International Journal of Innovative Research in Health Science

Introduction: According to the World Health Organization, adolescence is the period that leads to adulthood and childhood that includes people aged between 10 and 19. To the same extent, the Oxford dictionary defines adolescence as the developmental stage that starts at puberty till adulthood. Methodology: The study implemented a descriptive research design based on a quantitative research approach. The research was carried out in one school (selected) of Nagapattinam. There were 100 students who were chosen by use of non-probability sampling technique. Data collection tool was divided into two parts: Part I was composed of demographic data, and Part II was composed of a structured questionnaire which is based on knowledge assessment. Results: It was found that 11 percent of the students possessed poor knowledge on sexual abuse, 65 percent possessed moderate knowledge and 24 percent possessed sufficient knowledge. In general, there were 100 respondents to consider in the knowledge analysis. Conclusion: The research established that the majority of students had the moderate level of knowledge regarding sexual abuse. Even though some of the participants were conversant with simple concepts, they experienced lapses in knowledge about preventive measures, warning sign identification and proper reporting practices.