Determination of Nurses' Diagnosis of Child Abuse and Neglect Symptoms and Risks

Abstract Aim: Child neglect and abuse, an important health problem involving children and the whole community, are among the responsibilities of nurses in terms of their traditional and contemporary roles. The aim of this study was to determine the nurses' symptoms and risks of child abuse and neglect. Methods: The study was conducted with nurses (n = 116) working in a hospital affiliated to Health Sciences University. The data were collected with the "Introductory Information Form" and the "Scale Form for Diagnosis of Symptoms and Risks of Child Abuse and Neglect". Approximately the average score of five on the scale indicates that they respond correctly to questions about diagnosing signs and risks of child abuse and neglect. Mann-Whitney U and Kruskal-Wallis tests were used for statistical analysis of the data. Results: It was found that the average age of the nurses participating in the study was 28.44±6.14 years, 19.8% of them compared with child abuse and neglect during their professional practice, 69.0% of them learned during their education and 19.0% received education about child abuse and neglect after graduation. Nurses' mean Scale Form Score for the Diagnosis of Symptoms and Risks of Child Abuse and Neglect is higher in nurses over 35 years of age, having children and 10 years of professional experience and it was determined that gender did not affect the average score. Conclusion: It may be suggested that training programs for improving nurses' diagnosis of symptoms and risks of child abuse and neglect