Assessing School Psychologists’ Knowledge of Child Sexual Abuse
Melannie R. Tate, M.S. Ed., Faculty Advisor: Betty V. DeBoer, Ph.D.
University of Wisconsin – La Crosse
METHODS
ABSTRACT
•Until the passing of the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act
(Public Law 93-247) in 1974, child sexual abuse (CSA) was
previously unrecognized as a national concern. After this
legislation, research and interest in CSA dramatically increased
(Horton & Cruise, 2006).
•CSA is associated with delinquency, conduct disorder, depression,
anxiety, suicidal ideation, and academic difficulties, among other
adverse outcomes (Crosson-Tower, 2002); these outcomes are
similar even when controlling for SES, gender, and age (DeMarni,
2010).
•School psychologists are in a unique position to support victims of
CSA in schools due to their expertise in child development and
mental health; however, few school psychologists receive adequate
training regarding CSA (Campbell & Carlson, 1995).
•A meta-analysis determined false information regarding
characteristics of CSA and CSA victims was common, leading to the
conclusion that “misunderstandings on this subject are pervasive”
(Shakel, 2008, p.494).
•In one study, social workers demonstrated higher knowledge of
CSA than other professional groups such as physicians, nurses,
child protection workers, and lawyers. Additionally, an increased
level of professional experience predicted increased CSA
knowledge in social workers. Despite a higher demonstration of
CSA knowledge, at least 20% of social workers were not
knowledgeable about critical aspects of CSA, such as indicators of
abuse (Hibbard & Zollinger, 1990).
•NASP recently updated the standards to include crisis intervention
issues such as CSA, emphasizing the importance of the issue (NASP,
2010, Standard 6, Preventative and Responsive Services).
•Even with the new standards, nearly 50% of school psychologists
felt unprepared to deal with crisis issues such as CSA (Allen, 2002),
begging the question – Do school psychologists have the knowledge
about CSA to provide adequate support and services?
RESEARCH POSTER PRESENTATION DESIGN © 2012
www.PosterPresentations.com
92 school psychologists currently practicing in Wisconsin school districts
participated in the study. School psychologists were recruited at the Fall
2012 Wisconsin School Psychologists Association (WSPA) conference and
through emails sent to all WSPA members in Nov/Dec 2012. Years of
experience: mean = 14.5, range = 1-36.
Instrumentation
•There was no significant effect of experience on knowledge at the
p<.05 level for the three groups [F(2 , 82) = 1.32 p = .27, ŋ = .03].
Percent Correct on CSA Knowledge
Scale by Years of Experience
The Hazzard Child Sexual Abuse Knowledge Scale,(Hazzard, Kleemeir,
Pohl, & Webb, 1988) measures professionals’ level of knowledge
regarding CSA, such as child reactions, perpetrator characteristics, or
issues with reporting abuse (internal consistency = .84).
Descriptive Statistics
Gender:
•
Male (14.9%)
•
Female (83.9%)
•
Preferred not to answer (1.1%)
Employment Setting:
•
Urban (22.8%)
•
Suburban (29.3%)
•
Rural (46.7%)
Levels of Practice:
•
Early Childhood (47.8%)
•
Elementary (78.3%)
•
Middle School (46.7%)
•
High School (44.6%)
Highest level of training:
•
M.S. Ed. (28.3%)
•
Certificate of Graduate Study (9.8%)
•
Ed.S. (47.8%)
•
Ph.D. (8.7%)
Received information about CSA from:
•
University Education (64.1%)
•
School district in-services (63%)
•
Conferences (77.2%)
•
Peer-reviewed journal articles (32.6%)
•
Books of personal accounts (26.1%)
•
Book by M.D. or Ph.D. (19.6%)
•
Media (TV, magazines, newspapers) (47.8%)
•
Internet sites (41.3%)
•
Other (16.3%)
Percent of students on FRL: mean (38.5%), range (0-95%)
Average hours of CSA training in graduate school: 8.5 hours
Average hours of CSA training post- graduate school: 13.3 hours
Average number of confirmed CSA cases within last year: 3.6 cases
Average time spent devoted to mental health in students : 22.5%
DISCUSSION
•A univariate analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to determine
if school psychologists’ knowledge of CSA information, such as
child reactions to abuse or reporting procedures, differed with
respect to their level of experience (low, medium, or high).
Percent Correct
INTRODUCTION
Participants
100
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
87
89
Medium (11-18)
High (19+)
84
Low (0-10)
85.9
Mean Social Worker
Knowledge*
Experience Level in Years
*Hibbard, R.A., & Zollinger, T.W. (1990)
•School psychologists’ scores on CSA Knowledge Scale by subgrouping:
Percent Correct on CSA Knowledge
Scale by Item Sub-Groupings
Percent Correct
Child Sexual Abuse (CSA) is a prevalent yet understudied issue,
affecting an estimated 1 in 16 children nationally. With expertise in
mental health, School Psychologists are in a unique position to
serve CSA victims, yet their knowledge of the issue may vary
considerably. Assessing this knowledge is critical for informing
future prevention and intervention efforts in schools. The current
study examined school psychologists’ knowledge of CSA as a
function of their level of experience.
RESULTS
100
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
66.3
74.7
Victim Reactions
82
72.5
70.3
70
Perpetrator
Characteristics
93.7 92
86.6
Medical
Implications
Facts about CSA
Item Sub-Groupings
School Psychologists
78.7
Social Workers
Legal/Ethical
Issues with
Reporting
•Although no significant effect for experience level on knowledge of
CSA was found, all levels of experience were generally
knowledgeable about CSA and were comparable to social workers
in a prior study (Hibbard & Zollinger, 1990); however, there were
areas where school psychologists demonstrated gaps in their
knowledge base.
•Findings on knowledge:
• School psychologists correctly answered 93.7% of questions on
reporting abuse, indicating a high level of knowledge in this area.
• Ex: “A professional does not need physical evidence before they
report abuse.”
• Only 66.3% of school psychologists correctly answered questions
about victim reactions to CSA, meaning that approximately one-third
are not familiar with how children respond to sexual abuse.
•Ex: “Children who are sexually abused may have positive feelings
about the experience at the time.”
• Approximately 30% of school psychologists were also unfamiliar
with perpetrator characteristics or medical implications of CSA.
• Ex: “Children who are sexually abused are usually abused by
strangers,” and “Sexually transmitted diseases in children most
commonly come from inappropriate sexual contact.”
• Similarly, 27.5% of school psychologists lacked knowledge on
general facts about CSA.
•Ex: “Sexual abuse does not always involve physical force.”
•School psychologists were generally knowledgeable about CSA,
however, the low knowledge in some areas is concerning as this
information is critical when identifying and providing mental
health services to these students.
•Graduate training programs, in-services, and conference
presentations should focus on child reactions to CSA and general
facts about CSA in order to solidify the foundational knowledge
base among school psychologists regarding this issue.
REFERENCES
•Allen, M., Jerome, A., White, A., Marston, S., Lamb, S., Pope, D., & Rawlins, C. (2002). The
Preparation of School Psychologists for Crisis Intervention. Psychology in the Schools, 39(4),
427-439.
•Campbell, J., & Carlson, K. (1995). Training and Knowledge of Professionals on Specific
Topics in Child Sexual Abuse. Journal of Child Sexual Abuse, 1(1), 75-86.
•Crosson-Tower, C. (2002). When Children are Abused: An Educator's Guide to Intervention.
(1st ed.). (pp. 1-200). Allyn & Bacon.
•DeMarni Cromer, L., & Goldsmith, R. E. (2010). Child Sexual Abuse Myths: Attitudes, Beliefs,
and Individual Differences. Journal of Child Sexual Abuse, 19, 618-647.
•Hazzard, A., Kleemeier, C., Pohl, J., &Webb, C. (1988). Child Sexual Abuse Prevention: Teacher
Training Workshop Curriculum. Atlanta: Emory University School of Medicine.
•Hibbard, R. A., & Zollinger, T. W. (1990). Patterns of Child Sexual Abuse Knowledge Among
Professionals. Child Abuse & Neglect, 14, 347-355.
•Horton, C. B., & Cruise, T. K. (2006). Sexual Abuse. In Children's Needs III: Development,
Prevention, and Intervention. (1st ed.). (pp. 821-833). Bethesda, MD: NASP Publication.
•National Association of School Psychologists. (2010). Standards for Training and Field
Placement Programs in School Psychology. Bethesda, MD: Author.
•Shakel, R. L. (2008). Beliefs Commonly Held by Adults About Children's Behavioral
Responses to Sexual Victimization. Child Abuse & Neglect, 32(485-495).
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
We would like to thank Dr. Melissa Bingham and Kylie Severson for their
assistance with the statistical portion of this research.