Perception and Attitude about Child Sexual Abuse among Vietnamese School-Age Children
Date
2019
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Publisher
International journal of environmental research and public health
Abstract
Child sexual abuse has become a significant public health concern in Vietnam in recent
years, and the likelihood of being abused could be prevented by increasing the awareness of sexual
abuse and self-protection skills among children. However, little is known about the perception and
attitude of schoolchildren toward this issue in Vietnam. This study aimed to evaluate the knowledge
and attitude of school-age children toward child sexual abuse and the risk factors a ecting their
knowledge and attitude. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 800 Vietnamese students from
grades four to nine. Most of the respondents had insu cient knowledge of sexual abuse in children;
teachers and strangers would not be perpetrators (57.9% and 74%); and schools and home were safe
places (55.8% and 58.8%). Almost all participants disagreed with touching and non-touching actions,
even from acquaintances (94.5% to 99.5%). Being female, older age, not living with family or relatives,
and living in an urban setting were found to be positively associated with the right perception and attitude toward child sexual abuse. A sexuality education program should be o cially applied at
schools for children with the support of their parents to narrow the knowledge gap between di erent
geographical locations and genders.
Description
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Keywords
child sexual abuse, perceptions, attitude, knowledge, research, International Resources, Vietnam
Citation
Do, H. N., Nguyen, H. Q. T., Nguyen, L. T. T., Nguyen, H. D., Bui, T. P., Phan, N. T., ... & Ngo, A. T. (2019). Perception and Attitude about Child Sexual Abuse among Vietnamese School-Age Children. International journal of environmental research and public health, 16(20), 3973.