Effectiveness of Teacher Training in Detecting and Reporting Child Victimization in the School Context: A Systematic Review

Child victimization (CV), and particularly child sexual abuse (CSA), is a highly prevalent and serious problem, the detection and reporting of which remain insufficient in educational settings. In this regard, teacher training has been proposed as a key strategy to improve the identification of and response to these cases. This study aims to synthesize the available empirical evidence on the effectiveness of teacher training programmes in improving the detection and reporting of CSA in school settings. To this end, a systematic review was conducted following the PRISMA 2020 guidelines and was prospectively registered in PROSPERO. The literature search was conducted in the PubMed, APA PsycINFO, Web of Science, and Scopus databases. Ten empirical studies were included, mainly using quasi-experimental designs and randomized controlled trials. Methodological quality was assessed using the Joanna Briggs Institute tools. The results show consistent evidence that teacher training leads to significant improvements in knowledge about CSA, while findings regarding teachers’ attitudes, perceived self-efficacy, and confidence in identifying and reporting potential cases are more variable. However, the evidence indicates that these gains do not always translate into changes in reporting behaviour, suggesting the possible influence of contextual and organizational factors. In conclusion, the available evidence primarily supports the effects of teacher training on CSA on proximal outcomes, although its impact on professional practice is heterogeneous and requires further evidence. Therefore, future research should evaluate long-term effects and consider additional contextual variables.