Enhancing Child Sexual Abuse Prevention Knowledge With an Educational Toolkit -Evaluation of the Chinese Doll Program.

Objective

In countries with conservative attitudes towards sex and limited resources to prevent child sexual abuse, culturally adapted CSA prevention programs are essential. This study outlines a randomized controlled trial evaluating the effectiveness of the Doll program for preventing CSA in the specific context of China. Method: 181 children were pre-tested and post-tested (5 weeks later) for knowledge of sexual abuse prevention. Children were assigned to one of three groups; 1) child only (n = 60); 2) child and parent (n = 60); and 3) control (n = 61).

Results

Children in groups 1 and 2 showed significant increases (p < 0.001) in scores on the Appropriate Touch Scale (ATS) and the Inappropriate Touch Scale (ITS), whereas those in the control group did not show a significant increase in ATS scores, but their scores on ITS significantly increased (p < 0.001). Children in group 2 showed significantly increased ITS scores compared to group 1 (p = 0.016).

Conclusion

Doll program effectively enhances children's CSA prevention knowledge, with parental engagement demonstrating a positive impact on the program.