The Longitudinal Effects of Second Step Child Protection Unit on Children: Gender as a Moderator

ABSTRACT

We investigated the longitudinal effects of the Second Step Child Protection Unit (CPU; Committee for Children) on student outcomes through a randomized controlled trial. Eight schools with a total sample including 2,031 students were assigned randomly to the CPU intervention or the wait-list control condition. We employed a multi-process latent growth model using a structural equation modeling framework which simultaneously analyzed student outcome growth via the effects of the intervention. The moderating effect of gender was also included. Over four data collection waves (pretest, posttest, follow-up [6 months] and follow-up [12-months]), the intervention group students were better able to recognize appropriate requests in CSA scenarios than control group students over time. Teacher–student relations improved for the students in the intervention schools but worsened for the students in the control schools over time. Despite concerns that CSA prevention programs may result in the unintended consequence of making children more fearful, children in both conditions did not show increased fears over time. The longitudinal effect on CSA recognition was more pronounced among girls, who suffer from higher CSA prevalence, compared with boys. Implications for prevention, policy, and directions for future research are discussed.

KEYWORDS:

• Child sexual abuse
• school-based prevention
• longitudinal outcomes
• gender

Disclosure statement

One of the authors is employed by the Committee for Children, which is the publisher of the curriculum..

Additional information

Funding

This study was supported by the Committee for Children (no grant number through this organization).

Notes on contributors

Sunha Kim

Sunha Kim, PhD, is an associate professor in the Department of Counseling, School, and Educational Psychology at the University at Buffalo, State University of New York, with more than 30 published papers in peer-reviewed journals (more than 1,800 Google Scholar citations; h-index: 16 for overall, 15 for last five years). Dr. Kim has conducted studies funded by the NSF, Committee for Children, NIH, and IMLS.

Tia E. Kim

Tia Kim, PhD, is vice president of education, research, and impact at Committee for Children, a developmental psychologist, and an expert in social-emotional learning (SEL), child protection, and bullying prevention. She leads Committee for Children’s research team to develop and evaluate the quality, effectiveness, and reach of Committee for Children’s programs. Tia is a driving force of the organization’s efforts to continually gather information about implementation fidelity, advance the evaluation process, focus on continuous improvement and learning, and promote partnerships within the field. She considers these factors essential to carrying out our mission of advancing the safety and well-being of children through social-emotional learning (SEL) and helping us increase our impact to reach our goal of positively and equitably transforming the social-emotional well-being of 100 million children annually by 2030. Drawn toward understanding the unique needs and developmental tasks of adolescents, Tia received her doctorate in developmental psychology at the University of California, Riverside, and completed three years of post-doctoral training at the Academic Center of Excellence on Youth Violence Prevention, where her research focused on the etiology and prevention of youth violence and aggression. Before joining Committee for Children, she served as an assistant professor in the department of human development and family studies at Penn State Brandywine.

Amanda Nickerson, PhD, NCSP, is a Professor and Director of the Dr. Jean M. Alberti Center for the Prevention of Bullying Abuse and School Violence at the University at Buffalo, State University of New York. Dr. Nickerson’s research focuses on school crisis prevention and intervention, with a particular emphasis on violence, bullying, and other forms of abuse. She has examined the role of schools, parents, and peers in preventing violence and enhancing the social-emotional strengths of children and adolescents. She has published over 130 journal articles and book chapters and written or edited 5 books. Her research has been funded by the National Institutes of Health, the Institute of Education Sciences, the American Educational Research Association, the NYS Office of Child and Family Services, The Committee for Children, and the NYS Developmental Disabilities Planning Council.