Teachers’ Knowledge and Beliefs About Child Sexual Abuse

ABSTRACT

Child sexual abuse is one of the main types of abuse still to be addressed within the field of education, yet the education system itself can serve as a primary tool for its prevention. A better understanding of teachers’ knowledge and beliefs about child sexual abuse will allow us to establish key starting points from which to utilize the system for prevention. Four hundred and fifty teachers participated in this study, completing a questionnaire regarding their knowledge and beliefs about child sexual abuse. The study revealed that over half the teachers, 65.3% (n = 294), had never received any type of training in child sexual abuse education and that the majority were not familiar with methods of identifying child sexual abuse, 90.7% (n = 279). Various mistaken beliefs were identified among the participating teachers, such as pathological profiles of abusers, that the vast majority of child sexual abuse implies violent behavior, and that there cannot be abusers the same age as the victim. These results indicate that knowledge deficiencies do exist about child sexual abuse among teachers and highlight the need for training in this field.

KEYWORDS:

• childhood
• detection
• school
• sex offense

Additional information

Notes on contributors

María Mercedes Márquez-Flores

María Mercedes Márquez-Flores, MSc, is an educational psychologist in the Provincial Center for Young Sexual Orientation. Her current research interests focus on the prevention and recognition of child sexual abuse. She received her MSc from the University of Almeria.

Verónica V. Márquez-Hernández

Verónica V. Márquez Hernández, PhD, is an assistant professor in the Department of Nursing, Physiotherapy and Medicine at University of Almeria. Her current research interests focus on sexuality and chronic diseases. She received her PhD from the University of Almeria.

Genoveva Granados-Gámez

Genoveva Granados Gámez, PhD, is a professor in the Department of Nursing, Physiotherapy and Medicine at University of Almeria. Her current research interests focus on sexuality, chronic diseases and communication. She received her PhD from the University of Almeria.