Lifting up Strengths: A Wellness Approach to Preventing Child Sexual Trauma

Blending local indigenous knowledge and Eurocentric theoretical frameworks, this qualitative study explores what approaches are being practiced in home, school, and community settings to prevent child sexual trauma. Through interviews and focus group discussions, participants’ perspectives on safety and well-being and a wellness approach to child sexual trauma facilitate a deeper and broader understanding of what motivates and informs caregivers’ approach, and the strengths, challenges, and opportunities within current prevention strategies. A wellness approach to safety and well-being addresses the physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, and sexual/relational domains, supported by a variety of strengths-based practices grounded in relationship, intentionality, and balance. Challenges were organized into a socioecological framework with multi-level recommendations, including empowering preadolescents within the context of their families and community with education that is adequately resourced, collaborative, keeps the child and family at the center, and recognizes the generational and caregiver roles in preadolescent and adolescent development as it relates to the prevention of sexual trauma. Implications for this research include providing baseline data needed to develop caregiver-targeted, wellness-oriented child sexual trauma prevention programming that is strength-based and culturally relevant.

Author dc:creator

• Guderyan, Lisa

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Lee, Laura, May

• College of interdisciplinary studies

Language dc:language.iso

en_US

Identifier URI

https://doi.org/10.25316/IR-20499

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:null:10613/28936