Healthy Relationships Project for Preventing Child Sexual Abuse

Age: < 18

Sex: Any

Trial Phase: Academic

Sponsor: Northeastern University

Disqualifiers: Private schools, non high-need wards

No Placebo Group All trial participants will receive the active study treatment (no placebo)

Compensation: Varies

Number of Visits: Unknown

16 Participants Needed

Trial Summary

Do I need to stop taking my current medications for this trial?

The trial information does not specify whether participants need to stop taking their current medications.

What data supports the effectiveness of the treatment Healthy Relationships Project for preventing child sexual abuse?

The research on couple relationship education programs shows that focusing on healthy relationships can reduce risks like divorce and improve relationship satisfaction, which suggests that similar approaches might help in preventing child sexual abuse by promoting healthier family dynamics. ^{1 2 3 4 5}

How does the Healthy Relationships Project treatment differ from other treatments for preventing child sexual abuse?

The Healthy Relationships Project is unique because it focuses on promoting healthy relationships as a way to prevent child sexual abuse, which is an innovative approach compared to traditional methods that often focus solely on awareness and education. This treatment emphasizes building skills and attitudes that support healthy interactions, which is a novel strategy in the field of child sexual abuse prevention. ^{5 6 7 8 9}

What is the purpose of this trial?

This study is a rigorous experimental evaluation of an existing manualized universal child sexual abuse primary prevention program with a history of 30+ years of implementation across 30 states and robust pilot data.

Eligibility Criteria

This trial is for public and public charter schools in high-need areas of Washington D.C. that enroll children from pre-kindergarten through 5th grade. Private schools or those not in designated high-need wards are excluded.

Inclusion Criteria

Public schools/public charter schools in high-need wards of Washington D.C.

My child is in pre-k to 5th grade.

Exclusion Criteria

Private schools

School in non high-need wards

Timeline

Screening

Participants are screened for eligibility to participate in the trial

2-4 weeks

Intervention

Implementation of the Healthy Relationships Project (HRP) in Pre-K through 5th grade using a stepped wedge randomized trial design

6 months per school group

Ongoing school-based sessions

Follow-up

Participants are monitored for safety and effectiveness after intervention, including data collection on CSA reports and surveys

2 years

Bi-monthly data collection and semi-annual surveys

Qualitative Evaluation

Interviews with school and community stakeholders to assess sustainability and impact of the HRP program

Ongoing throughout the trial

Treatment Details

Interventions

• Healthy Relationships Project

Trial Overview The study evaluates the Healthy Relationships Project, a program aimed at preventing child sexual abuse with over 30 years of use across various states and supportive preliminary data.

Participant Groups

Group I: Intervention Group Experimental Treatment 1 Intervention

Schools receiving HRP programming in pre-k through 5th-grade classrooms.

Group II: Control Group Active Control 1 Intervention

Schools that have not received HRP programming. Schools in the control group will continue their normal standard of care for CSA prevention.

Who Is Running the Clinical Trial?

Northeastern University

Lead Sponsor

Trials

103

Recruited

72,600+

Findings from Research

Couples with higher pre-intervention relationship dissatisfaction showed greater improvements in satisfaction during the 'Hold me Tight' program, supporting the idea that there is more room for improvement in high-risk couples.

Risk factors negatively impacted relationship satisfaction gains during the intervention and follow-up, indicating that vulnerability can hinder the benefits of Couple Relationship Education programs, but specific risk factors varied between self-referred and clinician-referred couples.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Do high-risk couples profit more or less from couple relationship education programs than low-risk couples? Room for improvement and vulnerability effects. Conradi, HJ., Noordhof, A., Dingemanse, P., et al.[2023]

The S2T (Survivor to Thriver) program, a group intervention for women survivors of childhood sexual abuse, facilitated resilience processes such as constructive rumination and coping strengths, indicating its potential as a healing method.

Participants reported significant posttraumatic growth outcomes, including a transformed life philosophy and a new identity as 'thrivers,' suggesting that the program may effectively support recovery and personal development after trauma.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Resilience enabling processes and posttraumatic growth outcomes in a group of women survivors of childhood sexual abuse. Walker-Williams, HJ., Fouché, A.[2022]

Couples who participated in the EPL (Ein Partnerschaftliches Lernprogramm für Paare) relationship education program had significantly lower divorce rates (27.5%) compared to those who did not participate (52.6%) after 11 years, indicating the program's long-term effectiveness in promoting relationship stability.

Among couples who remained together, 80% reported being happy in their relationships at the follow-up, although only about 55% remembered at least one communication skill taught, suggesting that while the program is effective, retention of specific skills may vary.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Prevention of marital instability and distress. Results of an 11-year longitudinal follow-up study. Hahlweg, K., Richter, D.[2019]

Adolescents face significant challenges in sexual and reproductive health, including sexually transmitted diseases and unintended pregnancies, highlighting the need for innovative prevention strategies.

Focusing on promoting healthy relationships is a promising approach that could improve adolescent sexual and reproductive health outcomes, necessitating the development of a science-based conceptual framework to guide these efforts.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Advancing adolescent sexual and reproductive health by promoting healthy relationships. Tharp, AT., Carter, M., Fasula, AM., et al.[2013]

The Safe Touches program significantly improved second- and third-grade students' knowledge of inappropriate touch compared to a control group, indicating its effectiveness in a school-based setting with 492 participants over two years.

Younger children, particularly those in second grade and those in schools with more general education students, showed the most significant gains in understanding inappropriate touch, suggesting that early intervention may be particularly beneficial.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Knowledge Gains Following a Child Sexual Abuse Prevention Program Among Urban Students: A Cluster-Randomized Evaluation. Pulido, ML., Dauber, S., Tully, BA., et al.[2022]

References

1. United States pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Do high-risk couples profit more or less from couple relationship education programs than low-risk couples? Room for improvement and vulnerability effects. [2023]

2. South Africa pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Resilience enabling processes and posttraumatic growth outcomes in a group of women survivors of childhood sexual abuse. [2022]

3. England pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Functional outcomes of maltreated children and adolescents in a community-based rehabilitation program in Brazil: six-month improvement and baseline predictors. [2014]

4. England pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Prevention of marital instability and distress. Results of an 11-year longitudinal follow-up study. [2019]

5. United States pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Advancing adolescent sexual and reproductive health by promoting healthy relationships. [2013]

6. United States pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Evaluation of the Start Strong initiative: preventing teen dating violence and promoting healthy relationships among middle school students. [2019]

7. United States pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Knowledge Gains Following a Child Sexual Abuse Prevention Program Among Urban Students: A Cluster-Randomized Evaluation. [2022]

8. England pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Evaluation of the implementation of a relationship and sexuality education project in Western Australian schools: protocol of a multiple, embedded case study. [2023]

9. United States pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Prevention of child sexual abuse: analysis and discussion of the field. [2013]