discovered that the two sites were statistically significantly different for the WAS subscales of Order and Organization, Support, Involvement, as well as the higher order domains of System Maintenance and Relationship.Finally, the theoretical and practical implications, strengths and limitations, recommendations for future research and practices for this study are discussed