Objective: Child sexual abuse is a significant health problem with potential long-term consequences for victims. Therefore, prevention and education programs are critical. This preliminary study evaluates changes in children's knowledge of sexual abuse using a school-based train-the-trainer curriculum. Emphasis was placed on developing a curriculum that considered the unique cultural context in Hawai'i. Method: School staff who had been trained on how to implement the My Body, My Boundaries curriculum, which targets the third to fifth grade, were invited to participate in the study. Three schools agreed; students in third grade classrooms in two schools received the curriculum and students in the third school served as the comparison. Result: Children in intervention schools significantly increased their knowledge of appropriate and inappropriate touch and what to do if they experience sexual abuse. Conclusion: Findings suggest the utility of a train-the-trainer model in social work practice to address sensitive topics such as child sexual abuse.
Sexual violence is a significant public health problem with potential long-term consequences for victims. Prior research suggests that adolescents are at increased risk for sexual violence, which makes prevention education programs critical for this age group. However, there are few prevention programs that specifically target sexual violence, and even fewer that are culturally appropriate for Hawai'i's diverse population. This pilot study addresses these two gaps by implementing and evaluating a culturally grounded school-based sexual violence prevention curriculum. The Respect curriculum was developed by the Sex Abuse Treatment Center (a statewide social service agency with expertise in sexual violence prevention and treatment), in collaboration with the Hawai'i Department of Education, teachers, counselors, and students across the state. A train-the-trainer model was used for implementation, in which teachers were trained and supported in teaching the curriculum to their students. One high school on Oahu served as the intervention school, with a demographically similar high school serving as the comparison. The sample was comprised of 136 students: 63 in the intervention school and 73 in the comparison school. Results showed that students in the intervention school significantly increased their knowledge of sexual violence, decreased their victim-blaming attitudes, and increased their bystander self-efficacy (i.e., their likelihood of acting on behalf of a potential victim if a situation arose) compared with students in the comparison school. Findings provide preliminary support for the utility of a train-the-trainer model in addressing sensitive health topics.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.