NCJ Number
177524
Journal
Child Abuse and Neglect Volume: 23 Issue: 3 Dated: March 1999 Pages: 269-279
Date Published
1999
Length
11 pages
Annotation
Information from 77 Chinese adolescent females in Hong Kong who were ages 11-15 years and had mild mental retardation was used to examine these young people's level of sexual abuse knowledge and self-protection skills.
Abstract
The research hypothesis was that these youths would exhibit limited knowledge on these issues. The participants were recruited from four special schools for mental retardation. They orally completed the Chinese versions of the Personal Safety Questionnaire and the What-If Situation Test. The participants were more able accurately to recognize inappropriate than appropriate touches and sexual requests and possessed limited information about sexual abuse. They were also inadequate in protecting themselves against sexual abuse and had the most difficulty in reporting the sexually abusive incident and the characteristics of the offender. Regression analyses also revealed that their sexual abuse knowledge was the best predictor for self-protection skills. Findings provided strong cross-cultural support to previous Western studies that revealed that females with mild mental retardation of high risk to sexual abuse and in need of specially designed prevention program to enhance their competency against sexual victimization and exploitation. Findings also suggested that measurement scales used in the Western general population could be modified and refined and then extended to Chinese adolescents with mental retardation. Tables and 42 references (Author abstract modified)