Bridging Theory and Practice: A Systems Approach to Childhood Sexual Abuse Prevention

The prevalent public health and social issue of childhood sexual abuse (CSA) is a harmful offense affecting approximately one (1) out of every seven (7) children in the United States (U.S.) each year. While many advancements in prevention and intervention strategies since the 1980s have been noted, there remains a horrific number of gaps in the nation’s approaches to combating this pandemic. The barriers identified include underreporting, a considerable disconnect between CSA knowledge and cultural considerations, and an unfair and ongoing stigma surrounding CSA victimization. This literature establishes scholarly findings to conceptualize innovative tactics to combat CSA using a systems framework. With the systems-based approach as the foundation, multiple other frameworks reinforce practicality in prevention and intervention applications. The background of CSA reveals an interconnectedness among CSA victims and perpetrators by using trusted ecological factors to offend. The same revelations support the exploration of ecology and systems with primary and secondary prevention strategies, guiding a need for interconnectedness between the two frameworks to conceptualize CSA prevention and intervention. Overall, this paper delineates a comprehensive approach for effective CSA prevention, underscoring the importance of macro policy reform to enhance community cohesiveness in protecting vulnerable children against CSA.