Evaluating the Effectiveness of a Live Musical Theater-Based Approach to Child Sexual Abuse Prevention in Elementary Schools

Hugs and Kisses is a theater-based child sexual abuse (CSA) prevention program designed for children in kindergarten through fifth grades. The purpose of this cross-sectional case study is to evaluate how a comprehensive live musical theater program can prepare teachers to discuss and identify the signs of CSA, help children increase their knowledge, and learn prevention strategies to stop CSA in the future. A total of 154 teachers and 2,700 children from 31 schools participated in this program during 2016. Findings show this program increases children's awareness of touch and action knowledge through five primary safety lessons taught during the program and reinforced by a teacher led in-person discussion after the play. Nearly 85% of the students across all grade levels in this sample understood the lessons taught in the play, and students whose teachers held an in-class discussion after the play scored better than those students whose teachers did not hold a discussion. Teachers who were prepared with training resources also held longer in-class discussions compared to those who were not prepared. The Hugs play has the potential to be a national model for evidence-based CSA programs.