The Trainers’ Assessments on Disclosure among School-age Children
Mentor 1
Joan Blakey
Location
Union Wisconsin Room
Start Date
24-4-2015 10:30 AM
End Date
24-4-2015 11:45 AM
Description
Background: Childhood sexual abuse (CSA) is very prevalent in our society and studies prove that between 5-30% of all children will be sexually abused by age 13. Various types of CSA programs have been created, intended to increase the likelihood that children will recognize abusive situations, resist abuse when possible, and report the abuse to someone who can stop the abuse. The programs were to minimize incidence of sexual abuse with school-based programs being the most effective type of prevention program. To prove the effectiveness of these types of programs, they must be evidence based, which one still yet lacks to exist. The intention of this research project was to evaluate the Play it Safe!TM program, a school-based childhood physical and sexual abuse prevention program that serves tens of thousands of students annually around the nation, with the number of disclosures steadily increasing over the 30 years of operation. The purposes of this study are: 1) to help this program become evidenced based; 2) to understand how and why the program works by recognizing the role that trainers play in children’s disclosure of physical and sexual abuse. Question: What factors lead to and/or affect disclosure among children? Methods: All of the interviews were conducted and audiotaped by Dr. Blakey in a closed, private room and professionally transcribed verbatim which were then analyzed using the NVivo computer software to form pattern analysis to examine individual cases and build a conceptual explanation. This study primarily uses the Case Study Method along with a number of other methods (i.e. constant comparison, thematic analysis, pattern matching) to ensure diligence and objectivity. Results: The results showed that there were several factors that played a key role in disclosure among the Play it Safe! students. The determining factors that seemed to affect the rate of disclosures and the receptiveness of the children according to the data were: the school’s location, a trainer’s experience, and the age of the child. The school location became a factor to disclosure because some schools were located in communities that spoke Spanish primarily, making it difficult for the counselors and students to communicate freely during the presentations. A trainer’s experience proved to be significant because there was a positive correlation between experience and disclosures. Lastly, more disclosures came from younger children and decreased with older age. The teacher’s involvement in terms of cooperation and assistance during the presentation, the professionally thought-out scripts used, and length time spent during the presentation are also factors that can be considered to lead to disclosure. Conclusion: With these findings, it is possible to not only implement the results to better improve the Play it Safe! Program, but to also create a template for other non-profit agencies, school districts, and practitioners to adopt the program worldwide.
The Trainers’ Assessments on Disclosure among School-age Children
Union Wisconsin Room
Background: Childhood sexual abuse (CSA) is very prevalent in our society and studies prove that between 5-30% of all children will be sexually abused by age 13. Various types of CSA programs have been created, intended to increase the likelihood that children will recognize abusive situations, resist abuse when possible, and report the abuse to someone who can stop the abuse. The programs were to minimize incidence of sexual abuse with school-based programs being the most effective type of prevention program. To prove the effectiveness of these types of programs, they must be evidence based, which one still yet lacks to exist. The intention of this research project was to evaluate the Play it Safe!TM program, a school-based childhood physical and sexual abuse prevention program that serves tens of thousands of students annually around the nation, with the number of disclosures steadily increasing over the 30 years of operation. The purposes of this study are: 1) to help this program become evidenced based; 2) to understand how and why the program works by recognizing the role that trainers play in children’s disclosure of physical and sexual abuse. Question: What factors lead to and/or affect disclosure among children? Methods: All of the interviews were conducted and audiotaped by Dr. Blakey in a closed, private room and professionally transcribed verbatim which were then analyzed using the NVivo computer software to form pattern analysis to examine individual cases and build a conceptual explanation. This study primarily uses the Case Study Method along with a number of other methods (i.e. constant comparison, thematic analysis, pattern matching) to ensure diligence and objectivity. Results: The results showed that there were several factors that played a key role in disclosure among the Play it Safe! students. The determining factors that seemed to affect the rate of disclosures and the receptiveness of the children according to the data were: the school’s location, a trainer’s experience, and the age of the child. The school location became a factor to disclosure because some schools were located in communities that spoke Spanish primarily, making it difficult for the counselors and students to communicate freely during the presentations. A trainer’s experience proved to be significant because there was a positive correlation between experience and disclosures. Lastly, more disclosures came from younger children and decreased with older age. The teacher’s involvement in terms of cooperation and assistance during the presentation, the professionally thought-out scripts used, and length time spent during the presentation are also factors that can be considered to lead to disclosure. Conclusion: With these findings, it is possible to not only implement the results to better improve the Play it Safe! Program, but to also create a template for other non-profit agencies, school districts, and practitioners to adopt the program worldwide.
