Enhancing parent-child communication about sexual abuse: a pilot study

To determine if a commercially produced video, "What Do I Say Now?" (Committee for Children, 1996) leads to an increase in parent-child discussion about child sexual abuse (CSA).

Forty-five parents of children 2-6 years of age were randomly assigned to participate in either a CSA prevention workshop or a workshop on home safety (control). The post-test measure assessed parents' beliefs about the severity of CSA and their children's vulnerability to abuse (threat appraisal), along with their self-efficacy and response-efficacy beliefs (coping appraisal). The effects of the coping- and threat-appraisal components of Roger's (1983) protection motivation theory (PMT) on parents' intentions to talk to their children about the topic were also examined. During a followup telephone interview, parents were asked to report the amount of communication they had engaged in with their children about CSA since attending the workshop.

Parents who had participated in the CSA workshop reported significantly greater intentions of talking to their children about CSA, compared to the control group. At followup, these parents also reported having had significantly more discussions about CSA with their children compared with control parents. The PMT coping-appraisal components were found to be associated with parent intentions to discuss the topic.

Results provide preliminary support for the effectiveness of an educational video for increasing parent-child communication about CSA. Support was also found for the coping-appraisal components of PMT. Suggestions for increasing parent involvement in CSA prevention efforts are offered.