Prevention of Child Sexual Abuse: an Analysis of Issues, Educational Programs, and Research Findings
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School Psychology Review Volume 17, No. 4, 1988, pp. 614-634 PREVENTION OF CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE: AN ANALYSIS OF ISSUES, EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS, AND RESEARCH FINDINGS Deborah J. Tharinger James J. Krivacska The University of Texas at Austin Educational Programs Consultants, Milltown, NJ Marsha Laye-McDonough, Linda Jamison, Gayle G. Vincent, and Andrew D. Hedlund, The University of Texas at Austin ABSTRACT Although the main targets of the effort toward the prevention of child sexual abuse need to be the conditions that cause and support it, a prominent and popular aspect of the prevention effort that has emerged in the past decade involves educational programs aimed at children. Most of these programs are implemented in the schools. The goals of these programs are to provide children with knowledge about sex ual abuse, including ways to respond to abusive approaches, an d to aid child ren in disclosing abuse if they have been victimized. Although well intentioned, there is no published research support for the conceptual assumptions (largely involving empowerment) upon which the prevention education programs are based and as yet, sparse empirical support for their effectiveness. Thus, the decision of a school district to adopt and implement a sexual abuse prevention education program is a serious one. School psychologists are in a key position to inform decision makers about the potential and the limitations of child sexual abuse prevention programs and to assist in developing, implementing, and evaluating more effective school-based programs. In addition to discussing general issues about the etiology of child sexual abuse and the relationship of etiology to prevention efforts, five questions are addressed: (a) What is the nature of child sexual abuse prevention programs? (b) Do prevention programs prevent children from being sexually abused? (c) Do prevention programs identify children who have been sexually abused by facilitating disclosure? (d) Is it fair and reasonable to expect children to participate in efforts to prevent their own sexual abuse? (e) What issues do school psychologists need to consider in developing, implementing, and evaluating school- based child sexual abuse prevention programs? Data are presented on the nature of child sexual abuse prevention programs from a research study that systematically evaluated 41 commercially available written materials on child sexual abuse prevention. Child sexual abuse has been widely abuse (Browne & Finkelhor, 1986). Pri- recognized in the past decade as a mary emotional effects include feelings of prevalent and detrimental traumatization guilt, fear, depression, anger, and hostility. of children. Although estimates vary, it has Behavioral effects include persistent, been reported that as many as 22% of inappropriate sexual behavior with self, Americans report being sexually abused peers, younger children, or toys; detailed as children (Crewdson, 1988). Serious and precocious understanding of sexual initial and long term emotional and behavior; regressive behaviors; sleep behavioral effects result from child sexual problems; inadequate peer relations or This research project was supported by a grant from the University Research Institute at The University of Texas at Austin. Requests for reprints should be directed to Deborah J. Tharinger, Department of Educational Psychology, Education Building 504, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712-1296. 614 Prevention of Child Sexual Abuse 615 inability to make friends; overly compliant empirical support for their effectiveness or acting-out behavior; pseudo-mature (Conte, 1984; Finkelhor, 1986; Wurtele, behavior; school problems, including 1987). Although it commonly has been inability to concentrate and sudden maintained by the implementers of pre- decreased school achievement; running vention programs that child sexual abuse away from home; suicidal ideation or prevention programs are effective and actual attempts; and in girls, an extraor- that their total effects cannot accurately dinary fear of men or overtly seductive be measured (Plummer, 1986), it is behavior. Long term effects include a lack professionally irresponsible to ignore the of basic trust, low self-esteem, pervasive need for systematic development, imple- feelings of helplessness and depression, mentation and evaluation of these pro- and self-destructive forms of behavior grams, including attending to possible (Vevier & Tharinger, 1986). unintended effects of the programs on Fortunately, steps have been taken in children, implementers, and society as a many communities to identify children whole. In the rush to respond to the who have been sexually abused and to prevalence of child sexual abuse, it secure resources and therapeutic pro- appears that many essential preliminary grams to assist these children and their steps in the construction of prevention families with the recovery process. School education programs have been ignored or psychologists and teachers have been skipped. The result is that there is a need challenged to be involved in the response to examine critically the assumptions, to child sexual abuse (Brassard, Tyler, & effects, and unintended consequences of Kehle, 1983; Caterino, 1987; Downer, 1986; child sexual abuse prevention programs Tharinger & Vevier, 1987; Vevier & Tha- (Conte, Rosen & Saperstein, 1986; Krazier, ringer, 1986). An additional movement 1987; Trudell & Whatley, 1988). has grown out of the awareness of the Teachers have been the school per- common and traumatic nature of child sonnel primarily targeted in terms of sexual abuse - a movement designed to prevention efforts (Davis, 1986; Downer, try to prevent it (Finkelhor, 1986; Nelson 1986; Trudell & Whatley, 1988). However, & Clark, 1986). Although the most impor- school psychologists, given their rather tant targets for prevention of child sexual extensive backgrounds in psychological abuse are the conditions that cause and and educational theory and research, as support it (Conte, Rosen, & Saperstein, well as in measurement, assessment, and 1986), much of the initial effort has been intervention, are in a unique position to aimed at educating children about ways educate policy makers in the public they can resist and escape sexual abuse schools about the potential and the and at promoting disclosure. Programs limitations of child sexual abuse preven- designed for children began to appear in tion programs. School psychologists also the late 197Os, and federal funds for the are key personnel to be involved in study of such programs were provided in developing, implementing, and evaluating 1980 (Plummer, 1986). Currently, child more effective school-based child sexual sexual abuse prevention education pro- abuse education programs. In addition, grams are being implemented across the school psychologists can play a central nation, most within the schools. It has role in reinforcing the idea that programs been estimated that school-based pro- aimed at children are merely one compo- grams have reached over one million nent of a whole array of needed prevention children (Plummer, 1986). efforts. Although the intentions of the devel- The aim of this article is to increase opers and implementers of child sexual school psychologists’ knowledge of the abuse prevention programs are to be complex issues involved in preventing applauded, the movement is in its infancy child sexual abuse, to review and present and there is no research support for the findings on the nature of sexual abuse conceptual assumptions upon which the prevention programs aimed at children, programs are based and as yet, sparse to review empirical research findings on 616 Mauol Ps@dog~ Review, 1988, Vol. 17, No. 0 the effectiveness of the programs, and to abuse a child; and Precondition 4 - a address the significance of unintended potential offender must overcome or consequences of the programs. The follow- undermine the resistance of the child. It ing five questions explicitly are addressed: is proposed that all four preconditions (a) What is the nature of child sexual must exist for abuse of a child to occur. abuse prevention programs? (b) Do For Precondition 1, individual/psy- prevention programs prevent children chological explanations include the pos- from being sexually abused? (c) Do sibilities that the offender may have prevention programs identify children arrested emotional development, may be who have been sexually abused by facil- re-enacting childhood trauma, may have itating disclosure? (d) Is it fair and been exposed to modeling of sexual reasonable to expect children to partic- interest in children by someone else, and ipate in efforts to prevent their own sexual may have inadequate social skills. On the abuse? (e) What issues do school psychol- sociological/cultural level, it is offered that ogists need to consider in developing, there is a societal requirement for men implementing, and evaluating a school- to be dominant and powerful in sexual based child sexual abuse prevention relationships, that child pornography is program? available, and that children are portrayed erotically in advertisement. ETIOLOGY OF CHILD For Precondition 2, individual/psy- SEXUAL ABUSE AND ITS NECESSARY chological explanations include the pos- RELATION TO PREVENTION EFFORTS sibilities that the offender may use alcohol What will lead to a decrease in the or have an impulse disorder, and on the incidence of child sexual abuse? To sociological/cultural level, social tolera- prevent an act form occurring or