Teacher Outcomes from the Second Step Child Protection Unit: Moderating Roles of Prior Preparedness, and Treatment Acceptability

ABSTRACT

Teachers play a critical role in child sexual abuse (CSA) prevention and intervention efforts. We examined the impact of the Second Step Child Protection Unit (CPU) on improving teacher awareness, attitudes, and teacher–student relations for 161 teachers. Teacher baseline scores and treatment acceptability were examined as moderators. Structural equation modeling (SEM) revealed a significant effect of the CPU on teachers’ awareness, attitudes, and teacher–student relations, particularly for teachers with lower prior knowledge, attitudes, and student relationships. Teachers’ acceptability of the CPU also moderated outcomes, where a higher level of acceptability of CSA interventions was associated with an increase in outcomes.

KEYWORDS:

• Child sexual abuse prevention
• teachers
• acceptability
• structural equation modeling
• knowledge
• attitudes
• student relationship

Acknowledgments

We would like to acknowledge school district’s contribution to our paper by helping us implement our study as well as the support by Ms. Brie Kishel, Program and Operations Manager at the Alberti Center.

Disclosure of Interest

The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Ethical Standards and Informed Consent

The research has been conducted after having approval from University at Buffalo Institutional Review Board (FWA00008824).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Committee for Children, Seattle, WA. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily reflect the views of Committee for Children;The Commmittee for Children, Seattle, WA.

Notes on contributors

Sunha Kim

Sunha Kim, PhD, is an Assistant Professor in the Graduate School of Education at the University at Buffalo, The State University of New York at Buffalo, NY.

Amanda Nickerson

Amanda Nickerson, PhD, is a Professor and Director of the Alberti Center for Bullying Abuse Prevention, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY.

Jennifer A. Livingston

Jennifer A. Livingston, PhD, iis an Associate Professor in the School of Nursing at the University at Buffalo, The State University of New York at Buffalo, NY.

Melissa Dudley

Melissa Dudley is a doctoral student in school psychology and a Project Director at the Alberti Center for Bullying Abuse Prevention, the University at Buffalo, The State University of New York, Buffalo, NY.

Margaret Manges

Margaret Manges is a doctoral student in counseling psychology and a Graduate Research Assistant at the Alberti Center for Bullying Abuse Prevention, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York at Buffalo, NY.

Jenine Tulledge

Jenine Tulledge is a doctoral student in school psychology and Graduate Research Assistant at the Alberti Center for Bullying Abuse Prevention, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York at Buffalo, NY.

Kathleen Allen

Kathleen Allen, PhD, is a Training & Evaluation Specialist at the Alberti Center for Bullying Abuse Prevention, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York at Buffalo, NY.