Effectiveness of Sexual Abuse Prevention Training Program Developed by Creative Drama for Preschoolers: An Experimental Study

ABSTRACT

The purpose of the study is to determine the effectiveness of the “My Body is Special” Training Program (MBS-TP), which was developed using the creative drama method to gain information about body recognition and body safety in preventing sexual abuse in children. This is an experimental study conducted with a control group using a pretest/posttest design. This study was carried out in two preschools in Turkey, involving 87 children in the 5–6 age group. MBS-TP was applied to children in the intervention group through eight sessions over 3 weeks. Results indicate that the body’s private areas were guessed at lower rates in the intervention group in the pretest (vagina/vulva 13.6%, penis 2.3%) than the posttest (vagina/vulva 77.3%, penis 68.2%). In the control group, in both the pretest (vagina/vulva 7.7%, penis 0%) and posttest (vagina/vulva 11.5%, penis 0%) knowledge was at similarly low rates. There was a statistically significant increase in the knowledge of “saying, doing, telling, reporting” skills of protecting their bodies for children in the intervention group in the posttest. The “MBS-TP” was found to be effective in increasing ability to recognize parts of the body and body safety techniques for preventing sexual abuse in children aged 5–6.

KEYWORDS:

• Child sexual abuse
• sexual abuse prevention training programs
• preschool education
• preschool children
• creative drama
• nurse

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank Akdeniz University Scientific Research Projects Coordination Unit for their support of this research. The authors would like to thank Professor Doctor Mehmet Ziya Fırat for their assistance with statistical analysis and advice. The authors thank all the parents and their children who participated in this study.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Ethical Standards and Informed Consent

This study was performed according to the Helsinki Declaration. Ethical permission for the research study was granted by the Akdeniz University Faculty of Medicine Clinical Research Ethics Committee Decision No. 2018-656. After ethics approval; permits were allowed for the implementation of research from the Provincial National Education Directorate in Antalya/Turkey. Thus, the “principle of informed assent” was fulfilled as an ethical principle. The second stage, informed consent was obtained from parents to allow their children to participate in the study. In addition, verbal assent was obtained from the children participating in the study.

Correction Statement

This article has been republished with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Akdeniz University Scientific Research Projects Management Unit. (Project number: TDK-2019-4839).

Notes on contributors

Duygu Kemer

Duygu KEMER, RN, PhD, Assistant Professor, Harran University, Health Sciences Faculty, Pediatric Nursing Department, Şanlıurfa/TURKEY, [email protected]: 2011 (Akdeniz University, Antalya School of Nursing)PhD: 2020 (Akdeniz University, Nursing Faculty, Pediatric Nursing Department)Research assistant: 2014 (Harran University, Health Sciences Faculty)Assistant Professor: 2020 (Harran University, Health Sciences Faculty)

Ayşegül İşler Dalgıç

Ayşegül İŞLER DALGIÇ, RN, PhD, Professor, Akdeniz University, Nursing Faculty, Pediatric Nursing Department, Antalya/TURKEY, [email protected]: 1998 (Istanbul University, Florence Nightingale School of Nursing)PhD: 2006 (Ege University School of Nursing, Pediatric Nursing Department)Assistant Professor: 2008(Akdeniz University, Antalya School of Nursing)Associate Professor: 2012 (Akdeniz University Nursing Faculty)Professor: 2017 (Akdeniz University Nursing Faculty)