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Hidden Costs, Missed Opportunities: The Case for Specialized PSB Treatment

By Stephen C. Schultz 


Hidden Costs - Missed Opportunities

The hidden costs to society from a lack of early therapeutic interventions for Problematic Sexual Behavior (PSB) in adolescents are both significant and far-reaching. While direct costs (like court expenses or hospital stays) are often easier to measure, the indirect or "hidden" costs tend to be more insidious and long-term. Here’s a breakdown of these societal burdens:



1. Increased Recidivism and Chronic Behavioral Issues

  • Untreated PSB in youth can escalate into more serious offenses over time.

  • As these behaviors persist or worsen, adolescents are more likely to become entangled in the juvenile and adult criminal justice systems, creating an ongoing public safety concern.

  • This contributes to overburdened court systems, correctional facilities, and probation services.

2. Mental Health Deterioration in Youth and Families

  • Adolescents with untreated PSB often experience worsening mental health, including depression, anxiety, shame, and suicidality.

  • Families of these youth often suffer trauma, stigma, and breakdowns in relationships, increasing their need for services.

  • This can lead to multi-generational cycles of dysfunction, neglect, and abuse.

3. Educational Disruption and Academic Failure

  • Students with untreated PSB may face expulsion, school transfers, or special placements, limiting educational success.

  • Missed educational opportunities lower lifetime earning potential and economic contribution, perpetuating reliance on public assistance.

4. Greater Financial Burden on Public Systems

  • Without early intervention, youth often require costlier interventions later—psychiatric hospitalization or incarceration.

  • Public systems—child welfare, Medicaid, law enforcement, and schools—bear the brunt of these higher costs.

  • Early therapeutic programs, while an upfront investment, significantly reduce lifetime costs per youth.

5. Victimization and Community Harm

  • Failure to address PSB increases the likelihood of future victims, both within families and in the broader community.

  • The societal cost of victimization includes medical care, therapy, lost productivity, and emotional trauma, often spanning decades.

6. Stigma and Social Isolation

  • Youth with untreated PSB often face lifelong stigma, even without legal charges.

  • This stigma can hinder employment, housing, and social integration, making them more vulnerable to poverty and marginalization.

  • Society pays the price when individuals cannot contribute productively due to exclusion and unresolved trauma.

7. Lost Potential

  • Every adolescent not reached with early, evidence-based treatment represents lost human capital.

  • Many of these teens are intelligent, creative, and capable but are derailed by trauma, neurological differences, or lack of support.

  • Early interventions unlock potential, transforming burdens into productive, more stable lives.

Summary

In short, the failure to provide early therapeutic intervention for PSB is not just a clinical issue—it’s a public health, economic, and ethical issue. Society either pays now through targeted, trauma-informed care, or pays later in the form of higher crime, broken families, overburdened systems, and lost futures.

Oxbow Academy offers a proactive and cost-effective solution. This makes it a viable option for service providers looking to prevent long-term costs. In addition to serving adolescents aged 14-18 yrs old, Oxbow fills a critical gap in care by providing specialized residential treatment for latency-age youth (10–13 years old) who are experiencing trauma related and sexually reactive behaviors, a niche population often underserved in traditional systems.
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Location: United States

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