Validation of a cultural adaptation of the Children's Knowledge of Abuse Questionnaire (CKAQ-RIII) in primary school children in Iran.

Abstract

Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate the cultural adaptation and validation of the Children's Knowledge of Abuse Questionnaire (CKAQ-RIII). This tool, which is used in Iranian primary schools, examines children's understanding of the concepts of sexual abuse.

Materials and methods: A sample of 80 primary school children between 8 and 12 years of age was selected from schools in Iran. The questionnaire was administered three times: before and immediately after the Child Abuse Prevention Program and at the three-month follow-up assessment.

Results: The included children (n=80) completed the Persian version of the CKAQ-RIII during the three-month follow-up. The internal consistency of the CKAQ-RIII was high for the Inappropriate Touch Scale (ITS) and moderate for the Appropriate Touch Scale (ATS). Analysis of the Pearson correlation coefficients indicated a strong relationship between the ITS and ATS and the overall scores. The mixed-design analysis of variance (ANOVA) on the ITS showed that the children's knowledge increased after the intervention. In general, higher scores were observed for children in the fifth and sixth grades (11 to 12 years old) after the intervention, indicating greater concept knowledge. Repeated measures ANOVA was also performed on the ATS, which showed a significant increase in children's knowledge.

Conclusions: The Persian version of the CKAQ-RIII is an effective and reliable tool for assessing the level of knowledge of the concepts of sexual abuse in Iran.