ASSESSMENT OF PHYSICIANS'AWARENESS OF CHILD ABUSE AND NEGLECT:A QUALITATIVE STUDY


Karavuş M., Hıdıroğlu S., Sarısaltık A., Ayvaz İ., Doğan Z. T., Aydın U., ...Daha Fazla

Beykent 3th International Health Sciences Research Days Congress, İstanbul, Türkiye, 22 - 25 Eylül 2021, sa.165, ss.171-178

  • Yayın Türü: Bildiri / Tam Metin Bildiri
  • Basıldığı Şehir: İstanbul
  • Basıldığı Ülke: Türkiye
  • Sayfa Sayıları: ss.171-178
  • Marmara Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet

Özet

ABSTRACT

Aim: Health professionals have very important responsibilities in determining child abuse cases. It is a fact that by increasing the awareness of healthcare professionals about child abuse and neglect, cases will be reduced. Our aim in this qualitative study is to evaluate physicians' awareness of child abuse and neglect in common and different aspects.

Methods: Our qualitative study was conducted with 14 physicians in the fields of pediatric health and diseases, family medicine, orthopedics and traumatology, and ophthalmology who have a high probability of encountering child abuse and neglect. The data were collected through in-depth interviews. In this study, a semi-structured questionnaire consisting of open-ended questions about child abuse and neglect prepared in the light of literature review were used as data collection tools. The interviews were recorded with the permission of the participants.

Results: Most of the physicians defined the concept of abuse, as an act made intentionally, mostly physically and sexually; whereas neglect as an act made unintentionally and as a failure to meet the needs of the child. Most physicians thought that child abuse and neglect was inversely related to education level and income level of the families. Most of the participants think that parents will reflect their upbringing on their own children and that the relationship between mother and father has an important place in terms of abuse and neglect. The physicians thought that the abused/neglected child can have psychosocial problems in the future; furthermore, they can have substance use and even fatal health problems.

Conclusion: It was observed that physicians could not fully define child abuse and neglect and did not have information about its types. Although all of the physicians were aware that they were obliged to report cases of child abuse and neglect, we see that they are not fully informed about the procedure.

Keywords: Awareness; child abuse and neglect; physician