CE22-003 - Evaluation of Circles of Safety? for the Primary Prevention of Child Sexual Abuse

PI: BRIGHT Project Abstract Page 1 of 1
PROJECT ABSTRACT
High profile cases in the US have illuminated sports/athletics as a potential “danger zone” for child sexual
abuse (CSA). Although most athletes will not be sexually abused in the context of their sport, some aspects
of sports/athletics do create unique risk for CSA. In the proposed study, we conduct one of the first
randomized trials of a CSA primary prevention strategy in the context of youth sport.
We will partner with Stop it Now!, the creator of primary prevention program Circles of Safety®, and USA
Football (USAF), a national governing body for amateur football serving over 1M youth athletes to conduct
this trial. Circles of Safety® is a child sexual abuse (CSA) primary prevention program that provides direct
education to organization leaders and adults who interact with youth, tailored website content for
organizations that serve youth, and helpline services for all individuals affected by CSA including not only
victims and their families but also individuals who think they may have or will sexually abuse a child.
Despite having been delivered to hundreds of organizations comprising thousands of individuals since
2011, Circles of Safety® has not yet been rigorously evaluated for its efficacy in primary prevention of
CSA. Our proposed evaluation of Circles of Safety® will provide this critically needed evidence.
The first two study years will be dedicated to developing a Research Advisory Board of community partners
and stakeholders, pilot testing measures and strategies for recruitment, and obtaining IRB approval. In the
last three years, we will conduct a cluster randomized trial to evaluate Circles of Safety® for preventing
CSA. At least 30 leagues affiliated with USAF serving thousands of youth will be randomly assigned to
one of two groups (Circles of Safety® or waitlist control). Participants will include league leadership and
coaches. Link tracing strategies will aim to engage parents and other adults in the lives of youth served.
Primary outcomes include CSA among youth-athletes served as well as protective and inappropriate
behaviors from coaches & league leaders. Secondary outcomes include changes in knowledge of CSA,
perceived self-efficacy in identifying and addressing CSA, and resource seeking behavior.
The study team is uniquely designed to ensure the success of this project, under the leadership of Dr. Melissa
Bright with mentorship from Dr. David Finkelhor. We bring together experts in child development, violence
against children, program evaluation methodology, and implementation science.

Grant Number: 5U01CE003409-04
NIH Institute/Center: ALLCDC
Principal Investigator: Melissa Bright