Preventing Child Abuse: Focus on Parents

1
Preventing Child Abuse Focus on Parents

• Susan Kansagra and Jeff Sung

2
Agenda

• Background Research
• Presentation to Parents
• Evaluation Measures

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Parents Must Get Involved

• Responsibility for prevention of abuse should not
  be placed on children1
• Few programs focus on parents2

4
Parents Must Get Involved 2

• Many child programs are one-shot interventions,
  thus parents can reinforce prevention notions and
  clarify questions6
• Parents in a privileged position to adjust
  prevention messages for childs understanding5
• Parents are often the first responder
  knowledgeable parents can facilitate disclosure5

5
Lack of Communication

• Only 29 of parents discuss sexual abuse with
  children3
• Only 6 suggest that a family member could be an
  abuser4
• Discussion often not until child gt 9 y-o3

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Few Parents Attend Workshops

• Only 34 attendance in 7 program study4
• Differential rates of parental participation not
  explained by demographic data or school
  requirements

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Reasons for Lack of Parental Involvement

• Consider selves well-informed
• Would rather let teachers and specialists educate
  children
• Do not consider children at risk
• Afraid to be labeled as needing help
• Afraid of confronting a situation in own family
• Time constraints

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Objectives of Parental Programs

• Teach parents indicators of abuse
• Recognize behavioral signs of an abused child
• Report appropriately childrens disclosure of
  abuse
• Discuss potential of loved ones to be abusers

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Objectives Continued

• Make parents part of the team
• Parental contribution invaluable
• Team must work together
• Remove misconceptions about abuse
• Organizations available to help
• Efficiently convey information

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Past Parent Workshop Results Not Stellar

• 25 discussed the subjects of strangers and
  different touches4
• 11 discussed the childs right to say no to
  abuse4
• 9 discussed who the child might tell if
  threatened4
• Those who attended the parent meetings were as
  likely to talk to their children as those who did
  not4

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Workshops Improve Knowledge

• Parents are better able to recognize
• Physical signs for validating abuse
• Different forms of and different acts of abuse
• Feelings of the children towards the abusive
  parent
• Demographic characteristics of victims of abuse

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Workshops Improve Skills

• Parents better equipped to
• Offer support to children reducing negative
  repercussions of abuse7
• Detect abusive situations8
• Enhance their childrens ability to acquire
  prevention skills3

13
Bibliography

• MacMillan HL. MacMillan JH. Offord DR. Griffith
  L. MacMillan A. Primary prevention of child
  physical abuse and neglect a critical review.
  Part I. Journal of Child Psychology Psychiatry
  Allied Disciplines. 35(5)835-56, 1994 Jul.
• Daro D. Child sexual abuse prevention separating
  fact from fiction. Child Abuse Neglect.
  15(1-2)1-4, 1991.
• Peterson L. Tremblay G. Ewigman B. Saldana L.
  Multilevel selected primary prevention of child
  maltreatment. Journal of Consulting Clinical
  Psychology. 71(3)601-12, 2003 Jun.
• Berrick JD. Parental involvement in child abuse
  prevention training what do they learn?. Child
  Abuse Neglect. 12(4)543-53, 1988.
• Reppucci ND. Haugaard JJ. Prevention of child
  sexual abuse. Myth or reality. American
  Psychologist. 44(10)1266-75, 1989 Oct
• Wurtele SK. Kast LC. Melzer AM. Sexual abuse
  prevention education for young children a
  comparison of teachers and parents as
  instructors. Child Abuse Neglect. 16(6)865-76,
  1992 Nov-Dec.
• MacMillan HL. MacMillan JH. Offord DR. Griffith
  L. MacMillan A. Primary prevention of child
  sexual abuse a critical review. Part II.
  Journal Article. Meta-Analysis Journal of Child
  Psychology Psychiatry Allied Disciplines.
  35(5)857-76, 1994 Jul.