Abstract
Most sex education programs (SEPs) are designed for children in middle and high schools. This study aimed to analyze sex education curricula with a mission to educate pre-pubertal children. A systematic review found 60 research-based studies on SEPs published in 2005–2019 for preteens. Only eleven studies contained SEP contents, delivery methods, evaluation data, and implications for preteens. Among these SEPs, only one study focused solely on preteens. Since the SEP delivery methods were diversely implemented, this review could not generate a standardized curriculum for young children. It was also surprising that school social workers were not mentioned as a leader in planning or implementing these SEPs. Three strategies and three practice insights were generated for social workers in planning SEPs for preteens. Social workers may initiate a faculty team with nurses, teachers and other professionals to deliver formal sex education for young children in various settings.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Agbemenu, K., Hannan, M., Kitutu, J., Terry, M. A., & Doswell, W. (2018). “Sex will make your fingers grow thin and then you die”: The interplay of culture, myths, and taboos on African immigrant mothers’ perceptions of reproductive health education with their daughters aged 10–14 years. Journal of Immigrant & Minority Health, 20, 697–704. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10903-017-0675-4.
Bale, C. (2011). Raunch or romance? Framing and interpreting the relationship between sexualized culture and young people’s sexual health. Sex Education, 11(3), 303–313. https://doi.org/10.1080/14681811.2011.590088.
Barr, E. M., Moore, M. J., Johnson, T., Forrest, J., & Jordan, M. (2014). New evidence: Data documenting parental support for earlier sexuality education. Journal of School Health, 84, 10–17. https://doi.org/10.1111/josh.12112.
Black, C., McGough, P., Bigrigg, A., & Thow, C. (2005). What do clients of a young people's sexual health service recall about their sex education programme at school? European Journal of Contraception & Reproductive Health Care, 10(4), 235–243. https://doi.org/10.1080/13625180500256829.
Bolin, S. J., Rueda, H. A., & Linton, K. F. (2018). Grand challenges in school social work: Collaboration and constraint in school social workers’ sexuality support for children with disabilities. Children & Schools, 40(1), 25–34. https://doi.org/10.1093/cs/cdx027.
Brown, D. (2017). Evaluation of safer, smarter kids: Child sexual abuse prevention curriculum for kindergartners. Child & Adolescent Social Work Journal, 34(3), 213–222. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10560-016-0458-0.
Buston, K., & Wight, D. (2004). Pupils' participation in sex education lessons: Understanding variation across classes. Sex Education, 4(3), 285–301. https://doi.org/10.1080/1468181042000243367.
Caputo, R. K. (2007). Sex at an early age: A multi-system perspective. Race, Gender & Class 14(3/4), 206–224. https://www.jstor.org/stable/41675300
Che, F. S. (2005). A study of the implementation of sex education in Hong Kong secondary schools. Sex Education, 5(3), 281–294. https://doi.org/10.1080/14681810500171458.
Constantine, N. A., Jerman, P., Berglas, N. F., Angulo-Olaiz, F., Chih-Ping, C., & Rohrbach, L. A. (2015). Short-term effects of a rights-based sexuality education curriculum for high-school students: A cluster-randomized trial. BMC Public Health, 15, 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-015-1625-5.
Erkut, S., Grossman, J. M., Frye, A. A., Ceder, I., Charmaraman, L., & Tracy, A. J. (2013). Can sex education delay early sexual debut? Journal of Early Adolescence, 33(4), 482–497. https://doi.org/10.1177/0272431612449386.
Fentahun, N., Assefa, T., Alemseged, F., & Ambaw, F. (2012). Parents' perception, students' and teachers' attitude towards school sex education. Ethiopian Journal of Health Sciences, 22(2), 99–106.
Fonner, V. A., Armstrong, K. S., Kennedy, C. E., O’Reilly, K. R., & Sweat, M. D. (2014). School based sex education and HIV prevention in low- and middle-income countries: A systematic review and meta-analysis. PLoS ONE, 9(3), 1–18. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0089692.
Goldman, J. D. G. (2013). International guidelines on sexuality education and their relevance to a contemporary curriculum for children aged 5–8 years. Educational Review, 65(4), 447–466. https://doi.org/10.1080/00131911.2012.714355.
Hashimoto, N., Shinohara, H., Tashiro, M., Suzuki, S., Hirose, H., Ikeya, H., et al. (2012). Sexuality education in junior high schools in Japan. Sex Education, 12, 25–46. https://doi.org/10.1080/14681811.2011.601154.
Keogh, S. C., Stillman, M., Awusabo-Asare, K., Sidze, E., Monzón, A. S., Motta, A., et al. (2018). Challenges to implementing national comprehensive sexuality education curricula in low- and middle-income countries: Case studies of Ghana, Kenya, Peru and Guatemala. PLoS ONE, 13(7), 1–18. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0200513.
Kim, S. J., & Kang, K. A. (2017). Effects of the child sexual abuse prevention education (C-SAPE) program on South Korean fifth-grade students’ competence in terms of knowledge and self-protective behaviors. The Journal of School Nursing, 33(2), 123–132.
Kurtuncu, M., Akhan, L., Tanir, İ., & Yildiz, H. (2015). The sexual development and education of preschool children: Knowledge and opinions from doctors and nurses. Sexuality & Disability, 33(2), 207–221. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11195-015-9393-9.
Liu, W., Van Campen, K. S., Edwards, C. P., & Russell, S. T. (2011). Chinese parents' perspectives on adolescent sexuality education. International Journal of Sexual Health, 23(3), 224–236. https://doi.org/10.1080/19317611.2011.596256.
Martin, J., Riazi, H., Firoozi, A., & Nasiri, M. (2018). A sex education programme for mothers in Iran: Does preschool children's sex education influence mothers' knowledge and attitudes? Sex Education, 18(2), 219–230. https://doi.org/10.1080/14681811.2018.1428547.
Mathews, C., Eggers, S. M., de Vries, P. J., Mason-Jones, A. J., Townsend, L., Aarø, L. E., et al. (2015). Reaching the hard to reach: longitudinal investigation of adolescents' attendance at an after-school sexual and reproductive health programme in Western Cape, South Africa. BMC Public Health, 15(1), 1–12. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-015-1963-3.
McKay, E., Vlazny, C., & Cumming, S. (2017). Relationships and sexuality education topics taught in Western Australian secondary schools during 2014. Sex Education, 17(4), 454–470. https://doi.org/10.1080/14681811.2017.1306437.
Paul, G., Bell, C., Fitzpatrick, A., & Smith, S. M. (2010). 'The real deal': A feasibility study of peer-led sex education for early school leavers. European Journal of Contraception & Reproductive Health Care, 15(5), 343–356. https://doi.org/10.3109/13625187.2010.507317.
Rueda, H., Bolin, S., Linton, K., Williams, L., & Pesta, E. (2017). Social workers' roles in supporting the sexual and relational health of children with disabilities. Child & Adolescent Social Work Journal, 34(5), 493–505. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10560-016-0469-x.
Silva, M., & Ross, I. (2003). Evaluation of a school-based sex education program for low income male high school students in Chile. Evaluation and Program Planning, 26, 1–9. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0149-7189(02)00080-0.
Smylie, L., Maticka-Tyndale, E., & Boyd, D. (2008). Evaluation of a school-based sex education programme delivered to grade nine students in Canada. Sex Education, 8, 25–46. https://doi.org/10.1080/14681810701811795.
Tabatabaie, A. (2015). Childhood and adolescent sexuality, Islam, and problematics of sex education: A call for re-examination. Sex Education, 15(3), 276–288. https://doi.org/10.1080/14681811.2015.1005836.
UNESCO. (2009). The rationale for sexuality education. In UNESCO, International technical guidance on sexuality education: An evidence-informed approach for schools, teachers and health educators (Vol. 1). Paris, France: UNESCO. https://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0018/001832/183281e.pdf.
Vilanculos, E., & Nduna, M. (2017). “The child can remember your voice”: Parent-child communication about sexuality in the South African context. African Journal of AIDS Research, 16, 81–89. https://doi.org/10.2989/16085906.2017.1302486.
Wang, B., Meier, A., Shah, I., & Li, X. (2006). The impact of a community-based comprehensive sex education program on Chinese adolescents' sex-related knowledge and attitudes. Journal of HIV/AIDS Prevention in Children & Youth, 7(2), 43–64. https://doi.org/10.1300/J499v07n02-04.
WHO Europe. (2010). Standards for sexuality in Europe: A framework for policy makers, educational and health authorities and specialists. Cologne, Germany: WHO Europe and, Federal Centre for Health Education, BZgA. https://www.oif.ac.at/fileadmin/OEIF/andere_Publikationen/WHO_BZgA_Standards.pdf.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Additional information
Publisher's Note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Zhou, S., Cheung, M. Sex Education Programs for Preteens: A Review of Relevant Outcome Studies in Nine Countries. Child Adolesc Soc Work J 39, 1–15 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10560-020-00713-0
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10560-020-00713-0