Assessing Saudi Arabian parents' awareness of child sexual abuse using the Arabic version of child sexual abuse awareness scale for parents: A descriptive cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND

Parental awareness of child sexual abuse (CSA) may ensure the protection and safety of children.

OBJECTIVES

This study develops the Arabic version of the Child Sexual Abuse Awareness Scale for Parents (CSAASP-Arabic) and assesses Saudi Arabian parents' awareness of CSA.

PARTICIPANTS AND

SETTING

A sample of 291 Arabic-speaking parents from various regions of Saudi Arabia was included.

METHODS

After the translation process, statistical analyses were used, including Cronbach's alpha, principal components analysis, Mann-Whitney U and Kruskal-Wallis H tests, and Spearman's correlation.

RESULTS

The CSAASP-Arabic revealed acceptable evidence of internal consistency (Cronbach's α = 0.86) and validity, confirming three factors. Most parents reported no history or suspicion of sexual abuse by their own children, and the scores on the CSAASP-Arabic reflected a high level of awareness regarding CSA; the median (IQR) total CSAASP-Arabic score was 87 (10). Educational level showed a statistically significant value (r = -0.1; p = 0.03).

CONCLUSION

This study yields a valid and reliable tool for evaluating parents' awareness in the Arabic-speaking population. The findings emphasize the importance of parental awareness of CSA in Saudi Arabia and worldwide, and knowledge of parents' levels of awareness is crucial in developing prevention programs.