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Parental involvement in programs to prevent child sexual abuse: a systematic review of four decades of research

Parental involvement in programs to prevent child sexual abuse: a systematic review of four decades of research

Rudolph, Julia ORCID: 0000-0003-4878-3537 , van Berkel, Sheila R., Zimmer-Gembeck, Melanie, J, Walsh, Kerryann, Straker, Drew and Campbell, Tia (2023) Parental involvement in programs to prevent child sexual abuse: a systematic review of four decades of research. Trauma, Violence, and Abuse. pp. 1-17. ISSN 1524-8380 (Print), 1552-8324 (Online) (doi:https://doi.org/10.1177/15248380231156408)

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Abstract

This systematic review is the first to synthesize research on parental involvement in child sexual abuse (CSA) prevention programs. Guided by the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) criteria, 24 intervention evaluations met the inclusion criteria of aiming to change parental knowledge, attitudes, behaviors, behavioral intentions, self-efficacy, response-efficacy, or capabilities for prevention of CSA. Included papers were identified via a combination of electronic database searches (PsycINFO, Web of Science, Scopus, Google Scholar, Cochrane Library, World Health Organization’s International Clinical Trials Registry Platform, google.com.au, open.grey.eu, Global ETD, Open Access Theses & Dissertations, EThOS, and Trove), and direct communication with researchers. The most common finding was improvement in parental behavioral intentions and response-efficacy, closely followed by parental behaviors, then capabilities, self-efficacy, knowledge, and parental attitudes. Improvements in parental behaviors, intentions, and response-efficacy were found in 88-100% of the studies in which they were addressed, improvements in self-efficacy and capabilities were found in 67-75% of studies, and improvements in knowledge and attitudes were found in only 50-56% of studies. Many of the included evaluation studies suffered from methodological and reporting flaws, such as high attrition, lack of control group, lack of statistical tests, missed testing time points, and a lack of (or short) follow-up. Future parent focused CSA prevention evaluations must address these concerns by conducting rigorous empirical research with sound methodologies and comprehensive reporting. Furthermore, study designs should consider measuring the real-world impact of increases in assessed parent variables, including their ability to prevent sexual victimization of children.

Item Type: Article
Uncontrolled Keywords: child sexual abuse; parents; programs; prevention
Subjects: B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BF Psychology
H Social Sciences > HQ The family. Marriage. Woman
R Medicine > RJ Pediatrics > RJ101 Child Health. Child health services
Faculty / School / Research Centre / Research Group: Faculty of Education, Health & Human Sciences
Faculty of Education, Health & Human Sciences > Institute for Lifecourse Development
Faculty of Education, Health & Human Sciences > Institute for Lifecourse Development > Centre for Vulnerable Children and Families
Faculty of Education, Health & Human Sciences > School of Human Sciences (HUM)
Last Modified: 20 Mar 2023 09:44
URI: http://gala.gre.ac.uk/id/eprint/38646

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