Barriers that inhibit reporting suspected cases of child abuse and neglect among nurses in a public hospital, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

Elarousy, Wafaa; Abed, Sara

doi:10.26719/emhj.18.055

Cited by 30 publications

(37 citation statements)

References 9 publications

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“…The main reasons for underreporting given by our participants were lack of knowledge about referral procedures and unclear reporting steps. These reasons were also reported in studies in Saudi Arabia (16,31). Improvement in reporting can only be expected when physicians are aware of their legal mandate and the proper procedures for reporting.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 69%

Child maltreatment: knowledge, attitudes and reporting behaviour of physicians in teaching hospitals, Egypt

Saeed¹,

Sultan²,

Salama³

et al. 2021

East Mediterr Health J.

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Background: Lack of diagnosis and reporting of child maltreatment are important problems worldwide. Aim: This study aimed to assess the knowledge, attitude and practice of physicians in Alexandria University teaching hospitals about the diagnosis and reporting of child maltreatment cases. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted at three hospitals. All physicians working regularly in emergency units were invited to complete a self-administered questionnaire. Data collected included sociodemographic characteristics, knowledge of and formal training on child maltreatment, attitude to dealing with child maltreatment, and experience of child maltreatment cases and reporting behaviour. Results: A total of 90 physicians were included in the study. Only 11% correctly identified all the signs of child maltreatment and 29% correctly answered all questions on the social indicators of maltreatment. Only 41% of the participants had a good knowledge score (≥ 75%) on child maltreatment. Longer work experience (P = 0.019) and older age (P = 0.039) were associated with better knowledge. Of 249 suspected cases of child maltreatment that the physicians reported they had experienced, only 36% were reported. Formal training on child maltreatment 1 / 12 WHO EMRO | Child maltreatment: knowledge, attitudes and reporting behaviour of physicians in teaching (P < 0.001) and older age (P = 0.006) were associated with physicians' reporting behaviour. Over half (56%) of the participants thought their workplaces did not provide them with procedures to follow if they suspected child maltreatment. Conclusion: Physicians' knowledge of the signs and social indicators of child maltreatment was unsatisfactory. Clinical training and education are needed to improve their ability to diagnosis and report cases of child maltreatment.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 69%

Child maltreatment: knowledge, attitudes and reporting behaviour of physicians in teaching hospitals, Egypt

Saeed¹,

Sultan²,

Salama³

et al. 2021

East Mediterr Health J.

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“…Other barriers that hinder reporting of child abuse and neglect are unfamiliarity about how to report, in addition to having previous unpleasant backlash after reporting. [ 33 ]…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Child abuse and neglect in a rapidly developing country: Parents' perspectives

Hendaus

Al-Khuzaei

Samarah

et al. 2020

J Family Med Prim Care

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Purpose: To identify parental awareness and knowledge regarding child abuse and neglect in the State of Qatar. Methods: A cross-sectional study using a questionnaire was conducted at Hamad Medical Corporation, the only tertiary pediatric hospital in the State of Qatar at the time of the study. Parents of children of all ages were offered a questionnaire that included demographic details, parental knowledge, and awareness of child abuse and neglect. Results: 300 questionnaires were completed (response rate = 95%). More than 70% of parents were older than 30 years of age, 60% of them were females, and 66% were college graduates. The majority of the participants stated their familiarity about child abuse, and 6% witnessed morbidity or mortality due to child abuse in the society. Despite the identified laws, only 50% of the parents were aware of laws restricting child abuse. In regards to children with special needs, only 16% of the participants agreed that disabled children are at a higher risk of abuse compared to healthy children, while 33% were neutral and 52% disagreed. In addition, one-fifth of the respondents stated that hitting is discipline, while 63% disagreed. Almost one-third of the respondents agreed that hitting hands and buttock or hitting with soft objects is acceptable form of discipline. Unexpectedly, one-quarter of participants stated that it is okay to hit a child as long as no damage incurs. As for verbal abuse, around one-third of parents stated that yelling is not a form of child abuse, and that yelling does not affect growth and development. Comparing both corporal and verbal abuse, approximately 70% of parents stated that yelling is less harmful than hitting. In terms of child neglect, around half of the respondents agreed with the statement “Leaving a child (<5 years) unattended at home is a form of neglect,” while 42% were neutral. Finally, approximately 50% of the participants believed that it is okay to depend on nannies in assisting their children in eating and using the bathroom. Conclusion: Parents residing in the State of Qatar believe that they have a good knowledge regarding child abuse and neglect. However, this study shows many deficiencies in parental knowledge of child abuse and neglect. Parents’ attitudes and perceptions are considered indispensable targets for community health intervention.

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“…Uncertainty regarding potential maltreatment is known to be a major risk factor for inconsistent reporting to CPS by healthcare professionals. [ 18 , 19 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Previous research suggests that another common reason for omitted reports to CPS might be a lack of feedback on the possible course of action when maltreatment is suspected. [ 18 , 19 ]. In addition, many might shy away from reporting if they perceive CPS intervention as incompetent or insufficient—even if the legal norm warrants a report.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reasonable suspicion in reporting child maltreatment: a survey among German healthcare professionals

Berthold

Jud

Jarczok

et al. 2021

Child Adolesc Psychiatry Ment Health

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Background With regular contacts to the general child population, healthcare professionals could play an important role in the detection of child maltreatment. However, a majority of child maltreatment cases go unnoticed by the healthcare system. Child protection legislations usually offer terms like “reasonable suspicion” to corner a threshold that warrants reporting to child protection services (CPS) is defined as. The indistinct legal terminology leads to marked differences in the interpretation of this threshold. Therefore, we aimed to systematically assess the understanding of reasonable suspicion and subsequent handling of cases in the German context. Methods A cross-sectional online survey was conducted among 2485 physicians and psychotherapists working with children and adolescents. Field access was gained by German professional associations. Via case vignettes, predictors of thresholds for reporting were assessed. Results The probability of a report to CPS increased positively with the degree of suspicion for maltreatment. However, even if participants were certain that child maltreatment occurred, 20% did not chose to report to CPS. Training in child protection lowered the professionals’ threshold for reasonable suspicion; experience with child protection cases and good knowledge of the legal framework increased the likelihood to report an alleged situation of child maltreatment to CPS. Conclusion Our data show that a significant proportion of health care professionals are uncertain about estimating reasonable suspicion and on how to proceed when there are strong indications for child maltreatment Therefore, data point towards the relevance of training in child protection among healthcare professionals in order to improve detection and adequate handling of cases of child maltreatment.

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Barriers that inhibit reporting suspected cases of child abuse and neglect among nurses in a public hospital, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

Cited by 30 publications

References 9 publications

Child maltreatment: knowledge, attitudes and reporting behaviour of physicians in teaching hospitals, Egypt

Child maltreatment: knowledge, attitudes and reporting behaviour of physicians in teaching hospitals, Egypt

Child abuse and neglect in a rapidly developing country: Parents' perspectives

Reasonable suspicion in reporting child maltreatment: a survey among German healthcare professionals

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