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Effectiveness of child sexual abuse prevention programs on knowledge acquisition: A meta-analytical study

Forfatter(e)
Ferragut, M. Cerezo, M. V. Ortiz-Tallo, M. Rodriguez-Fernandez, R.
År
2023
DOI
10.1016/j.chiabu.2023.106489
Tidsskrift
Child Abuse & Neglect
Sider
106489
Kategori(er)
Omsorgssvikt og overgrep
Tiltakstype(r)
Skole/barnehagebaserte tiltak E-helsetiltak (spill, internett, telefon)
Abstract

BACKGROUND: Child sexual abuse (CSA) is a type of maltreatment considered a global health problem. CSA is a traumatic experience with important consequences for the victim's health. It is essential to report the effectiveness of CSA prevention programs to offer society useful tools to combat this abuse.

OBJECTIVE: We aimed to study the effectiveness of CSA prevention programs on the knowledge acquisition based on comparing pre- and post-treatment changes, and also if their effectiveness is related to program-related and methodological variables.

PARTICIPANTS AND SETTINGS: Standardised mean change (with studies that report pre-post program measures) of the effectiveness of CSA prevention programs published between 2014 and 2021 was carried out.

METHODS: The general effectiveness of these programs and whether the results were influenced by program-related variables (the duration, the target population, participants' age, or the type of intervention) or by methodology-related factors (the agent who taught them, the geographical area where they were carried out or the way the programs were evaluated) were analysed. A total of 43 samples analysing knowledge about CSA as a dependent variable were included.

RESULTS: The results reported a combined effect size considered large (dMR: = -0.96, 95 % CI [-1.10, -0.82], p < .001). High inter-study heterogeneity was observed in the meta-analysis, although only the geographic area where the studies were conducted appears as a significant moderator.

CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, the prevention programs included in this analysis significantly improved the participants' knowledge acquisition.