ABSTRACT
In this chapter we will review research and discuss conceptual issues relating to the primary prevention o f child sexual abuse. Preventative interventions are usefully grouped into three distinct types: Primary prevention is an attempt to reduce the incidence o f new cases o f a problem; secondary prevention attempts to detect problems early so that their magnitude may be limited through intervention; and tertiary pre vention attempts to reduce the long-term consequences o f a problem that has already progressed beyond its early stages. Some authors believe that tertiary prevention is a misnomer because it is equivalent to tradi tional therapeutic intervention, which does not attempt to intervene before problems occur (Cowen, 1983).
