Comparing the effect of two methods of group education and education by multimedia compact disk on mothers' knowledge and attitude about child sexual abuse

Abstract

Background: Sexual abuse is one of the main health problems of children around the world. Mothers are the most important reliable source for providing information to children. The aim of this study was to compare the effect of two methods of group education and multimedia compact disk (CD) on mothers' knowledge and attitude about child sexual abuse. Materials and Methods: In this clinical trial, 100 mothers of children under 18 years of age who had a medical file at health centers of Isfahan, Iran, were selected randomly. Participants were randomly allocated into two groups: group education and education with multimedia CD about child sexual abuse. Data were collected by a researcher-made questionnaire and analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Results: The mean score of knowledge and attitude of mothers about child sexual abuse after the intervention in the group education (92.6 and 84.1) compared to before the intervention (69.7 and 58.4) and also in the multimedia CD group after the intervention (92.3 and 81.4) compared to before the intervention (67.5 and 56) had a statistically significant increase. No significant difference was observed between the mean scores of knowledge and attitude of mothers of both groups about child sexual abuse after the intervention. Conclusions: Two methods have been similarly effective in improving the knowledge and attitude of mothers about child sexual abuse. Therefore, considering the benefits of educating with multimedia CD including its affordability and the possibility of using it at any time, it is recommended to use it for mothers' educational programs.