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

Abstract

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.