TY - JOUR PY - 2023// TI - Effectiveness of child sexual abuse prevention programs on knowledge acquisition: a meta-analytical study JO - Child abuse and neglect A1 - Ferragut, Marta A1 - Cerezo, M. Victoria A1 - Ortiz-Tallo, Margarita A1 - Rodríguez-Fernández, Raquel SP - e106489 EP - e106489 VL - 146 IS - N2 - BACKGROUND: Child sexual abuse (CSA) is a type of maltreatment considered a global health problem. CSA is a traumatic experience with important consequences for the victim's health. It is essential to report the effectiveness of CSA prevention programs to offer society useful tools to combat this abuse.

OBJECTIVE: We aimed to study the effectiveness of CSA prevention programs on the knowledge acquisition based on comparing pre- and post-treatment changes, and also if their effectiveness is related to program-related and methodological variables. PARTICIPANTS AND SETTINGS: Standardised mean change (with studies that report pre-post program measures) of the effectiveness of CSA prevention programs published between 2014 and 2021 was carried out.

METHODS: The general effectiveness of these programs and whether the results were influenced by program-related variables (the duration, the target population, participants' age, or the type of intervention) or by methodology-related factors (the agent who taught them, the geographical area where they were carried out or the way the programs were evaluated) were analysed. A total of 43 samples analysing knowledge about CSA as a dependent variable were included.

RESULTS: The results reported a combined effect size considered large (d(MR) = -0.96, 95 % CI [-1.10, -0.82], p < .001). High inter-study heterogeneity was observed in the meta-analysis, although only the geographic area where the studies were conducted appears as a significant moderator.

CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, the prevention programs included in this analysis significantly improved the participants' knowledge acquisition.

Language: en

LA - en SN - 0145-2134 UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2023.106489 ID - ref1 ER -