Child Sexual Abuse Prevention Education Research Articles

Prevention of child sexual abuse in the United States: Scoping review of United States legislative policies

BackgroundStates in the United States (US) have passed and enacted legislation for the purpose of preventing child sexual abuse (CSA) since 2000, but it is unknown whether these legislative policies reduce adult-perpetrated CSA. ObjectiveReview the literature from 2000 to 2023 to understand which US CSA prevention policies have been evaluated, the effectiveness of these policies, study populations, and barriers and facilitators associated with the implementation of CSA prevention policies. MethodsThe study protocol was published prior to undertaking the review: PMC10603531. The review follows Joanna Briggs Institute methodology and is reported according to the PRISMA-ScR Checklist. We searched 27 databases, hand searched reference lists of included studies, and sent notice via listserv to other researchers in the field. Articles were included if the content focused on CSA prevention policies and the effects. No limits to methodology were applied. Methodological rigor was assessed. Results2209 potentially relevant articles were identified; 20 articles advanced to full-text review, three satisfied the inclusion criteria. Three eligible studies focused on CSA prevention education policies, while the other focused on mandated reporting policies. Effects of these policies were mixed in relation to CSA reporting and substantiation rates. No study considered child demographics. ConclusionsDespite decades of legislative action for CSA prevention across the US, only a few studies have assessed the effects of these policies. These findings highlight the need for additional research to ensure that CSA prevention policies such as CSA prevention education in schools and mandated reporting practices are working as intended.

Engaging Parents in Child-Focused Child Sexual Abuse Prevention Education Strategies: A Systematic Review.

Parents are their children's first teachers and there are long-standing calls for their involvement in child sexual abuse prevention. In this rapid systematic review, we asked the following questions: what rationales are used to justify parental involvement in child-focused child sexual abuse (CSA) prevention programs? what approaches are used for parental engagement in child-focused CSA prevention programs? and what are the facilitators and barriers to parental involvement in child-focused CSA prevention programs? We searched CINAHL, Cochrane, ERIC, Medline, PsycInfo, Scopus, and SocINDEX in May 2021. A total of 57 papers met our inclusion criteria, comprised of 50 empirical studies, and 7 program descriptions. Rationales for parental involvement included monitoring and shaping parental attitudes toward CSA program delivery in schools; reinforcing children's learning at home; promoting parent-child communication about CSA prevention; building parent capacity to respond to child disclosures; and supporting program delivery for preschoolers. Types of parental involvement included the following: communication, learning at home, volunteering, decision-making, and collaboration with the community. Barriers to parent involvement included ineffective program engagement modalities, and parental fears and misconceptions.

Child sexual abuse prevention: A qualitative study of teachers' educational needs.

Child sexual abuse (CSA) has emerged as a global concern, particularly affecting children in Indonesia. However, there remains a scarcity of research on CSA within the Indonesian context.Objective: This study aimed to explore the educational needs of primary school teachers in preventing child sexual abuse. A qualitative descriptive study design was employed, with eight teachers and school principals selected through purposive sampling. Data were collected through focus group discussions and analyzed using content analysis. Six categories emerged: 1) The risk of sexual abuse, 2) The necessity for clear CSA preventive regulations and sanctions for abusers, 3) Lack of CSA program socialization, 4) The need for structured CSA prevention education for children, 5) The importance of effective coordination with various relevant stakeholders, and 6) The presence of barriers and obstacles. This study provides valuable insights into the educational prerequisites for teachers to implement CSA prevention measures effectively. The findings emphasize the pressing need for school teachers to develop and implement CSA prevention programs, with the government's and nursing professionals' support, to enhance educators' abilities in combating CSA. Nurses have a pivotal role in preventing and addressing child sexual abuse, and they should actively contribute to improving child safety and well-being through knowledge, collaboration, and advocacy for comprehensive prevention strategies.

Comparison of curriculum strategies for the prevention of child sexual abuse (CSA) in developing and developed countries

This research is an integrative literature review regarding comparison of curriculum policies in preventing Child Sexual Abuse (CSA) in Developing and Developed Countries. This research focuses on the Child Sexual Abuse (CSA) prevention curriculum. Data collection was obtained from four different databases: Science Direct, SCOPUS, ERIC (Ebscohost) using six different search terms. A total of 77 publications were found. Based on school safety 2, child sexual abuse 19, school-based prevention 29, CSA prevention education 27 publications were included in the data analysis. The findings from this literature study are intended to provide new information to stakeholders in schools regarding the analysis of differences in the implementation of preventive policies by developed and developing countries. The literature study indicates that developed countries are more effective in implementing curriculum policies to prevent sexual violence against early childhood than developing countries, highlighting the influence of resource disparities.

Parental engagement in child sexual abuse prevention education in Hong Kong

Objective: This study examined three dimensions of parental engagement in Child Sexual Abuse (CSA) prevention education (knowledge, attitudes and practices) to determine whether increased knowledge and attitudes favouring CSA education led to increases in parental behaviours while controlling for multiple factors. Design: A random, digitally selected sample of 508 Hong Kong parents with at least one child in primary school answered a 47-question telephone survey designed by social workers and educators at a local community agency. Method: Parental knowledge and attitudes were measured by scales, scored from 5 to 25 each. Three variables measured parental practices: sex-related topics discussed with the referenced child, CSA-prevention learning methods and a weighted score of CSA-prevention discussions. Univariate tests and multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA) were used to analyse the data. Results: A two-way MANCOVA indicated that attitudes were significantly associated with all the parental practices measured, while knowledge was correlated only with the covered sex-related topics. Parental gender and child gender revealed statistically significant differences in the results. Conclusion: To encourage parental engagement in CSA prevention, educators can empower parents to take on the roles of supporters, planners, implementers and collaborators to deliver sexual health education. Praxis-oriented topics such as ‘how to talk to children’ in a standardised CSA curriculum may improve parental participation and increase their motivation to become peer trainers.

Knowledge, attitudes, and practices of parents toward sexuality education for primary school children in China.

This cross-sectional study provides insight into the perceptions of Chinese parents of primary school children with respect to sexuality education. A sample of 19,745 parents was surveyed using an online questionnaire in Beijing, Tianjin, and Hebei, China. SPSS version 23.0 was used for data analysis. In this study, nearly 90% of parents had positive attitudes toward the sexuality education of children in primary schools. However, Chinese parents had limited knowledge of sexuality education. More than 60% of parents were unaware of the sexuality questions that children may encounter at different ages and did not have any accurate information on child sexual abuse prevention education. Although ~ 70% of parents (both fathers and mothers) reported that they had used television and Internet resources to talk with their children about sexuality and 63% reported that they had read books with their children about sexuality, < 30% reported using appropriate terminology with their children on sexuality education and only 40% reported talking to their children about sexuality comfortably. The multivariate linear regression equation showed some factors associated with the practices of parents in sexuality education, including parental knowledge, attitudes, their experience in receiving sex education in childhood, and their educational level. The findings from this study suggest that it is important to develop culturally relevant training programs for parents of primary schools in Chinese society. The implications and limitations of these findings are discussed.

Child abuse prevention education policies increase reports of child sexual abuse

BackgroundIt is well supported that engaging in prevention education increases a child's awareness of child sexual abuse. However, due to methodological limitations, prior research has yet to determine whether this knowledge leads to increases in reporting or substantiation of child sexual abuse. ObjectiveWe examined whether state mandates for school-based prevention education correlate to changes in reports of child sexual abuse. MethodsWe used a quasi-experimental design to investigate the association between child sexual abuse report rates from 2005 to 2019 and presence of state legislation mandating school-based child sexual abuse prevention curricula. Child sexual abuse report data were obtained from the National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System child files. We focused on reports for school-aged children ages 5–17. Data on state laws on prevention curricula were extracted from enoughabuse.org, Prevent Child Abuse America, ErinsLaw.org, and directly from published legislation. ResultsState education mandates were associated with an increase in the incidence of child sexual abuse reports made by education personnel (IRR = 1.22, 95 % CI, 1.01–1.48). Policies were not associated with increases in incidence of child sexual abuse reports made by non-education personnel (IRR = 1.08, 95 % CI, 0.95–1.22) or decreases in likelihood that any given report was confirmed (OR = 1.00; 95 % CI, 0.90–1.12). ConclusionsThere is moderate evidence that adopting state mandates for child sexual abuse prevention education may increase disclosures and reporting of child sexual abuse by school-based sources. There is no evidence that mandates decrease the validity of child sexual abuse reporting by school-based sources.

Moving school-based CSA prevention education online: Advantages and challenges of the “new normal”

One of the many outcomes of the COVID-19 pandemic was a shift in the delivery of elementary (primary) education. Schools transitioned swiftly to e-learning and prioritized education that was already or could be easily adapted to virtual formats. Given the paucity of online content available, it is not likely that child sexual abuse (CSA) prevention education was prioritized.Given that CSA prevention education has demonstrated success in increasing knowledge, protective behaviors, and disclosures, and the potential long-term need for e-learning options, there is a demand for an exploration of how CSA prevention can be implemented using e-learning strategies. In the current discussion, we explore how school-based CSA prevention education could be implemented in a “new normal” context of e-learning. We first present the existing e-learning content for CSA prevention education. We then describe how best practices for prevention education can be applied to e-learning. Finally, we present considerations for the use of e-learning specifically for CSA prevention education.In short, implementing CSA prevention programs through e-learning offers many affordances for program accessibility and reach, flexibility in implementation and opportunities for greater exposure to content, and a wide range of ways to demonstrate effective skills and engage children in cycles of practice and feedback. E-learning, may also, however, limit important conversations between children and trained instructors that lead to disclosures.The extant literature leaves us unsure as to whether implementing CSA prevention programs through e-learning will result in better or worse outcomes for children. However, given the increasing demand for e-learning options, and the promise of some new e-learning programs, further research on the effectiveness of e-learning CSA prevention programs is warranted.

Investigation of Parents' Attitudes Towards Child Sexual Abuse Prevention Education

Investigation of Parents' Attitudes Towards Child Sexual Abuse Prevention Education

Child Sexual Abuse Prevention: Parental Discussion, Protective Practices and Attitudes.

Understanding parental practices and attitudes regarding child sexual abuse (CSA) prevention could be used to improve CSA prevention, but little information is available. In this study, we summarise survey data collected from 248 Australian and UK parents (87% female) with at least one child aged 6-11 years (M = 8.6, SD = 1.8). This is the first study to quantify parental use of protective practices, other than prevention education, which may guard against CSA. Parental media mediation, which may safeguard against online dangers, was another unique focus of this study. Participants reported their discussion of sensitive topics with their children including CSA; behaviors that may reduce the incidence of CSA (e.g., monitoring, supervision, delegation of care and checking-in with the child); mediation of their child's media use; and attitudes towards CSA prevention education. Parents reported discussing sexual abuse less than other sensitive topics such as abduction dangers, drugs, and death but more than issues surrounding puberty, sex and pornography. Parents reported using high levels of protective behaviours, however some areas of concern were revealed. Of concern was the low-moderate level of parental media mediation, with substantial numbers of children potentially exposed to online risks such as using devices unsupervised in bedrooms or chatting to individuals unknown to their parents and not having their devices checked for concerning content. Almost all parents were supportive of CSA prevention education and felt they should provide this education. However, two-thirds of parents thought CSA education may be associated with harms for the child and two-thirds of parents believed children could prevent their own abuse. Reported results will aid in our understanding of which areas of parenting could be strengthened to create safer environments for children. This research has particularly highlighted the need for parents to be more protective around their children's access to online devices.

Development and Validation of a Mobile Game for Culturally Sensitive Child Sexual Abuse Prevention Education in Tanzania: Mixed Methods Study.

BackgroundGlobally, 3 out of 20 children experience sexual abuse before the age of 18 years. Educating children about sexual abuse and prevention is an evidence-based strategy that is recommended for ending child sexual abuse. Digital games are increasingly being used to influence healthy behaviors in children and could be an efficient and friendly approach to educating children about sexual abuse prevention. However, little is known on the best way to develop a culturally sensitive game that targets children in Africa—where sexual education is still taboo—that would be engaging, effective, and acceptable to parents and caretakers.ObjectiveThis study aimed to develop a socioculturally appropriate, mobile-based game for educating young children (<5 years) and parents and caretakers in Tanzania on sexual abuse prevention.Methods HappyToto children’s game was co-designed with 111 parents and caretakers (females: n=58, 52.3%; male: n=53, 47.7%) of children below 18 years of age and 24 child experts in Tanzania through surveys and focus group discussions conducted from March 2020 to April 2020. From these, we derived an overview of topics, sociocultural practices, social environment, and game interface designs that should be considered when designing child sexual abuse prevention (CSAP) education interventions. We also conducted paper prototyping and storyboarding sessions for the game’s interface, storylines, and options. To validate the application’s prototype, 32 parents (females: n=18, 56%; males: n=14, 44%) of children aged 3-5 years and 5 children (females: n=2, 40%; males: n=3, 60%) of the same age group played the game for half an hour on average. The parents undertook a pre-post intervention assessment on confidence and ability to engage in CSAP education conversations, as well as exit surveys on the usability and sociocultural acceptability of the game, while children were quizzed on the topics covered and their enjoyment of the game.ResultsParents and caregivers showed interest in the developed game during the conducted surveys, and each parent on average navigated through all the parts of the game. The confidence level of parents in talking about CSAP increased from an average of 3.56 (neutral) before using the game to 4.9 (confident) after using the game. The ability scores, calculated based on a range of topics included in CSAP education talks with children, also increased from 5.67 (out of 10) to 8.8 (out of 10) after the game was played. Both confidence level and ability scores were statistically significant (P<.001). All 5 children were interested in the game and enjoyed the game-provided activities.ConclusionsThe HappyToto game can thus be an effective technology-based intervention for improving the knowledge and skills of parents and children in CSAP education.

Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practice of Child Sexual Abuse Prevention among Primary School Teachers: A Study in a City of Guangdong Province of China

ABSTRACT This study aimed to understand the status of knowledge, attitudes, and educational practice of child sexual abuse (CSA) prevention among primary school teachers in a city of Guangdong province of China in order to provide baseline information for CSA prevention training for teachers. Teachers from 8 schools in a city of Guangdong province were surveyed, in May 2019, via an anonymous self-administered questionnaire. On the whole, primary school teachers had positive attitudes toward CSA prevention, but their knowledge and educational practice for CSA prevention were somewhat limited. Results of multiple logistic regression showed that older teachers (40 years or older) (OR = 1.692. 95%CI 1.135, 2.521), classroom teachers (OR = 1.877. 95%CI 1.269, 2.776), and teachers who had participated in training (OR = 4.293. 95%CI 2.907, 6.339) had more educational practice. The findings in this study could provide useful information for developing further CSA prevention education in primary schools.

Effectiveness of School-Based Child Sexual Abuse Prevention Programs in China: A Meta-Analysis

Purpose: Although the number of school-based education programs for child sexual abuse (CSA) prevention has recently increased in China, little is known about their effectiveness. This meta-analysis aimed to examine the effectiveness of school-based CSA prevention programs on improving children’s knowledge and skills, which can prevent them from being sexually abused. Method: Systematic searches were conducted based on five English-language databases (PubMed, Web of Science, ScienceDirect, MEDLINE, and PsycINFO) and three Chinese databases (CNKI, Wan Fang Data, and CQVIP). Seven studies with 2,593 participants finally met the quality criteria of this review, and the meta-analysis was conducted using a random effect model. Results: The overall effect sizes of school-based CSA prevention education showed a significant improvement in children’s knowledge ( d = 2.53, 95% CI [2.03, 3.04]) and skills ( d = 2.00, 95% CI [1.39, 2.60]). Programs instructed by researchers were more effective than those instructed by teachers, and preschoolers had a larger increase in both knowledge and skills than elementary and middle school students. Discussion: This study provides empirical evidence for further implementation of school-based CSA prevention programs, especially under the guidance of experienced researchers and conducted for students at an early age.

Effects of Child Sexual Abuse Prevention Education Program Using Hybrid Application (CSAPE-H) on Fifth-Grade Students in South Korea.

The purpose of this study was to test the effects of a child sexual abuse prevention education program using a hybrid application (CSAPE-H) by examining fifth-grade students' (a) knowledge for sexual abuse prevention and (b) self-protective behaviors against sexual abuse. A quasi-experimental, pretest /posttest design was used. Sixty-eight students from two schools participated. The intervention group (n = 48) received six sessions in CSA prevention education using the hybrid app, whereas the control group (n = 35) was taught using a lecture in a classroom environment. Between the two groups, there were significant differences in self-protective behaviors against CSA (t = 2.26, p = .027). In addition, educational satisfaction was significantly higher in the experimental group than the control group (t = 2.41, p = .019). A CSAPE-H may be effective for elementary school students, especially for self-protective behaviors.

CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE (CSA) AWARENESS ON THE KINDERGARTEN TEACHERS AND PARENTS IN KENDARI

This study is a preliminary investigation to find out teacher and parents’ knowledge of Child Sexual Abuse (CSA), to find out teacher and parents attitudes towards CSA prevention education in school, and to find out what CSA topics that have been taught by teachers and parents with their children in Kendari. The data were collected by using questionnaires with 627 total respondents. The results revealed that the knowledge of teachers and parents’ CSA in Kendari is of average level. 59,6% of teacher and parents have enough information about CSA. Despite the average knowledge, they have a positive attitude (80.7%) towards CSA prevention education in school. Most of them (54.5%) report that they already implemented CSA prevention education for their children. Majority of teachers and parents (75,28%) admits to have heard about cases of CSA in Kendari. Most of them obtained information from TV/electronic media (44,54%), stories being passed around the neighborhood (19,33%), and from the other sources: newspapers, closed family, relatives, and children’s school. One of the sexual abuse cases which has been widely circulated among the respondents is a stepfather or a teacher who allegedly sexually harasses his child, and majority of people have committed CSA are from close family, such as: stepfather, teacher, neighbor, family friends, uncle, grandfather, or parent’s grocery subscription. &#x0D; Keywords: awareness, child sexual abuse (CSA), teachers, parents

Educating children through their parents to prevent child sexual abuse in Turkey.

The aims of this study were to train parents to recognize and prevent child sexual abuse (CSA); evaluate the problems encountered by parents; and evaluate the overall effectiveness of the CSA training program. The study used a pretest/posttest design. The study was conducted with a sample of 58 children (aged 3-6 years) and 64 parents. Children who received CSA prevention education from their parents demonstrated improved knowledge about private parts and about what they should do if they suspect sexual abuse. The parents stated that they encountered some problems (other family members objected to the child being given such training). Children's risk of abuse may be reduced if their parents teach them about CSA correctly.

Child Sexual Abuse Prevention Education: A Qualitative Study of Teachers’ Experiences Implementing the Second Step Child Protection Unit

This study explored teachers’ reactions to implementing a Pre-K-Grade 5 school-based child sexual abuse prevention education program. Fifty-seven classroom teachers and two school counselors attended one of nine focus groups conducted after the implementation of the Committee for Children’s Second Step Child Protection Unit. Teachers discussed their feelings about teaching the unit before and after implementation, their students’ reactions to the lessons, and parental feedback. Initially, teachers were anxious and apprehensive about teaching the six-lesson curriculum but found the experience to be positive and rewarding. Students engaged enthusiastically with the lessons, and parental pushback was minimal. Challenges and recommendations for implementing teacher-led personal safety education are discussed.

Are parents and children aware of child sexual prevention education?

Background: India contains largest populations of child victim of sexual abuse. Current study aimed to find out awareness, orientation, execution of parents for child sexual abuse (CSA) prevention education and study the awareness of CSA prevention education among children attending pre-primary and primary school.Method: It was cross-sectional study carried out during 2016-2017 at government and private school of Gwalior. Total 500 parents and 500 children were selected Proforma based assessment was done among parents and diagrammatic (picture) based assessment among children, Children are explained about diagrammatic proforma and give to color area of good touch and bad touch.Results: The study revealed that 34% of parents are unaware of various facts of child sexual abuse (p &lt;0.005). Post graduate parents have more CSA awareness (90.3%) (p&lt;0.001).Total36% parents have shown negative orientation towards child sexual abuse prevention education. CSA prevention awareness more in upper class parents (88.3%) as compared to lower class (43.8%) (p &lt; 0. 001). post graduate parents have more CSA awareness as compared to illiterate and higher secondary. On assessing the knowledge of good touch and bad touch among children. It was found that only 6% of children have good knowledge, 36%children have some knowledge and 58 % no knowledge regarding good touch and bad touch .Conclusion: Majority of parents and kid are unaware of various fact of child sexual abuse. Parents education level has direct correlation, highly qualified mother father has positive attitude toward child sexual abuse prevention education. Lack of knowledge found in lower socioeconomic class.

Knowledge, Attitude and Practice of Child Sexual Abuse Prevention among Parents of Children with Hearing Loss: A Pilot Study in Beijing and Hebei Province, China

ABSTRACTThis study aimed to examine the knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) of child sexual abuse (CSA) prevention among parents of children with hearing loss. The study involved 127 pairs of parents with deaf and hard of hearing children from three special education schools in Beijing and Hebei province, China. The findings revealed that the parents lacked knowledge about CSA prevention, such as the character of perpetrators and child victims. Parents were supportive about potential CSA prevention education in schools. Most parents told children much about personal safety, but topics on CSA prevention were still insufficient. The study also found that education level was significantly associated with knowledge and attitude. Elder parents knew more and talked more about CSA prevention. Mothers and girls’ parents were more willing to communicate with children about CSA prevention. The conclusion of the study was that parents appeared to have gained a positive attitude, but poor knowledge and practice. Their knowledge and skills of effective communication should be strengthened to promote CSA prevention practice.

Audit tool for assessing child sexual abuse prevention content in school policy and curriculum

Although audit and feedback has not been well-used in social research, it is a useful method by which to answer research questions concerned with the notion of “best practice”, for example, whether a policy or program meets a required standard or benchmark. This paper draws on educational research conducted for a 5-year nation-wide public inquiry: the Australian Royal Commission into Institutional Child Sexual Abuse. The research comprised an audit of the strength and comprehensiveness of child sexual abuse prevention education policy and curriculum in 32 Australian school systems. The paper describes the development of the audit tool including its conceptual background, step-by-step process for identifying and synthesising evidence to generate the audit criteria and descriptors, and an explanation of how the tool was used. It also presents a succinct protocol for the research method, and critical commentary on the strengths and weaknesses of audit and feedback for social research.