Child sexual abuse affects a substantial number of children and can lead to significant mental health problems. Because of children's reluctance to disclose sexual abuse, the majority of victims are not identified or treated. A primary prevention approach to sexual abuse offers a cost-effective means of reaching the large numbers of children who are potential victims as well as current victims who are unidentified. The proposed project will compare the differential effectiveness of sexual abuse prevention programs aimed at various school system participants. Third and fourth grade classrooms from 16 schools will be assigned to one of four treatment conditions: 1. Delayed treatment control, 2. Teacher intervention only, 3. Child intervention only and 4. Teacher and child interventions (total N=64 classrooms; approximately 1280 children). Teacher and child interventions will consist of multi-media curricula which are nationally available. The impact of the prevention programs will be assessed by administering pre, post, and 6-month follow-up measures to teachers and children and 1-month follow-up measures to parents. Knowledge, emotional reactions and behavior of teachers and children will be assessed. It is expected that treatment teachers will: 1. increase in knowledge about sexual abuse, 2. develop more empathic attitudes toward abusive parents and children, 3. engage in more proactive preventive efforts with class members and 4. report more disclosed cases to Protective Services. It is expected that treatment children will: 1. increase in knowledge about inappropriate vs appropriate touching, 2. be better able to generate and evaluate solutions in hypothetical sexually abusive situations, 3. report less anxiety in hypothetical abusive situations since they have available coping responses, and 4. engage in preventive actions or disclosure to parents or teachers. We will also assess potential negative consequences of the prevention programs such as increased anxiety about potential sexual abuse, increased discomfort with appropriate touching, and false reporting. A secondary study will investigate how much intervention is necessary to produce long-lasting changes in children's abilities to protect themselves from sexual abuse. A subsample of children will receive a """"""""booster shot"""""""" intervention a year following the initial prevention program. A follow-up assessment will determine if the knowledge and skills of these children are superior to those of children who receive a single intervention.
| Kleemeier, C; Webb, C; Hazzard, A et al. (1988) Child sexual abuse prevention: evaluation of a teacher training model. Child Abuse Negl 12:555-61 |
