Effectiveness of Sexual Abuse Prevention Training Program Developed by Creative Drama for Preschoolers: An Experimental Study

Abstract

ABSTRACT The purpose of the study is to determine the effectiveness of the “My Body is Special” Training Program (MBS-TP), which was developed using the creative drama method to gain information about body recognition and body safety in preventing sexual abuse in children. This is an experimental study conducted with a control group using a pretest/posttest design. This study was carried out in two preschools in Turkey, involving 87 children in the 5–6 age group. MBS-TP was applied to children in the intervention group through eight sessions over 3 weeks. Results indicate that the body’s private areas were guessed at lower rates in the intervention group in the pretest (vagina/vulva 13.6%, penis 2.3%) than the posttest (vagina/vulva 77.3%, penis 68.2%). In the control group, in both the pretest (vagina/vulva 7.7%, penis 0%) and posttest (vagina/vulva 11.5%, penis 0%) knowledge was at similarly low rates. There was a statistically significant increase in the knowledge of “saying, doing, telling, reporting” skills of protecting their bodies for children in the intervention group in the posttest. The “MBS-TP” was found to be effective in increasing ability to recognize parts of the body and body safety techniques for preventing sexual abuse in children aged 5–6.