Parent Perspectives on Childhood Sexual Abuse Prevention Education: Risks, Barriers, and Challenges

Introduction: A key component of childhood sexual abuse prevention is parent education, as parents are best situated to protect children, give them appropriate information, and teach them personal safety habits. Research on parental efforts to educate children and identification of the obstacles they face in doing so is needed in order to develop materials that are effective in preventing and responding to childhood sexual abuse. Thus, the purpose of this study is to develop new knowledge that will enhance efforts to promote parental involvement in childhood sexual abuse prevention education. In order to accomplish this goal, this study investigated parent beliefs, practices, and motivation to discuss childhood sexual abuse with their children. Discussions took place as part of an evaluation of the suite of family videos from the Second Step Child Protection Unit.

Methods: One hundred forty-four parents or guardians of children aged 3-11 years ( 88.9% female; 72.2% White/Caucasian, 13.2% Black/African American, 3.5% Asian, 6.3% Multi-racial, 4.9% Other) participated in twenty-four focus groups held in California, Nebraska, Florida, and New York. Participants were recruited using flyers disseminated through community agencies. After viewing four videos specifically designed to educate parents on this topic, parents participated in semi-structured focus group discussions. Topics included their emotional reactions to the educational videos and their practices regarding child sexual abuse prevention education. Participants were compensated for their time with a $25 check.

The twenty-four focus group audio recordings were transcribed and analyzed using grounded theory analysis.

Results: Major themes included: multiple and varying emotional responses to educational materials on childhood sexual abuse; risks associated with childhood that increase vulnerability to sexual abuse; apprehensions and challenges parents face in educating and protecting their children; the ambiguous nature of child sexual abuse prevention information; and barriers to educating children and reporting disclosure of childhood sexual abuse.

Conclusions: Generally, parents need and desire high quality, explicit information on how to keep their children safe from child sexual abuse. However, those who develop and disseminate prevention education materials face barriers created by gender role and cultural norms that influence openness to discussing CSA, lack of education, lack of resources, and in some communities, suspicion of authority.