Abstract
BACKGROUND: Sexual abuse is a global concern among children with intellectual disabilities. Sexual abuse is frequent and long-lasting when the victim is a child with an intellectual disability. Moreover, the rate of sexual abuse is two to eight times the rate in the general population.
OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to investigate the knowledge of sexual abuse and resistance ability among children with intellectual disabilities.
PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING: The study was conducted among 120 children with mild or moderate intellectual disabilities attending twelve schools for specific purposes.
METHODS: We adopted a cross-sectional design to assess knowledge and resistance ability. Personal Safety Questionnaire and Modified What If Situation Test were administered verbally during individual interviews. Institutional Ethics Committee approved our study.
RESULTS: Current study suggests that children with intellectual disabilities have average knowledge (M = 6.6, SD = 1.6) regarding sexual abuse. More than 90 % of children demonstrated poor reporting skills. Although children exhibited good knowledge in differentiating appropriate from inappropriate touch requests, most children reported they would not disclose this incident to anyone.
CONCLUSIONS: This study strongly suggests the need for a structured training program for children with intellectual disabilities to prevent sexual abuse.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 105985 |
Journal | Child Abuse and Neglect |
Volume | 136 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Feb 2023 |
Keywords
- Humans
- Child
- Intellectual Disability
- Cross-Sectional Studies
- Sex Offenses
- Surveys and Questionnaires