Preventing Child Sexual Abuse: Exploring Public Support for the Concept of Prehabilitation Services

Child sexual abuse (CSA) is a significant concern affecting approximately 20% of children worldwide. Since most recorded CSA is committed by those without sexual convictions (84%), prevention efforts must be broad. Secondary prevention focuses on preventing escalation to harmful behaviour from at-risk individuals; approaches involving therapy can be termed ‘prehabilitation.’ Whilst there are limited examples internationally, prehabilitation viability in broader settings is unclear. One challenge could be public support. The aim of this study was to explore public opinion towards CSA prehabilitation amongst a sample from the general population in New Zealand (N = 721). Results showed that the majority were supportive: 82.6% following sample weighting procedures. Therefore, such services may be viable in New Zealand and potentially in other similar settings, and at minimum should not be challenged by a lack of public support.