Young children's knowledge and skills related to sexual abuse prevention: a pilot study in Beijing, China

Unveiling Child Sexual Abuse Disclosure in China: An Ecological Exploration of Survivors' Experiences

Through a thematic analysis of firsthand posts from 258 abuse survivors in online forums from 2016 to 2023, this research examines the barriers that Chinese children encounter when disclosing sexual abuse. The anonymous narratives shed light on the motives behind survivors' reluctance to reveal abuse, the outcomes following disclosure, and the wider implications for survivors and their families under culture. The findings underscore the need for early intervention upon disclosure, aiming to safeguard children from further harm and foster the development of an effective child protection framework.

Effectiveness of Psycho-Religious Sexuality Education upon Anger and Depression of Iranian Female Adolescents: The Relationship of Quality Family Relationships and Birth Order

Sexually active adolescents tend to have a wider range of psychosocial problems, including depression, anger, poor academic achievement, low self-esteem, and substance use. Developing a high-quality and curriculum-based comprehensive sexuality education (CSE) program is of great importance for adolescents following Iranian culture. Due to the lack of such an educational program, the purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of psycho-religious CSE upon anger and depression of Iranian female adolescents, as well as the relationship of quality family relationships and birth order. The research design is quasi-experimental with pre-test and post-test with experimental and control groups. The statistical population of this study comprised all Iranian female adolescents aged 15 to 18 years in Mashhad who participated in this workshop voluntarily. For data collection, the Child and Adolescent Depression Inventory and Spielberger's State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory (STAXI) were used. SPSS 21 software and analysis of variance (ANOVA) and covariance (ANCOVA) were used for data analysis. The results showed that there was a significant difference in the mean difference between depression and anger in the control and experimental groups (p-Value < 0.05). The results also showed a significant relationship between birth order and the quality of family relationships on depression and anger. Psycho-religious-based SE can reduce depression and anger in female students. These findings can be used in planning educational interventions with a psycho-religious-based approach to reducing anger, depressive symptoms and dangerous sexual behaviors among adolescents.

Knowledge Transmission and Skills Building Relating to Child Sexual Abuse in China

Parents play a key role in child CSA prevention, but the mechanisms underlying the intergenerational knowledge transmission are not fully understood. This study explores the role of two parenting practices - parent-child communication and parent's protective behavior - as mediating factors in the relation between parents' knowledge and their children's knowledge and skills. Four hundred and ten dyads of early adolescents and their mother or father from rural China participated in the study. Parents were surveyed on their knowledge, protective behaviors, and parent-child communication regarding CSA, while children answered questions on relevant knowledge and skills. Results revealed that parental knowledge was positively and significantly related to communication and protective behavior, protective behavior was positively related to children's knowledge and skills, but the coefficient between communication and children's knowledge and skills was insignificant. The findings highlight direct parental protection as one of the most important mechanism for intergenerational knowledge transmission.

Knowledge of sexual abuse and resistance ability among children with intellectual disability

BACKGROUND

Sexual abuse is a global concern among children with intellectual disabilities. Sexual abuse is frequent and long-lasting when the victim is a child with an intellectual disability. Moreover, the rate of sexual abuse is two to eight times the rate in the general population.

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to investigate the knowledge of sexual abuse and resistance ability among children with intellectual disabilities.

PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING

The study was conducted among 120 children with mild or moderate intellectual disabilities attending twelve schools for specific purposes.

METHODS

We adopted a cross-sectional design to assess knowledge and resistance ability. Personal Safety Questionnaire and Modified What If Situation Test were administered verbally during individual interviews. Institutional Ethics Committee approved our study.

RESULTS

Current study suggests that children with intellectual disabilities have average knowledge (M = 6.6, SD = 1.6) regarding sexual abuse. More than 90 % of children demonstrated poor reporting skills. Although children exhibited good knowledge in differentiating appropriate from inappropriate touch requests, most children reported they would not disclose this incident to anyone.

CONCLUSIONS

This study strongly suggests the need for a structured training program for children with intellectual disabilities to prevent sexual abuse.

"Don't Touch My Body!" Child Sexual Abuse Training Program for Future Pre-School Educators: A Single-Blind, Pre-Test/Post-Test, Randomized Controlled Trial

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the "Don't Touch My Body" Training Program (DTMB-TP) and raise awareness of child sexual abuse (CSA) among future pre-school teachers enrolled in a Turkish university. The study design was quasi-experimental and employed two groups (intervention and control) with pre-test/post-test. Convenience sampling method was used. The study sample included participants (n = 218) enrolled in an academic degree program to become pre-school teachers. Data were collected using a descriptive information form and the "DTMB" awareness form. The data collection forms were administered to the study and control groups at baseline (pre-test) and 4 weeks after the intervention. The intervention applied to the experimental group was conducted face-to-face in one class hour (40 minutes) under the leadership of a nurse. There was a statistically significant increase in the knowledge of the children's private body parts, good/bad touch, reactions to strangers, and the family security password in the intervention group in the post-test (p < .05). In the post-test, no increase was observed in the control group's CSA knowledge level score (p > .05). The DTMB-TP effectively increased the awareness of preventing sexual abuse in participants. This study concluded that education effectively raised awareness to prevent CSA and provided basic data for larger-scale studies.

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.

Determinants of Sexual Abuse Prevention Knowledge among Children’s Schools in West Java Indonesia: A Cross-Sectional Study

Child sexual abuse (CSA) is a severe problem in Indonesia. Adequate knowledge in children about CSA prevention is essential so that children do not become victims. Lack of adequate children’s knowledge of the prevention of CSA may put them at risk for experiencing CSA. This cross-sectional study explores the association factors between knowledge and characteristics regarding the prevention of CSA. The study was conducted in Bandung Regency, West Java, Indonesia. Students from grades two to nine at two elementary schools were eligible for the study. Results showed that as sources of information associated with better knowledge of CSA prevention (p = 0.00), teachers and parents significantly contributed to CSA information. Multivariate analysis showed that teachers (OR: 33.479, 95% (CI: 4.467–250.912)) and parents (OR: 45.336, 95% (CI: 10.886–188.807)) significantly contributed as a source of CSA information among students. The findings are essential important implications for interventions intended at preventing CSA. Sexual education programs should be officially applied at schools for children with the support of their parents and teachers.

Raising the Awareness of Students in a Child Development Department regarding the Prevention of Child Sexual Abuse

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the training given to raise awareness of child sexual abuse among students at a Turkish University. For this study, a quasi-experimental method, the single group pretest posttest model, was used. The data were collected using a questionnaire that was distributed to students in the Department of Child Development before and after relevant training. The study sample consisted of 87 participants. In this study, increased awareness was indicted by the participants' understanding of good and bad touching following the instruction. In addition, the attitudes of the participants regarding the use of correct anatomical names when teaching about the genitals and their knowledge of the special regions of the body increased (p <.05). The findings of the study showed that the "awareness training" was an effective program for increasing sensitivity regarding the prevention of sexual abuse. Consequently, it is recommended that lessons on child abuse should be included in the university educational curriculum, and that programs promoting sensitivity to this issue should be promoted. It is also recommended that similar studies, with larger samples, should be carried out in the fields of educational science and health science.

Children's Knowledge and Skills Related to Self-Protection from Sexual Abuse in Central Java Indonesia

The research aimed at assessing Muhammadiyah Elementary Schools' children's knowledge and skill in protecting themselves from CSA by analyzing them based on gender. It applied a quantitative method with descriptive statistical and inferential analysis designs. The samples amounted to 301 fifth-grade students from 10 Muhammadiyah Elementary Schools in Surakarta, Central Java, Indonesia. They were asked to complete the questionnaires of the "What If" Situation Test (WIST-III), adapted to an Indonesian context. When testing comprehension of touching situations, it was found that less than half of the respondents could identify appropriate touching situations (42%, M = 1.99, SD = ±1.04). There was a significant difference in the appropriate touching situation between males (M = 2.26, SD = ±1.9) and females (M = 1.76, SD = ±1.09). However, the ability to tell someone about the sexual abuse incident was very low, and a significant difference was found between females (p = .029, M = 1.7, SD = ± 2.3) and males (p = .029, M = 1.55, SD = ± 2.11). Only two per cent of the children achieved the maximum skills score. A CSA preventive program must be focused on building and developing children with regards to the skills to protect themselves from CSA by referring to cultural and Islamic values.

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

PURPOSE

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.

DESIGN AND METHODS

The study used a pretest/posttest design. The study was conducted with a sample of 58 children (aged 3-6 years) and 64 parents.

FINDINGS

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).

PRACTISE IMPLICATIONS

Children's risk of abuse may be reduced if their parents teach them about CSA correctly.

A sex education program for teachers of preschool children: a quasi-experimental study in Iran

Background

Sex education is an important educational dimension. Together with families, teachers play a significant role in providing sex education to children. However, in most cases, they do not have enough information on this topic. The present study aimed to determine the effects of a preschool sex education program on preschool teachers’ knowledge and attitude.

Methods

In this quasi-experimental study, 80 teachers working at preschools in Tehran, Iran, were randomly allocated to experimental and control groups. The educational program was provided in two 90-min sessions for the experimental group while the control group received no intervention. A self-designed knowledge and attitude questionnaire was completed by both groups before and 1 month after the intervention. This questionnaire evaluated knowledge and attitude in six domains of principles of sex education, sexual identity, stages of development and proper methods of sex education, sex-related questions, masturbation, and sexual abuse. Data were analysed in SPSS 18 using descriptive statistics as well as independent samples t-test, paired-samples t-test, chi-squared test, and ANCOVA at p < 0.05.

Results

Mean scores of knowledge and attitude in all dimensions showed a significant increase in the experimental group following the educational intervention. However, no difference was observed in the control group. Following the educational intervention, mean scores of teachers’ knowledge and attitude in all six domains showed a significant difference with that of the control group (p < 0.001).

Conclusions

Results revealed that the sex education program can promote the knowledge and attitude of preschool teachers in all domains.

Trial registration

Iranian Registry of Clinical Trials: IRCT2016122320854N5. Registered on 9 March 2017. “Retrospectively registered”.

Sexual Abuse Prevention Education for Preschool-Aged Children: Parents' Attitudes, Knowledge and Practices in Beijing, China

The purpose of this study was to investigate Chinese parents' attitudes, knowledge, and practices with their preschool-aged children on sexual abuse prevention education, and to explore the associated factors of parental educative practices on child sexual abuse (CSA) prevention. Four hundred and forty parents of young children from 16 classes in 3 preschools in Beijing completed the questionnaire anonymously and voluntarily (response rate = 80%). Less than one third of parents believed that children most often were sexually abused by familiar persons, and less than 30% of parents believed that if a child has been sexually abused, there will usually be no obvious physical evidence. Parents were reluctant to discuss CSA protective skills with their young children. Less than half of the parents had told their children that if sexual abuse happens, parents or other trusted adults should be told. The multivariate linear regression equation showed that both parents' knowledge (B = 0.11, SE B = 0.05, p = 0 .03) and attitudes (B = 0.27, SE B = 0.10, p = .01) were significant factors for parents' communication about CSA prevention with their children. Findings from this study suggest that it is urgent to implement the sexual abuse prevention education with Chinese parents of preschoolers. Applications and limitations of these findings are discussed.

Factors associated with perceptions of child sexual abuse and lack of parental knowledge: a community-based cross-sectional study from the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia

BACKGROUND

Child sexual abuse (CSA) has serious consequences that can affect the physical, social and mental health of a child. In the last two decades, concern about CSA has increased around the world including Saudi Arabia.

OBJECTIVE

Evaluate factors associated with parental perceptions and knowledge of CSA.

DESIGN

Cross-sectional survey.

SETTINGS

Primary health care clinic.

SUBJECTS AND METHODS

Simple random sampling was used to select participants. The main tool for data collection was a self-administered questionnaire.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Factors associated with knowledge and perceptions of CSA.

SAMPLE SIZE

400.

RESULTS

Most respondents (69%) had good knowledge of the signs of sexual abuse in children. For perception scores, statistically significant variables were age (P=.004), educational level (P=.005), income (P less than .001), number of wives (P=.004), number of male children (P=.021), and number of female children (P=.027). For knowledge scores, statistically significant variables were income (P=.008), number of wives (P less than .005), number of male children (P=.003) and number of female chil.dren (P less than .003). Logistic regression showed that the older age group was significantly associated with a good perception score (P less than .046).

CONCLUSIONS

Risk factors for parental lack of knowledge and poor perception associated with CSA are poverty and low education. Protective factors included the older parent age, size of the family and families with more than one wife. Education should be designed for parents and the community to increase the knowledge and perception of CSA.

LIMITATIONS

Single-center study and short study period.

CONFLICT OF INTEREST

None.

Determining the Appropriateness of the "What If" Situations Test (WIST) with Turkish Pre-Schoolers

Measurement instruments are needed to assess the child's sexual abuse prevention program. The purpose of the study was to determine the reliability and validity of the WIST (What If Situations Test) for Turkish culture. Participants were children of the 3-6 age group attending pre-school education institutions and the sample size was identified by means of a power analysis. Seventy children were identified as the sample with 0.85 power and 0.05 type I error according to the power analysis. Language validity, content validity, internal validity coefficient (Cronbach alpha coefficient), and test-retest analyses were conducted in terms of validity and reliability in the scope of efforts for adaptation to Turkish culture. Firstly, Kendall W = 0.83 was the score for the expert opinions concerning the content validity of the language validity scale. It was found that the Cronbach alpha coefficients were between 0.68 and 0.90 for the scale sub-dimensions of appropriate and inappropriate recognition, saying, doing, telling, and reporting. The test-retest reliability of the scale was found to be r = 0.89 and the test-retest reliabilities for the sub-dimensions (appropriate recognition, inappropriate recognition, say skills, do skills, tell skills, and reporting skills) were between r = 0.48 and r = 0.92. The test-retest reliability for the Personal Safety Questionnaire (PSQ), as having complimentary items to the WIST, was found to be r = 0.82. The reliability and validity analysis of the 'What If' Situations Test (WIST), used to evaluate pre-schoolers' skills regarding self-protection against sexual abuse, showed that the Test's adaptation to Turkish culture was reliable and valid.

Mothers' knowledge & perception about child sexual abuse in Jordan

Child sexual abuse (CSA) is a serious problem causing physical, social and psychosocial harm. To understand the Jordanian mothers' efforts to prevent CSA, we assessed the mothers' general knowledge about CSA, their perceptions, knowledge about signs and symptoms of CSA and their knowledge about prevention practices of CSA in relation to their demographics. A cross- sectional descriptive design was used with a convenient sample of 488 mothers. The data was collected using a self-reported questionnaire consisting of 52 items. Descriptive and parametric and non-parametric statistical procedures were employed. Almost all mothers in the study were Muslim and married. Half of the mothers had post-secondary education and only 36% were employed. The study revealed that the majority of mothers were knowledgeable about CSA and its prevention practices. Though only 17% of mothers had started practicing some of the CSA preventive measures when their children were young (1-4 years of age) and less than half (48.8%) had started when their children were 4-6 years of age. Three quarters (74%) of the mothers indicated that educating children about CSA can prevent it. Only 37.7% knew about laws regarding CSA in Jordan and less than half of mothers knew about social organizations that provide services for children who suffered from sexual abuse. Mothers who had a high income or a high level of education or were employed had a higher awareness of CSA and recognized signs and symptoms of CSA more than other mothers.

The knowledge and skills related to sexual abuse prevention among Chinese children with hearing loss in Beijing

BACKGROUND

The prevalence of any child sexual abuse (CSA) experience before the age of 16 years ranges from 10.2 to 35.2% in China,^1-5 but there has been no research so far exploring the level of awareness of CSA prevention and self-protection skills among Chinese children with hearing loss.

OBJECTIVE

The school based survey examines the CSA prevention knowledge and self-protection skills in Chinese children with hearing loss.

METHODS

Fifty-one students (30 boys, 21 girls) from 10 to 16 years old participated in the study. Children's CSA prevention knowledge and self-protection skills were tested by using anonymous self-administered questionnaire which was mainly designed based on previous Chinese CSA research questionnaires, the Personal Safety Questionnaire, and the 'What If' Situations Test (WIST).

RESULTS

There were ten questions assessing the knowledge of CSA but none of the children could correctly answer all and seventy percent of the students could not answer more than five questions correctly. Only three students got the maximum skills score. If sexual abuse occurs, about fifty two percent of the children would report it to trusted adults and most of them would report it to their relatives. Girls received significantly higher scores than boys.

CONCLUSION

Chinese children with hearing loss lack knowledge regarding child sexual abuse and the way to protect themselves. There is an urgent need to develop CSA prevention programs in the school for children with hearing loss in China. Parental training and parent-child interaction on CSA prevention should be developed and promoted as well.

Knowledge and Skills of Sexual Abuse Prevention: A Study on School-Aged Children in Beijing, China

To examine the level of child sexual abuse prevention knowledge and skills in a sample of school-aged children, a total of 559 children from first to fifth grade were recruited from one primary school in Beijing, China. Participants were asked to finish a questionnaire surveying their knowledge and skills of child sexual abuse prevention. Results showed that accurate rate of knowledge on child sexual abuse prevention were between 44.0% and 80.0%. Percentage of participants having applied the self-protection skills of "saying 'no,'" "going away," and "telling adults" properly in hypothetical situations was 57.4%, 28.3%, and 48.3%, respectively. Third-to-fifth graders had a better performance than first-to-second graders, and girls performed better than boys. Findings suggest that Chinese school-aged children are in need of knowledge and skills related to child sexual abuse prevention, and education programs should be developed as soon as possible.