Helping parents protect children from sexual abuse

Parent-focused primary prevention of child sexual abuse: An Effectiveness-Implementation Hybrid Trial

NIH-funded research New York University · NIH-11143866

This project helps parents learn skills to keep their children safe from sexual abuse.

Quick facts

Grant typeR01 grant
Study typeNIH-funded research
Funding institutionNew York University NIH-funded
Lab location1 site (New York, United States)
Project IDNIH-11143866 on NIH RePORTER

What this research studies

This effort aims to empower parents with knowledge and skills to prevent child sexual abuse. It builds on existing parent education programs by adding specific lessons on healthy sexual development, communicating about sexual topics, and creating safe environments both online and offline. Parents will learn to recognize grooming behaviors and practice protective actions. The goal is to make these prevention strategies widely available to families.

Who could benefit from this research

Good fit: This program is designed for parents and caregivers of children aged 0-11 years old who want to learn how to protect their children from sexual abuse.

Not a fit: Children who have already experienced sexual abuse or adults without parenting roles may not directly benefit from this specific prevention program.

Why it matters

Potential benefit: If successful, this program could significantly reduce the number of children who experience sexual abuse by equipping parents with effective prevention tools.

How similar studies have performed: A previous clinical trial demonstrated preliminary effectiveness in raising parents' awareness and increasing their intention to use child sexual abuse protective behaviors when these concepts were added to parent education programs.

Where this research is happening

New York, United States

Researchers

About this research

  1. This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
  2. Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
  3. For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.
Last reviewed 2026-06-13 by the Find a Trial editorial team. Information on this page is for educational purposes and is not medical advice. Always consult qualified healthcare professionals about clinical trial participation.