School-based prevention programmes for sexual abuse: A meta-analysis study

This meta-analysis study provides an examination of the effectiveness of school-based prevention education programmes for school-aged children. These prevention programmes utilise various theories to teach children the importance of identifying and responding to abusive situations and what to do next. A total of 2246 papers were evaluated with 26 Randomised Controlled Trial (RCT) or cluster RCT design studies identified as meeting the study's inclusion criteria. These studies were published in English and Turkish between January 2012 and December 2022, and focus on outcomes of school-based prevention programmes designed for school-aged children (6–18 years old). To ensure a comprehensive and academically rigorous analysis, the following databases were included: Web of Science, Scopus, PsycINFO, Ovid, ERIC and Turkish Thesis Center (YÖK-TEZ). The studies reviewed aim to evaluate the effectiveness of various child sexual abuse prevention programmes in improving children's knowledge and recognition of, and response to potentially unsafe situations. In terms of outcomes and results, the interventions have significantly impacted knowledge, attitutes and behaviours. These studies used different intervention methods, including, personal safety programmes, sexual knowledge programmes and protective behaviour programmes, delivered in various formats such as web-based, mobile applications, and in-person sessions. Analogue ANOVA analysis was conducted to assess the moderator variables. For knowledge level measurements, it was observed that being a primary or secondary school student and the number of sessions between 3 and 4 had a significant impact on the effect size. For attitude-behaviour level measurements, it was observed that delivering the intervention with classical methods such as didactic lecture or face-to-face lecture and the number of sessions between 5 and 7 had a notable effect on the effect size. This meta-analysis study highlights the importance of child sexual abuse prevention programmes in schools and the need for further research. Keywords: Sexual abuse, school-based prevention programmes, meta analysis, preventive guidance