As practitioners have expanded their understanding of the types of events that constitute trauma exposure, the epidemiological database on prevalence suggests that childhood exposure to violence may best be framed as a public health crisis. There seems to be little recognition from policymakers and legislators, however, that violence may be the…

This Bulletin discusses the National Survey of Children's Exposure to Violence (NatSCEV), the most comprehensive nationwide survey of the incidence and prevalence of children's exposure to violence to date, sponsored by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) and supported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention…

Identifies major issues in current research on child sexual-abuse prevention including the effectiveness of assessment methods, potential side-effects of prevention programs, the developmental appropriateness of programs, the differential effectiveness of presenters of prevention materials, parental involvement in sexual-abuse prevention efforts,…

This article examines three motives for research into Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy child abuse, which are to enhance treatment, to understand the psychopathology of perpetrators, and to find interventions to prevent its occurrence. It argues that only the first justification is valid and proposes that research energy be directed toward…

This commentary notes that solid empirical evidence on the effectiveness of classroom-based child sexual abuse prevention programs is lacking. Prevention efforts need to target potential victims, potential perpetrators, and those aspects of the social fabric that nurture abusive behaviors; and the merits of prevention efforts must be discussed…

A longitudinal study was made of a prevention-oriented early intervention program intended to help parents who had insufficient and inappropriate childrearing abilities. The program was designed for young parents with fewer than 5 years of childrearing experience; participants were referred from a child protection agency following investigation of…

Examines the distinction between good touch and bad touch, a critical concept that is taught in virtually every child sexual abuse prevention program. Hypothesizes that the reason the distinction is difficult for young children to learn and retain stems from limitations in their abilities to judge a person's character. (SKC)

This paper reviews 126 articles published between 1989 and 1994 to investigate the underrepresentation of males in research in the area of physical maltreatment. The problem of underrepresentation was more severe in studies on characteristics of abusive parents and in articles that addressed issues of child abuse prevention and treatment. (CR)

Discusses the differential incidence of male versus female reports of sexual abuse through hotlines and solicited reports. Reports occurred after the institution of a child abuse prevention program for 1,920 children K-12. (RJC)

Evaluation of a personal safety program with 172 preschoolers found that participants demonstrated greater knowledge about sexual abuse and higher levels of personal safety skills than controls, that children taught by their parents recognized inappropriate-touch requests better than children taught by teachers, and that children taught at both…

Women (n=97) identified as at risk for engaging in child abuse were referred to the Child Parent Enrichment Project (CPEP) during or just after pregnancy. CPEP services involve home visits and linkage to community resources. No advantages on self-report measures or child abuse reports were found for the CPEP group compared to a control group. (DB)

Information on child sexual abuse is most meaningful and effective when given to the child from a parent. To investigate the kinds of prevention information that is exchanged in households and the obstacles to effective exchange, 521 Boston parents (187 male, 334 female), with children aged 6 to 14, were interviewed. The interview focused on…

This study assessed children's original perceptions of sexual abuse risk, perceptions of risk after participation in a sexual abuse prevention program, and age differences in children's beliefs about risk. Findings indicate that children's already high perceptions of sexual abuse risk increased after participation in the prevention program.…

Educators' roles in identification of abused/neglected children, subsequent reporting, and techniques for interviewing suspected abused children are discussed. Educators' expanded role in abuse prevention, involving such activities as offering courses in parenting, child safety/protection, and human sexuality, is examined, followed by a…

A modified multiple-probe design was used to teach seven students (ages six to eight) with moderate or severe mental retardation appropriate strategies for responding to inappropriate invitations from strangers. Six of the students displayed improvement in self-protective skills, which generalized to a nontraining situation and across abductors.…