A systematic scoping review of indigenous-specific research evidence on child sexual abuse

Child sexual abuse (CSA) is a major public health concern for modern societies. For Indigenous communities this is compounded by the ongoing impacts of colonisation, including inter-generational trauma, persistent socio-economic disadvantages, and the predominant adoption of mainstream approaches used to prevent and respond to CSA in Indigenous communities.

This aim of this study was to conduct a scoping review of Indigenous-specific CSA research literature from Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the United States (CANZUS).

A structured scoping review of published and unpublished (grey) literature using the Arksey and O'Malley framework. Six databases were searched (PsychInfo, CINAHL, PubMed, Scopus, Informit and Google Scholar) for articles published in English from 2000 to 2023 (inclusive). Identified studies were classified based on their methods (descriptive, reviews, impact/process evaluation, theory and methodology) and primary focus (prevention, disclosure, treatment, multiple foci).

Forty-six peer-reviewed academic papers were identified. Most articles were from Australia (44%), followed by the United States (25%), Canada (23%) and New Zealand (8%). Most articles were descriptive (50%). The focus of publications was comparable across prevention (19%), disclosure and reporting (21%) and treatment or support (25%).

Given Indigenous communities have unique conceptualisations of family, community and relationality, evidence used to develop Indigenous-specific prevention and responses to CSA must reflect their own cultural contexts, building on community agency, resilience, and strength. The relative paucity of both process and outcome evaluations highlights significant knowledge gaps, and a need for more evaluation research across prevention, disclosure and reporting and treatment or support.