Efficacy of a Sexual Abuse Prevention Program with Children on an Indian Reservation

Abstract

American Indian youth experience high rates of child sexual abuse (CSA). To date, however, we are aware of no programs that have assessed outcomes associated with an evidence-based CSA prevention program among American Indian children. The purpose of the proposed study was to assess the preliminary acceptability and efficacy of IMpower, a 12-hour curriculum that teaches children how to identify their anatomy, recognize risk, say “no,” and tell others if they are being hurt. Using a non-randomized, single-arm pilot trial methodology (N = 48 4th and 5th graders), we found that some domains of children’s knowledge of CSA as well as their efficacy to resist an attack increased from pre- to posttest. Moreover, 83% of children reported that they liked IMpower, and 96% of children reported that IMpower helped keep them safe. These data provide preliminary evidence that IMpower is an acceptable and effective CSA prevention initiative that requires further evaluation with American Indian children.