Developmental Stages of Authority in Relation to Sexual Abuse Education

This study examined children's conceptions of authority in sexually abusive situations. It aimed to determine: (1) whether children's perceptions of adult authority in sexually abusive situations differed from their perceptions of adult authority in benign situations; (2) whether children's conceptions of authority changed as a result of participation in a sexual abuse education program; and (3) whether children's conceptions of authority outweighed attempts to teach them to recognize and resist sexual advances. Participants were 117 children of 3 to 6 years of age, from 4 preschools. The sexual abuse education program was an interactive curriculum consisting of five 20-minute segments that emphasized the message "No, Go, and Tell." Children were administered several measures before and after their participation in the program. The most important measures in this study were the What If Situations Test and an authority scale developed for the study. Results suggest that many preschoolers were able to delineate clear limits to adult authority in sexual abuse situations even before they participated in the program. This finding applied regardless of the child's age. In addition, the prevention program seems to give children new information about authority in sexual situations, or it may confirm the knowledge they already have in this area. Implications for further research are discussed. Appended are six references and related materials. (GLR)