NCJ Number
105803
Journal
Child Abuse and Neglect Volume: 11 Issue: 1 Dated: (1987) Pages: 143-148
Date Published
1987
Length
6 pages
Annotation
The National Committee for the Prevention of Sexual Abuse and Marvel Comics issued a special 'Spiderman' comic book to elementary students as a cheap and useful method of encouraging children to report molestation.
Abstract
Grades 2, 4, and 6 in a middle-class elementary school in Pennsylvania read, with their parents' consent, two stories. In the first story, Spiderman encourages a boy to report his female babysitter's sexual abuse by telling his own childhood molestation by a young male. In the second, a girl runs away from an incredulous mother and incestuous father but is encouraged to return by the Power Pack Kids, who will help the family seek help. Results revealed that only one child reading the book reported his own molestation. Half the students indicated fear after reading. Results suggest that the book is useful in the context of an ongoing and comprehensive program. 4 tables, 1 graph, and 2 references.