Behavioural Skills Training (BST) for Teaching Sexual Abuse Prevention Skills for Children With Intellectual Disabilities

Sexual abuse of children with intellectual disabilities is a global concern. Rate of sexual abuse among children with intellectual disabilities is 2-4 times the rate in general population. Thirty-nine to 83% of girls and 16%- 32% of boys with Intellectual Disability typically experience sexual abuse by the time they reach the age of 18. There is a need for personal safety programs as one of the multiple approaches to reduce the risk of child sexual abuse. In order to protect themselves against abuse, children with intellectual disability must have the skills to independently recognise potentially abusive situations and respond appropriately. Even though some of the abuse prevention programmes are widely used, the effectiveness of these is not established. The aim of the study was to assess the effectiveness of a Behavioural Skills Training on knowledge of sexual abuse and resistance ability among children with Intellectual Disability.

Sample size calculation for this study was conducted using power analysis, based on the variance from the pilot study. Considering a statistical power of 80% and a significance level set at 5%, 134 children were initially recruited for the study. However, upon concluding the six months, data was available to only 120 subjects. Among these, 60 children received the intervention ( experimental group), while the remaining 60 received Treatment as Usual (the control group).

This study developed a Video based Behavioural Skill Training programme for training children with intellectual disabilities for improving their knowledge regarding sexual abuse and resistance ability against sexual abuse and tested its effectiveness. The study involved children initially watching video presentations depicting appropriate and inappropriate situations and the ideal responses for each scenario. Subsequently, the children engaged in role-playing exercises, where a researcher assumed the roles of a perpetrator, doctor, or nurse. At the same time, parents who participated as co-therapists in the study played their parents' part in the role play. Following each enactment of inappropriate situations, the children were instructed to approach their parents and report the individual's identity and the incident. This role-playing process was reiterated until the children had comprehensively learned the appropriate responses.

The effectiveness of the study was evaluated based on the change in the knowledge scores and resistance ability scores. A randomized controlled design with longitudinal measurement of outcomes was adopted to evaluate the effectiveness of BST on Knowledge of Sexual Abuse and Resistance Ability. Screening for all the children was done in each selected special schools based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria. All subjects who met the criteria were selected for the study.

The children and parents involved in the study were clearly informed about its purpose and objectives. Written informed consent was obtained from the parents, and an attempt was made to obtain assent from the children. Forty-two percent of the children were able to provide signed assent. Participants were assured that the information they provided would remain confidential. It was also ensured that the BST would not interfere with the children's regular school schedules. The investigator closely monitored the children and their parents during the intervention to address any potential adverse effects.

At the outset of our research project, we initiated meetings with parents and children to establish mutual understanding and rapport. The teachers played a crucial role in interactions with the parents and children. They helped establish contact with the parents and took on the role of introducing us to both the parents and the children. Their support and involvement were instrumental in creating a welcoming and cooperative atmosphere for our research endeavours. During these meetings, we encouraged parents and children to ask any questions they had about the research. This open and transparent dialogue was a valuable foundation for collaborative efforts and ensured that all parties involved were well-informed and comfortable with the research process.

The introduction to the children was facilitated by the class teacher, allowing us to interact with them within the classroom setting before conducting interviews. This preliminary interaction reduced any sense of unfamiliarity or apprehension among the children. Prior to commencing the interviews, we obtained assent from each child. We informed them that we would ask questions about personal safety and protecting themselves in various situations.

Each child was individually interviewed in an open classroom or library, ensuring a comfortable and non-intimidating environment. The administration sequence first involved conducting the Personal Safety Questionnaire (PSQ) and the video-enhanced 'What If Situation Test' (WIST). Both assessments were administered orally, with responses recorded on paper-based tools. The sessions were conducted in small groups, typically consisting of children, within classroom settings, library halls, or auditoriums. It is essential to note that the child's parents also actively participated in these training sessions and were encouraged to reinforce the training at home. Each training session had a duration of approximately 1 hour.

To analyse the data, verbatim interview responses were coded, with scores assigned for each question or item. This systematic approach allowed for a comprehensive assessment of the children's understanding of personal safety and their ability to respond effectively to various situations.

After the study's completion, the BST was also provided to the control group. Subjects in the experimental and control group was assessed for their knowledge and resistance ability before the intervention and post assessment was done after the intervention. Descriptive statistics were applied for the baseline data. Descriptive statistics includes frequency distributions, mean and median for the central tendency and range and standard deviation. Chi square was done to find the association between the categorical variables. To assess the effectiveness of the intervention program, Mann Whitney U was done to compare the outcome measures between the experimental and control group All the analysis was performed in IBM SPSS statistics 22 and a p-level of <0.05 was considered as statistically significant. Mean age (in years) of the total sample (n=120) was 15.6 ±2.6 and it was 15.3 ± 2.7 in experimental group (n=60) and 15.9 ± 2.5 in control group (n=60). In the sample 59.2% of the children belonged to the category of mild intellectual disabilities and rest were with moderate intellectual disabilities.

The BST was found to be effective in increasing knowledge (P<0.01) regarding sexual abuse and resistance ability (P<0.01) against sexual abuse among children with mild or moderate disabilities.