THE EFFECTIVENESS OF VICTIMIZATION PREVENTION INSTRUCTION - AN EVALUATION OF CHILDRENS RESPONSES TO ACTUAL THREATS AND ASSAULTS

This study examined whether instruction in school and at home about ho w to prevent victimization has any impact on children's behavior in si tuations of real victimization threat. Telephone interviews were condu cted in 1992 with a nationally representative sample of 2,000 youths a ge 10 to 16 and their caretakers. More comprehensive school programs h ad mixed, small but overall positive effects. Children exposed to such school-based prevention programs performed better on a short test of knowledge about sexual victimization; when victimized or threatened we re more Likely to use the self-protection strategies recommended by pr evention educators; were more Likely to feel that they had been succes sful in protecting themselves; and were more Likely to disclose to som eone about the victimization attempts. They were not better able to li mit the seriousness of the assaults and, in fact, they experienced mor e injuries in the course of sexual assaults. Comprehensive parental in struction also had positive effects on knowledge, the use of preferred self-protection strategies and the likelihood of disclosure. Children with comprehensive parental instruction were more likely to limit the seriousness of assaults.