Help Wanted: Evaluating a Prevention Intervention for People with Sexual Interest in Children

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

Project Summary In response to RFA-CE-20-005 Research Priority 1, the proposed study seeks to evaluate the Help Wanted Prevention Intervention, a theoretically and empirically informed prevention intervention targeting adult men with sexual interest in children. The intervention includes an introductory welcome place, five training sessions that deliver core intervention content, and a resources page that provides links to external sources of support. The two primary goals of the Help Wanted Prevention Intervention are to prevent child sexual abuse and provide help-seekers tools to better support their well-being. The goal of the proposed study is to advance the evidence base on primary prevention of child sexual abuse perpetration. To that end, we propose: a) to evaluate the effects of Help Wanted on child sexual abuse offense behaviors, grooming behaviors, and proclivity to offend, as well as the impact on targeted psychosocial stressors (e.g., cognitions and attitudes, coping skills, self-image) that are associated with child sexual abuse perpetration; b) examine these psychosocial stressors as potential mediators and moderators; and c) revise the intervention accordingly to improve help-seeker engagement and targeted outcomes. The proposed study proceeds in three phases. In Phase 1, we will conduct beta-testing of all study procedures with a sample of 10 adult men. The results from this phase will join findings from another study to inform a revision of the Help Wanted intervention. In Phase 2, we will evaluate the revised intervention by conducting a randomized controlled trial utilizing a waitlist design. Participants in the treatment group will be given access to Help Wanted and will complete assessments at recruitment (baseline), 1 month (post-treatment), and 3 months (follow-up). Participants in the waitlist control group will be given access to Help Wanted after a 1-month wait, during which time they will be given a time- and-attention control intervention. After the 1-month waiting period, participants in the waitlist control group will be given to access to Help Wanted. Assessments for the waitlist control group occur at recruitment (baseline), 1 month (2nd baseline), 1 month later (post-treatment) and at 3 months post-treatment (follow-up). In Phase 3, we draw upon the RCT outcome results and help-seeker ratings of session satisfaction to conduct a second revision of the Help Wanted intervention and will recruit a sample of 10 adults to review the revised intervention. Upon completion, this proposed project would be the first to rigorously evaluate an online, prevention intervention tailored specifically for adults with sexual interest in children.