School and program related factors influencing disclosure among children participating in a school-based childhood physical and sexual abuse prevention program

Background: School-based child abuse prevention programs were created to provide knowledge so that children can recognize abuse, teach skills that decrease children's risk for abuse, normalize the disclosure process, and provide a pathway for children who may be experiencing abuse to report the abuse. Objective: The purpose of this study was to explore school and program factors that trainers in a school-based prevention program believed were associated with disclosure among youth from kindergarten through 12th grade. Participants and setting: This study is based on eighteen trainers and administrators who work with the Play it Safe!® school-based program in Dallas-Fort Worth area. Methods: Using the qualitative case study method, in-depth interviews were conducted. Results: Data analysis revealed three factors that influenced disclosure: school, school personnel, and program features. The school-related factor was time allotted to the training. The school personnel-related factors were disengagement, ambiguity concerning abuse, prior history with children, and professionals’ personal history of abuse. Finally, the program-related factors were the core messages of the training, providing specific examples, and repetition of the program. To date, there is a dearth of studies that explore the role that schools and school personnel play in the disclosure process. Conclusion: Child abuse has devastating effects on children's physical, social, emotional, and psychological well-being. Understanding more about schools, personnel, and program-related factors that lead to disclosure, which are more amenable to change, is critical to ensuring the safety of children.