Effectiveness of school-based programs for the prevention of child sexual abuse

Objectives: We present findings from a recently completed Cochrane Review on the effectiveness of school-based education programmes for the prevention of child sexual abuse. The Cochrane Collaboration recommends strategic... [ view full abstract ]

Objectives: We present findings from a recently completed Cochrane Review on the effectiveness of school-based education programmes for the prevention of child sexual abuse. The Cochrane Collaboration recommends strategic dissemination to reach the widest possible audience; this review has generated interest worldwide, but has not yet been presented in North American forums.

Method: We applied a comprehensive, transparent, and replicable systematic review process to identify all randomised controlled trials (RCTs), cluster-RCTs, and quasi-RCTs of school-based child sexual abuse prevention programmes. We included twenty-four studies conducted with 5802 children in primary (elementary) and secondary (high) schools in the United States, Canada, China, Germany, Spain, Taiwan, and Turkey. We summarised data and where appropriate conducted meta-analyses for program outcomes including: protective behaviours (self-protective skills); knowledge of sexual abuse or sexual abuse prevention concepts; retention of protective behaviours over time; retention of knowledge over time; harm; and disclosures of sexual abuse.

Results: School-based sexual abuse prevention programmes were effective in increasing participants’ skills, and knowledge. Knowledge gains were not significantly eroded one to six months after the intervention. Programmes did not increase or decrease children’s anxiety or fear. No studies measured parental anxiety or fear. Children exposed to school-based prevention programmes had greater odds of disclosing their abuse than children who had not been exposed, however studies did not routinely collect this data, and when data were collected researchers used divergent recording methods and inappropriate analytical techniques.

Conclusions: School-based programs require ongoing evaluation to assess the effect of new teaching and technologies on children’s learning and the maintenance of learning over time. Future studies should carefully monitor the potential for harm arising from program participation, and should employ strategies to address longer term programme outcomes such as reductions in prevalence.