Abstract
Objective To assess evidence of the effectiveness of school-based education programs for the prevention of child sexual abuse. The programs deliver information about child sexual abuse and strategies to help children avoid it, and encourage help seeking. Methods Systematic review including meta-analysis, of randomised controlled trials, cluster randomised controlled trials, and quasi-randomised controlled trials. Results Twenty-four studies with 5802 participants were included. Child self-protective skills [(OR=5.71 (CI 1.98, 16.51)], factual [SMD=0.61 (0.45, 0.78)] and applied knowledge [SMD=0.45 (0.24, 0.65)] increased in the intervention group, and knowledge gains were retained at 6-months [SMD 0.69 (0.51, 0.87)]. There were no differences in anxiety or fear [(SMD -0.08 (0.22, 0.07)], and findings regarding disclosure of abuse were inconclusive. Conclusions Children’s self-protective skills and knowledge can be increased by participation in school-based sexual abuse prevention programs. However, it is unknown whether gains in skills and knowledge actually decrease the likelihood of child sexual abuse.
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