An Investigation of Factors Affecting the Ability to Determine Symptoms and Risks of Child Abuse and Neglect in Midwifery and Nursing Students

Abstract

Child maltreatment is a global problem with serious life-long consequences. Preventing child maltreatment before it starts is possible and requires a multisectoral approach. This study aimed to investigate the factors affecting the ability to determine symptoms and risks of child abuse and neglect in midwifery and nursing students. The population of this descriptive study consisted of a total of 882 midwifery and nursing students studying in the Faculty of Health Sciences of a university in the Black Sea Region of Turkey. The sample included a total of 719 midwifery and nursing students who agreed to participate in the study. Of the students, 60.5% (n = 435) were nursing students, and 39.5% (n = 284) were midwifery students. The study was conducted between April and May 2017. The data were collected with the Personal Information Form and the Scale for Determining Symptoms and Risks of Child Abuse and Neglect (SDSRCAN) and were analysed using the SPSS 21 software program. The analysis involved descriptive statistics, t test, ANOVA and post hoc Tukey HSD test. The mean score of the students on the SDSRCAN was 3.64 +/- 0.40, with subscale mean scores ranging from 3.23 +/- 0.62 to 3.92 +/- 0.62. Female students, midwifery students, those who were older and those with more years of university education had statistically significantly higher mean scores on the SDSRCAN and its subscales. This study identified a deficiency in the ability to determine, as the mean SDSRCAN score among nursing and midwifery students fell below the desired threshold of 5.0. It is recommended that more training be provided to enhance the ability to determine symptoms and risks of child abuse and neglect among nursing and midwifery students.