Child Abuse Interventions

Interventions with Children

Background

One approach to decrease risk of abuse, including abduction by strangers, is to directly teach children about how to resist abuse or abduction. There have been a number of studies of these types of programs. None examine the effect of the program on actual abuse or abduction. We have chosen to review only those interventions where there has been an evaluation of changes in observed behavior and have not included any studies in which the only intervention is a change in knowledge or attitudes.

Review of interventions with children:

Summary of interventions with children

The studies reviewed suggest that educational programs aimed at children can decrease the risk of stranger abduction. However, these conclusions are tempered by the fact that the Poche study evaluated the impact only 1-2 days after the intervention. The results of the Fryer study are limited by small sample sizes. Both studies are also limited by the fact that they use mock situations to test the effectiveness of the intervention.

Recommendations on interventions with children

The impact of these interventions on physical abuse is unknown and therefore cannot be recommended at this time. These interventions appear more appropriate for the prevention of sexual abuse.

Recommendations for future research

There is a need to evaluate these interventions in larger populations and to test whether the effect persists over time.

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