The effectiveness of a school-based psycho-educational program for preventi̇ng from sexual abuse over students, teachers and parents

The main aim of this study was to test the effectiveness of the psycho-educational program that is developed for the prevention of sexual abuse over the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 5th grade students. Also it is aimed to test the knowledge levels of parents and teachers about sexual abuse. The research group of the study consisted of 94 students in experimental group (69 primary, 25 secondary) and 104 students in control group (76 primary, 26 secondary) schoolers who were in Tarsus, Mersin. The teachers participating in the research were 15 of whom female and 13 of whom male totally 28 teachers who were working in a secondary school in Tarsus, Mersin. The research included 53 parents (female n = 46, male n = 7) and the qualitative data were collected by focus group interview with the mother of 9 students who were volunteers among the participating parents. Method triangulation was performed at this research since the results obtained from both quantitative data and qualitative data. Prior to the implementation of the training program pre-test, after the training progrram post-test and 4 month later follow-up test were applied to both the experimental and the control group. Within the scope of the study pre-test, post-test and follow-up tests were performed before, after and 4 month later after the training given to the teachers. After the training for the parents were completed, the implementation of the program for the students were carried out and then a focus group interview was held with parents. In this study the adaptaion of the Children's Knowledge of Abuse Questionnaire - Revised (CKAQ-R) and the Teachers' Reporting Attitude Scale for Child Sexual Abuse: TRAS-CSA was made by the researcher. Data were analysed by using parametric tests and qualitative data analysis technique. There was a significant increase in the CKAQ-R scores of the students in the 2nd, 3rd and 5th grade who participated in Sexual Abuse Protection Psycho-Education Program (CIKEP) consisting of five sessions. However, no significant difference was found between the pre-test and post-test scores of the first grade students after the program. It is understood that this increase in the CKQA-R scores of the 2nd, 3rd and 5th grade students continued in the follow-up measurements carried out after four months. It was found that there was a significant difference in the TRAS-CSA post-test scores of the teachers according to the pre-test application and this difference continued in the follow-up tests conducted after four months. The parents reported that the program was beneficial and had no negative effect on the children duruing the focus group interviews at the end of the study. These findings were discussed in the context of school-based programs within the scope of studies to prevent sexual abuse. Keywords: Student, Teacher, Parent, Child Sexual Abuse, Sexual Abuse Protection Psycho-Education Program, School Based Program.