nEHAV~OR T H ~ Y 22, 69-83, 1991 The Efficacy of a Parent-Implemented Program for Teaching Preschoolers Personal Safety Skills SANDY K. WURTELE LISA L. CU~J~R ELIZABETHI. GILLISPIE CORRINA F. FRANKLIN University o f Colorado The purpose of this study was to determine whether preschool-age children can learn personal safety skills when taught by their parents. Fifty-two preschoolers were pretested, randomly assigned to either a home-based or a wait-list control program, and post- tested. Following program participation, children as young as 3½ years old demon- strated greater knowledge about sexual abuse and higher levels of personal safety skills compared to controls, and these gains were maintained at the two-month follow-up. The effect of the parent-taught program was also replicated in the design. No program- related increases in negative behaviors were reported by parents, nor were treatment children seen as more fearful subsequent to participation. These results suggest that parents can effectively teach their preschoolers personal safety skills, and that the pro- gram can be implemented safely and effectively at hom~ The advantages of home- based instruction for young children are discussed. In response to the growing number of reports of child sexual abuse, de- mands for prevention programs aimed at teaching children personal safety skills have greatly increased. Although many such programs have been im- plemented in the schools (see reviews by Conte & Fogarty, in press; Kolko, 1988; Wurtele, 1987), few have been developed and evaluated for preschool- aged children, despite reports indicating that young children are at high risk for sexual abuse (Cupoli & Sewell, 1988; Eckenrode, Munsch, Powers, & Doris, 1988; MacFarlane & Waterman, 1986). The idea of educating preschoolers about sexual molestation has been criti- This project was funded by a FIRST Award (MH 42795) from the National Institute of Mental Health. The authors wish to thank Julie Forster, Carlene Decker, Donna Cramer, Lona Ladrow, and the teachers, parents, and children at the YMCA preschool. We would also like to thank all the undergraduate interviewers for their assistance on this project. Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Sandy K. Wurteleq Department of Psychology, University of Colorado, P.O. Box 7150, Colorado Springs, CO 80933-7150. 69 0005-7894/91/0069-008351.00/0 Copyright 1991 by Association for Advancement of Behavior Therapy All rights of reproduction in any form reserved.