Swedish School Nurses’ Experiences of Child Abuse

Abstract

Child abuse recognition and the protection of children is a global concern. In Sweden, the role of the school nurse (SN) is to promote schoolchildren’s health and development and to identify and prevent harm. The aim of this study was to describe Swedish SN experiences of suspecting, identifying, and reporting child abuse and to compare them with respect to (a) years of experience as SN, (b) age of SN, and (c) pupil population size. A descriptive design was used. Two-hundred and thirty-three SNs completed a survey detailing their experiences. Most SNs (96%) reported having suspected a child suffering from physical or psychological abuse. Approximately half of them reported occurrences of honor-related violence (54%) and of child sexual abuse (57%). SNs with less nursing experience reported significantly less recognition and reporting of child abuse. The findings indicate that experiences of child abuse are common. Thus, it is vital that SNs have the necessary competency and support to identify and report suspected child abuse.

Exploring Screening Practices for Child Sexual Abuse in School Settings: An Integrative Review

“…The final ten studies include four quantitative (Ribeiro et al, 2015; Saewyc et al, 2003; Sundler et al, 2019; Zolotor et al, 2009), four qualitative (Fraley & Aronowitz, 2021; Kraft & Eriksson, 2015; Kraft, Rahm, & Eriksson, 2017; Sekhar et al, 2018), and two mixed methods (Fraley et al, 2018; McGurk et al, 1993). Of the ten studies, three were conducted in Sweden, five in the US, one in Brazil, and one was a multi-national pilot study conducted in Iceland, Russia, India, and Columbia.…”

“…the studies included in this review, none had a sample of youth under the age of 11. The purpose of the studies conducted with SNs was to explore their attitude and awareness, as well as how they detect, identify, suspect, support, and address youth at risk for or currently experiencing CSA (Fraley & Aronowitz, 2021;Fraley, Aronowitz, & Jones, 2018;Kraft & Eriksson, 2015;Kraft, Rahm, & Eriksson, 2017;Sundler et al, 2019). The purpose of studies conducted with student samples was to either determine CSA prevalence using instruments administered anonymously (Ribeiro et al, 2015;Zolotor et al, 2009), or to determine the nature and scope of CSA among students identifying as CSA victims in the school clinic setting (McGurk et al, 1993).…”

“…Avoidance is a behavior in SNs that was observed in three articles (Kraft & Eriksson, 2015;Kraft, Rahm, & Eriksson, 2017;Sundler et al, 2019). Kraft and Eriksson (2015) conducted a Swedish study to explore how SNs detect child maltreatment and, much to their astonishment, noted that the SNs hardly mentioned CSA during focus group interviews.…”

Caring for children and adolescents victims of domestic violence: A qualitative study

“…Huecker and Smith (2020) predict that all healthcare workers will at some point treat a patient who is a victim of domestic violence. Nurses with fewer experiences reported less recognition and reporting of child violence (Sundler et al, 2019).…”

What school nurses receive for themselves that influences their remaining in practice: A qualitative study

“…School nursing is described as a challenging part of nursing practice, and school nurses report emotional exhaustion due to a high workload and ethical dilemmas [ 25 , 26 ]. Often, they deal with issues like child abuse, thoughts about suicide or family problems, and risk damaging a trusting relationship with school children when they break their confidentiality by informing parents or the child welfare service about a situation [ 27 , 28 ]. In addition, school nurses feel expended over a broad scope of tasks and perceive a lack of time and ability to meet the obligations or complex health needs of school children [ 29 , 30 ].…”