Piloting an Alternative Implementation Modality for a School-Based Child Sexual Abuse Prevention Curriculum

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Child Development
• Educational Psychology

Background:

• School-based programs are key for child sexual abuse (CSA) prevention in the U.S.
• Implementation challenges like budget and staffing limit program reach.
• Standard CSA prevention often requires two facilitators, impacting scalability.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the feasibility of a single-facilitator model for the "Safe Touches" program using pre-recorded videos.
• To compare this new delivery method against the standard in-person facilitation.
• To determine if alternative delivery methods can improve equitable access to CSA prevention.

Main Methods:

• A quasi-experimental design was used, comparing video-based and in-person delivery of "Safe Touches".
• A six-item questionnaire assessed CSA-related knowledge in 1480 second-graders post-workshop.
• Independent-samples t-tests analyzed knowledge differences; teacher evaluations and facilitator interviews provided qualitative data.

Main Results:

• No significant difference in CSA-related knowledge was found between the video and in-person delivery modalities.
• Teachers reported facilitators effectively addressed student questions and comments in both formats.
• Facilitator feedback was positive, supporting the viability of the single-facilitator approach.

Conclusions:

• The single-facilitator, video-enhanced model for "Safe Touches" is viable and feasible.
• This approach can potentially be applied to other school-based CSA prevention programs.
• Further research and investment in alternative implementation strategies are crucial for equitable CSA prevention access.