Evaluation of a School-Based Child Physical and Sexual Abuse Prevention Program

Abstract

Background Evidence-based child sexual and physical abuse prevention programs delivered in schools are needed and require rigorous evaluation of program effects prior to widespread dissemination. The Play it Safe! program is a one-time session delivered by trained facilitators to teach students about recognizing, resisting, and reporting abuse. Aims To evaluate a school-based child sexual and physical abuse prevention intervention Play it Safe! among elementary school students using a cluster randomized design. Method Six elementary schools in Texas were matched on demographic characteristics, and then randomized to intervention or wait-list control groups. Participants included third to fifth graders ( n = 539). Participants received the pretest assessing vignette-based knowledge of physical and sexual abuse prevention (14 items). The intervention group immediately had the program. One month later, both groups received a posttest using the same validated scale. Multilevel linear regression analyses were estimated, and interaction effects were used to evaluate the effect of Play it Safe! while controlling for other factors. Results A statistically significant interaction between the treatment group and time ( b = 1.30, p < .01) indicated a greater increase in the knowledge score over time in the intervention group. Moderating effect of grade was also observed as the intervention tended to have less effect for fifth grade compared with third grade ( b = −1.04, p = .01). Conclusion This study provides evidence to support the efficacy of the Play it Safe! program for increasing children’s physical and sexual abuse prevention knowledge and skills among a racially and ethnically diverse sample of elementary school students.

Facilitators and Barriers to Child Sexual Abuse Interventions: A Qualitative Study of Interventions in Iran

“…The above-mentioned fears and concerns highlight the need for services by professionals and related organizations, as they are responsible for dealing with child abuse and child and parent support activities. In addition to social work services, professional interventions are needed to empower children and their parents before child sexual abuse occurs since a review of studies has shown that these interventions play a vital role in disclosing sexual harassment and reducing the prevalence of child sexual abuse and its consequences (18)(19)(20)(21)(22)32).…”

“…Various international studies have been conducted to prevent the first level of child abuse in preschool and elementary school children, including educational interventions, increasing targeted skills of saying no, shouting and disclosing child abuse through educational programs, playing doll roles, watching theaters and films by par-ents and professionals (e.g., teachers and the police), and through knowledge and raising awareness of body ownership. These interventions are believed to increase children's knowledge and awareness to enable them to protect themselves against child abuse (18)(19)(20)(21)(22). To the best of our knowledge, no study has yet evaluated child sexual abuse interventions in Iran.…”

Conducting large‐scale mixed‐method research on harm and abuse prevention with children under 12: Learning from a UK feasibility study

“…Kenny et al's (2022) later evaluation of the same programme consisted of pre‐ and post‐tests consisting of five safety rules applied to different items (statements) which varied by grade, although again neglect was not included. Thompson et al (2022) conducted a randomised control trial of the Play it Safe! programme which targets sexual and physical abuse for elementary school children.…”