Culturally Competent Interventions for Child Sexual Abuse: A Scoping Review of the Literature and the Implications for American Samoa

ABSTRACT

Significant stigma regarding child sexual abuse exists in American Samoa. Although cultural interventions may help prevent child sexual abuse, very little is known about such interventions. Therefore, through a scoping review process, this study aimed to gain a broad understanding of past and current culturally tailored interventions to prevent child sexual abuse. Because no studies examine interventions to prevent child sexual abuse in American Samoa specifically, the reviewed literature investigates interventions in different cultures. The literature search initially identified 180 relevant articles. After applying inclusion and exclusion criteria, nine studies met the eligibility criteria for review. Extracted data from these articles included the country or population, sample, study methods, children’s age, intervention type, and details about the intervention. Results suggest that culturally tailored interventions for preventing child sexual abuse exist in various countries and cultural contexts. Results highlight that child sexual abuse prevention interventions are effective if translated into the native language. Findings from this study highlight the importance of using a culturally tailored approach to addressing child sexual abuse and can help guide the development of new interventions. Although more research on the prevention of child sexual abuse in American Samoa is needed, the results of this study might inform the development of culturally tailored interventions for the region.

KEYWORDS:

• Child sexual abuse
• culturally competent intervention
• American Samoa
• child sexual abuse intervention

Disclosure statement

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

Ethical standards and informed consent

This publication focuses on sustaining the highest ethical standards in the conduct of community-based participatory research (CBPR). The research strategy is founded on community participation, cooperation, and respect for the rights and well-being of the persons and communities engaged. This study strictly adhered to the ethical rules established by our institutional review board (IRB) and received informed permission from all participants. The informed consent approach included comprehensive descriptions of the study’s objective, methodology, risks, and benefits, and participants were given the chance to ask questions and express voluntary written permission. Throughout the study process, an open line of contact was maintained with the community partners, and worked hard to ensure their viewpoints and concerns were honored.

Additional information

Funding

The author(s) reported there is no funding associated with the work featured in this article.

Notes on contributors

Kuini Tuaau

Kuini Tuaau, DSW, MSW, is a doctoral student at the California Baptist University and supervisor at the Department of Public Social Services, Children’s Division at the County of Riverside in California.