This Article Full Text (PDF) References Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Request Permissions Request Reprints Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Citing Articles via Scopus Google Scholar Articles by Collins, M. E. Search for Related Content PubMed Articles by Collins, M. E. Social Bookmarking                         What's this?

Parents' Perceptions of the Risk of Child Sexual Abuse and their Protective Behaviors: Findings from a Qualitative Study

University of Michigan

This study examined parents' perceptions of the risk of child sexual abuse and self-reported protective strategies. Qualitative interviews were conducted with a sample of 24 parents of preschool-age children, purposefully selected to be diverse in gender, race/ethnicity, age, and personal experience with sexual abuse victimization. The findings support earlier research showing little congruence between perceptions of risk for the general population and perceptions of personal risk. The qualitative methodology provided some reasons for the discrepancy: comparisons parents make between themselves and other parents, characteristics of sexual abuse that affect perceptions, and the tendency of parents to blur the boundaries of sexual abuse with other forms of victimization. Parents identified strategies they used to protect their children from abuse and their underlying thoughts regarding protection. The exploratory results indicate the importance of understanding parents' cognitive processes in estimating risk and acting protectively and suggest further avenues for research.

Child Maltreatment, Vol. 1, No. 1, 53-64 (1996)
DOI: 10.1177/1077559596001001006


CiteULike    Complore    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    Twitter    What's this?

This article has been cited by other articles:

				S. W. Craun and M. T. Theriot Misperceptions of Sex Offender Perpetration: Considering the Impact of Sex Offender Registration J Interpers Violence, December 1, 2009; 24(12): 2057 - 2072. [Abstract] [PDF]

				K. L. Kaufman, J. K. Holmberg, K. A. Orts, F. E. McCrady, A. L. Rotzien, E. L. Daleiden, and D. R. Hilliker Factors Influencing Sexual Offenders' Modus Operandi: An Examination of Victim-Offender Relatedness and Age Child Maltreat, November 1, 1998; 3(4): 349 - 361. [Abstract]