What Children Learn from Sexual Abuse Prevention Programs: Difficult Concepts and Developmental Issues

Objective Social workers have long been concerned about whether child-directed school-based programs are effective in preventing sexual abuse. Knowing children's prior knowledge of abuse prevention concepts and what changes after intervention would be invaluable to program personnel. Method Thi...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Research on social work practice 2000-05, Vol.10 (3), p.275-300
Main Author: Tutty, Leslie M.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Child abuse & neglect
Child development
Curricula
Elementary school students
Prevention
Sex crimes
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Summary:Objective Social workers have long been concerned about whether child-directed school-based programs are effective in preventing sexual abuse. Knowing children's prior knowledge of abuse prevention concepts and what changes after intervention would be invaluable to program personnel. Method This secondary analysis involved 231 elementary school children who were randomly assigned (matched by age) to participate in the “Who Do You Tell” sexual abuse prevention program (n = 117) or in a wait-list control condition (n = 114). Chi-square analyses compared changes on each item of the Children's Knowledge of Abuse Questionnaire-Revised based on treatment versus control condition and developmental level (ages 5 to 7 compared to ages 8 to 13). Results Three items significantly improved for children in the program as compared to those in the control condition across ages. Conclusions The results suggest several changes in teaching prevention concepts.
ISSN:1049-7315
1552-7581
DOI:10.1177/104973150001000301