Parents as Teachers: Mothers' Roles in Sexual Abuse Prevention Education in Gorgan, Iran.

BACKGROUND: Parents play an important role in protecting their children from sexual abuse. Mothers, in particular, play key roles in the sexual socialization of their children and in educating their children about child sexual abuse (CSA). OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to determine whether preschool girls in Gorgan (a city in northern Iran) could learn personal safety skills when taught by their mothers. PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING: Fifty-six participants (mother-daughter pairs) were recruited from patients visiting health centers. Mean age of girls was 6.34 years. METHODS: Girls were pretested using Persian versions of the Personal Safety Questionnaire and 'What If' Situations Test, randomly assigned to either a mother-taught program or wait-list control, and post-tested. Mothers assigned to the education group participated in a two-hour workshop on preventing CSA and were given the Body Safety Training workbook to teach their daughters. Following the one-week training by their mothers, children in both groups were post-tested and follow-up tested one month later. RESULTS: Children taught by their mothers demonstrated significant increases in knowledge about sexual abuse and higher levels of personal safety skills compared to controls, and these gains were maintained at the one-month follow-up. CONCLUSION: Results suggest that mothers can effectively teach their young daughters personal safety skills. Difficulties female children have in recognizing appropriate-touch requests are discussed and compared to results in other developing countries. Advantages of home-based instruction for young children are described and suggestions for increasing parent participation are offered.

Keeping Students Out of Harm's Way: Reducing Risks of Educator Sexual Misconduct.

Sexual misconduct by school staff, which we refer to as educator sexual misconduct (ESM), is a serious and damaging violation of the trust that parents and students put in the educational system. After reviewing the prevalence and consequences of ESM for all parties involved, the authors propose standards of practice based on the Situational Crime Prevention framework to prevent sexual abuse by altering the environment and reducing opportunities for offending. The strategies offered in this paper can help create a comprehensive approach to reducing sexual victimization of students by staff. The standards serve as an operational framework for prevention and reduce the likelihood of ESM and institutional legal liability. The seven standards include safe screening and hiring practices for staff, codes of conduct, ensuring safe environments, staff-student communication policy (including electronic communication), training staff, parents and students, monitoring and supervision, along with reporting questionable conduct. By implementing these standards, educational institutions can help ensure better protection of children from ESM.

Understanding Men's Self-Reported Sexual Interest in Children.

A few studies have found that even in the general population, a minority of adults-men as well as women-report some sexual interest in a young age group. The purpose of the present study was to identify factors associated with self-reported sexual interest in children among a community-based sample of men. Using an online survey methodology, we examined the extent to which different types of childhood adversities (witnessing parental violence, sexual, physical, and emotional abuse), atypical childhood sexual experiences, and participants' self-reported likelihood of engaging in a variety of sexual behaviors (heightened sexual interest) were related to sexual interest in children (SIC) reported by a non-forensic/non-clinical sample of 173 men. Data were analyzed using hierarchical multiple regression. After controlling for physical and emotional abuse and witnessing parental violence, self-reported experiences of childhood sexual abuse (CSA) significantly increased the amount of variance explained in SIC scores. However, only early masturbation and current heightened sexual interests contributed significantly to the final model. Total variance explained by the model as a whole was 24% (adjusted R2 = 20%). Early masturbation and heightened sexual interests significantly mediated the relationship between CSA and SIC scores. Findings add to the small but growing body of literature examining the etiology of pedophilic sexual interests in non-clinical samples.

University Students' Perceptions of Child Sexual Offenders: Impact of Classroom Instruction.

Research with the public suggests that knowledge about sexual offenders, especially child sexual offenders, is limited and often inaccurate. In general, the public tends to believe that adults who commit sex crimes against children are pedophiles or monstrous strangers who cannot be rehabilitated. However, there is some evidence to suggest that these perceptions can be changed through curricular intervention. The current study was designed to determine whether a course on sex crimes against children could influence college students' knowledge and attitudes toward child sexual offenders. In a pretest-post-test design, students enrolled in the sex crimes course endorsed fewer stereotypes had more positive attitudes toward treatment and offender rehabilitation, along with reduced support for punitive sentencing compared with students enrolled in a general psychology class. Implications for improving public attitudes and suggestions for informing public policies are offered.

Sexual interest in children among an online sample of men and women: prevalence and correlates.

The purpose of the present study was to explore the extent to which men and women in the general population report sexual interest in children and to examine distinct developmental experiences associated with self-reported sexual interest. Participants (262 females and 173 males) were recruited online and completed a questionnaire assessing sexual interest and adverse childhood experiences. Among men, 6% indicated some likelihood of having sex with a child if they were guaranteed they would not be caught or punished, as did 2% of women. Nine percent of males and 3% of females indicated some likelihood of viewing child pornography on the Internet. Overall, nearly 10% of males and 4% of females reported some likelihood of having sex with children or viewing child pornography. Males and females with any sexual interest in children reported higher likelihoods of engaging in other antisocial or criminal behaviors and also reported more dysfunctional childhoods (i.e., histories of sexual abuse, insecure parent-child attachments). Theoretical implications of the findings and suggestions for preventing the sexual victimization of children are provided.

Latino parents' plans to communicate about sexuality with their children.

This study investigated 86 Latino parents' intentions to communicate about sexuality issues with their children. They reported on their history of sexuality education, when they would first discuss sexuality-related topics, and their perceived effectiveness of each topic. Compared with a sample of Caucasian parents, Latino parents intended to discuss sexual abuse/molestation at an earlier age, but planned to discuss human reproduction, intercourse, and AIDS at significantly later ages. Suggestions for assisting Latino parents with communications regarding sexuality topics are provided.

Child sexual behavior inventory: a comparison between Latino and normative samples of preschoolers.

There is a relative dearth of research examining normative sexual behavior in Latino preschool children, despite an increased presence of Latinos as a minority population in the United States. To meet this need, a sample of Latino mothers were asked to complete the Child Sexual Behavior Inventory (CSBI; Friedrich et al., 1992 ) on their preschool-aged children (3 to 5 years old; n = 188). When their children's scores were compared to CSBI normative data, significant differences emerged. Compared to the normative sample, Latino boys and girls scored significantly higher on the sexual abuse specific items subscale, and Latino girls scored significantly higher on the developmentally related sexual behavior subscale. Possible cultural explanations for these elevations are explored.

Preventing childhood sexual abuse: an ecological approach.

Childhood sexual abuse is a significant public health problem that negatively affects victims, families, organizations, and society. This special issue presents innovative approaches designed to prevent the sexual exploitation of youth. Using both an ecological approach and the Spectrum of Prevention ( Parks, Davis & Cohen, 2010 ), the articles collected for this special issue highlight cutting-edge prevention approaches educating children, parents, professionals, organizations, and the general public.

Evaluation of a personal safety program with Latino preschoolers.

This study evaluated a personal safety educational program designed for Latino families attending preschools in a large metropolis. Seventy-eight children who participated in the Kids Learning About Safety program were compared to 45 control children. Compared with controls, participating children demonstrated enhanced ability to recognize inappropriate touches, learned correct genital terminology, were able to recognize the inappropriateness of touch requests made by "good" people, demonstrated higher levels of personal safety skills, and learned general safety rules. Gains in knowledge were maintained at three-month follow-up testing for all content areas except genital terminology. Although feedback provided by participating families was positive, recruiting participants and maintaining attendance at sessions was difficult. Discussion includes recommendations for future research and engagement of this population.

Children's abilities to recognize a "good" person as a potential perpetrator of childhood sexual abuse.

OBJECTIVE: This study examined the ability of children to recognize "good" people as potential perpetrators prior to and after completing a personal safety program. There were three objectives to the study. The first was to determine whether young children could recognize the inappropriateness of a sexual request coming from people described as either "good" or "bad." Second, the study examined whether preschoolers could be educated to recognize inappropriate touch requests regardless of the good/bad descriptor. Finally, we explored if children's ability to learn the recognition skill depended upon their age. METHODS: Ninety-three, primarily Hispanic (72%) preschool children (M age=3.9 years) completed the Body Safety Training program (BST; Wurtele, 2007), a classroom-based behavioral program. They responded to questions about "good" and "bad" people requesting to touch their private parts prior to and after the educational program. RESULTS: At pre-testing, children had more difficulty recognizing inappropriate touch requests when made by "good" people compared to "bad" people. After completing the BST program, children improved in their ability to recognize the inappropriateness of requests made by both "good" and "bad" people. At pretesting, correct responding varied across age groups, with a greater percentage of older children (age 5) correctly responding to the "bad" cases compared to 3- and 4-year olds. At post-testing, a marginally significant age difference was found for cases involving "good" people and significant differences were found for cases involving "bad" people. Almost all 4- and 5-year-old children (94% and 96%, respectively) correctly responded to these inappropriate requests compared with only 71% of the 3 year olds. CONCLUSION: Pre-test results demonstrated that young children had difficulty recognizing the inappropriateness of a request when it was made by a "good" person. Post-test findings demonstrated that children as young as 3 years of age can learn the inappropriateness of such requests even when coming from "good" people, although 3 year olds had more difficulty recognizing inappropriate-touch requests compared to 4- and 5-year-old children. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: Results support the challenge of helping young children learn to recognize potential perpetrators, especially those described as "good" people.

Relationships between parents' use of corporal punishment and their children's endorsement of spanking and hitting other children.

OBJECTIVES: To explore the intergenerational cycle of violence, the present study examined the relationship between parental approval and children's approval of corporal punishment (CP) and the subsequent relationship between children's CP experience and preference for hitting to resolve interpersonal conflict. METHOD: Participants consisted of 102 families, parents, and children, ages 3-7 years old. Parents were assessed on their reported practices and beliefs about corporal punishment using 3 self-report measures. Fifty-four boys and 48 girls were interviewed by researchers to assess their approval of spanking and hitting. RESULTS: Children whose parents approved of and used CP were more likely to endorse hitting as a strategy for resolving interpersonal conflicts with peers and siblings. Frequent spanking was the strongest predictor of children's acceptance of aggressive problem solving, above and beyond parental acceptance, parental experience of CP, and familial demographics. CONCLUSIONS: Findings supported an intergenerational cycle of violence; parents who experienced frequent corporal punishment during childhood perceived its use as acceptable and frequently spanked their children. These children, in turn, advocated that spanking be used as a disciplinary method and preferred aggressive conflict resolution strategies with peers and siblings. These findings support an additional "side effect of spanking;" when parents use CP it teaches their children that hitting is an acceptable means of dealing with conflict. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: Practitioners should encourage parents to avoid using CP as a disciplinary method which could lead to a change in the attitudes and behaviors of the next generation of parents.

Preventing sexual abuse of children in the twenty-first century: preparing for challenges and opportunities.

Child sexual abuse is a widespread social problem that negatively affects victims, families, communities, and society. This article briefly describes the scope and consequences of child sexual abuse and briefly critiques child-focused personal safety educational programs designed to prevent sexual victimization. The final section offers suggestions for expanding the focus of child-directed efforts and also includes recommendations for alternative approaches to primary prevention.

Developmental experiences of child sexual abusers and rapists.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to identify the distinct developmental experiences associated with child sexual abuse and rape. METHOD: For 269 sexual offenders (137 rapists and 132 child sexual abusers), developmental experiences were recorded from a behavioral checklist, a parental-bonding survey, and a sexual history questionnaire. Offender classification was obtained from official records and verified through polygraph examinations. RESULTS: Compared to rapists, child sexual abusers reported more frequent experiences of child sexual abuse (73%), early exposure to pornography (65% before age 10), an earlier onset of masturbation (60% before age 11), and sexual activities with animals (38%). In contrast to child sexual abusers, rapists reported more frequent experiences of physical abuse (68%), parental violence (78%), emotional abuse (70%), and cruelty to animals (68%). Both child sexual abusers and rapists (>93%) reported frequent exposure to violent media during their childhood. Most offenders (94%) described having insecure parental attachment bonds; 76% of rapists reported avoidant parental attachments and 62% of child sexual abusers reported anxious parental attachments. CONCLUSIONS: Findings from this study support the role of specific developmental experiences as etiological factors in differential sexual offending. Child sexual abusers' developmental histories were characterized by heightened sexuality; whereas rapists' childhood histories were more indicative of violence. These findings have implications for the treatment of sexual abusers and the prevention of sexual abuse. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: This study's findings suggest that sexual offenders have been socialized to satisfy human needs of intimacy and sexuality through maladaptive means, which implies that a risk management approach may not be sufficient treatment. Although risk models teach offenders skills to avoid high-risk situations, they fail to address the maladaptive strategies that they may have developed for satisfying needs. Instead, the focus of treatment should be to equip offenders with the knowledge, skills, and opportunities to achieve these needs in an acceptable manner. Thus, this model will provide these individuals with the opportunity to live a healthy life without sexual offending.

The child sexual abuser: perceptions of college students and professionals.

College students and members of the Association for the Treatment of Sexual Abusers (ATSA) were compared as to their beliefs and attitudes concerning perpetrators of child sexual abuse. Analyses of a 44-item inventory (assessing beliefs about an abuser's demographics and attitudes concerning an abuser's cognitions and behaviors) indicated that the groups differed on perceived demographic descriptors (e.g., students believed perpetrators to be older when they first begin offending, more educated, and more likely to be gay than the professionals) and behaviors (e.g., students believed that the perpetrator was more likely to use force to gain the child's compliance). In addition, 2 subscales (Cognitive Distortions and Perceived Social Functioning) were identified. Compared to professionals, students were less likely to believe perpetrators use cognitive distortions and were more likely to believe perpetrators function at a lower interpersonal level. Results are discussed in terms of the efforts to educate the public about the characteristics of child sexual abusers.