Abstract
The Hypermasculinity Inventory (Mosher and Sirkin 1984) is revised and used to investigate whether aspects of masculinity play a role in change during time spent in a forensic therapeutic community (TC). The revised scale identified three conceptually distinctive elements of masculinity that were different to the original inventory comprising behavioural, value and attitudinal components. It was proposed that masculinity would play a mediating role between time spent in the TC and change on outcome measures. A total of 202 male residents of HMP Dovegate Therapeutic Community convicted of a range of predominantly violent offences completed a battery of psychometric tests at six monthly intervals to consider whether baseline masculinity score and scores on a variety of outcome measures altered. Progress was assessed by change in scores on measures of self-esteem, hostility, stages of change and behaviour. It was predicted that those spending longer in the Therapeutic Community would have a lower baseline masculinity score and show greater change in their masculinity score. It was further expected that as masculinity score decreased, scores on outcome measures would show positive improvement Those exiting the TC before eighteen months were expected to have a higher baseline masculinity score and demonstrate less change on outcome measures than those staying for eighteen months. Results indicated that those with a higher masculinity score on entry to the therapeutic community tend to stay longer and showed the most significant change on outcome measures. Masculinity was not found to have the proposed mediating role between time spent in the TC and outcome. Additional cluster and disciminant analyses found four typologies of masculinity and although not significantly differentiating in their progress toward change, differences are noted and their possible influence on treatment outcome highlighted, making the identification of masculinity type during assessment important in devising a treatment plan. Findings are discussed in terms of contra indicative results and the challenge posed by the higher drop out rates of low masculinity scorers. Limitations of the current study and possible future research are also discussed.