Child Abuse And Neglect Cases Research Articles

Understanding Child Abuse and Neglect Indications: Insights From Medical Students.

Child abuse is a severe issue that impacts medical professionals and patients globally. It can lead to discomfort, risk, or even the demise of a child. One of the most significant facets of a doctor's work involves providing aid to those in need; since children are more dependent on others for care and safety, they should receive attention that is even more special in quality. Hence, this study aims to assess the views, professional experiences, and comprehension of Saudi Arabian medical students regarding child abuse and neglect (CAN). This study was carried out at Dr. Soliman Fakeeh Hospital. It involved 65 students who were either victims of child abuse or the relatives/family members of child abuse victims. The participants' awareness of several critical components ofCANwas considerable. However, their understanding regarding the reporting of CAN cases was rather meager. Furthermore, their views of and professional experience with CAN were not excellent in terms of quality. Saudi Arabia should implement an extensive plan to prevent the abuse of children at any level, given the nation's clinical experience and expertise in this field. The nation's pediatricians should direct as well as assist in this process, thereby playing a major role in preventing and addressing CAN cases.

Identification of Child Abuse and Neglect Based on the Perception of Training Physicians in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

Introduction Child abuse and neglect (CAN) affects many countries, including Saudi Arabia (SA). CAN in SA is more commonly detected in hospitals. Therefore, healthcare professionals must identify and report the cases. This study aims to assess knowledge and perceptions toward CAN among training physicians. Methodology A cross-sectional survey was conducted through a self-administrated structured questionnaire and involved 123 residents and fellows who deal with children in Jeddah, SA. The participants were recruited using convenient sampling methods. Descriptive statistics, t-test, and Chi-square test were used for statistical analysis. Results We found that approximately 78% would report their findings to the legal authority, document them, and assess their consistency with parents and the child's explanation. However, only 41.5% of the participants would report CAN to the proper authority. Most participants believed that CAN should be redefined according to Saudi culture and religious standards. In contrast, 68.9% of the participants believed that CAN cases are under-reported in SA. The main barrier to not reporting is the fear of consequences (63.4%). About 77% of the participants agreed to the need for further training. Identifying the CAN indicators was higher among those who handled a CAN case previously (median = 66.67, p = 0.023). Conclusions In conclusion, the study showed that appropriate undergraduate and postgraduatecurriculum training should be developed to strengthen future healthcare practitioners in dealing with CAN cases to protect children's welfare.

Educators' experiences of coping with cases of child abuse and neglect: Challenges and supports

BackgroundAlthough educational staff are uniquely positioned to identify and intervene in cases of child abuse and neglect (CAN), concerns have been raised as to their capacity to intervene appropriately in such cases. ObjectiveThe current study examines the perspectives of educators on their experience of reporting CAN and on the barriers and facilitators experienced within this process. MethodsTo that end, in-depth interviews were conducted with 29 educational staff in Israel (27 Jewish, 2 Arabs), including 17 school teachers and 12 counselors who had experienced coping with cases of CAN within their professional role. ResultsThe findings showed that educators experienced immense challenges related to the reporting of CAN. At the professional level, deciding whether or not reporting was required or would serve the best interest of the child, was the most pronounced challenge reported. The heavy burden of protecting children as well as the bearing witness to the abuse and neglect of young children had a tremendous emotional impact on interviewees, arousing feelings of helplessness and undermining their sense of trust in the world. Support provided within schools emerged as a very substantial facilitator of reporting that fulfilled various functions, including providing educators with professional guidance, a sense of togetherness in the face of challenge and emotional containment. ConclusionsIn order for educators to be able to successfully cope with such sensitive and complex cases they must be receive regular support and supervision that would address their professional as well as their emotional needs.

Awareness and Professional Responses in Managing Cases of Child Abuse and Neglect (CAN) among Dental Students, General Dentists, and Pedodontists of Bengaluru City, India.

The aim is to assess the awareness and professional responsibilities of pedodontists, general dentists, and dental students concerning suspected child abuse and to explore their professional experiences with this issue. A cross-sectional questionnaire study was conducted among 400 conveniently selected general dentists, pedodontists, and dental students in Bengaluru city. Self-administered, structured, both open- and closed-ended questionnaires were used to elicit information about their experience (if any) with suspected/confirmed cases of Child Abuse and Neglect (CAN). Responses to open-ended items were grouped based on common responses. Descriptive statistics and Chi-squared tests were used to analyze the data. About 15.6% suspected a case of CAN based on physical indicators, and 8% reported a confirmed case of CAN that was based on conflicting history from child to parent. Counseling of both child and parent, followed by a proper recording of history, was the action taken for suspected cases. In addition, counseling of parents followed by reporting to concerned authorities was done for confirmed cases. About 18.4% observed a change in the child's behavior that was predominantly scared and submissive. Counseling of the child/parent/caretaker was the preferred approach, followed by reporting to concerned authorities. Pedodontists preferred to create public awareness, and dental students preferred to report to concerned authorities. The exposure to a suspected or confirmed case of CAN was very less in the present study. Not many participants who encountered a child abuse case opted to report it to higher authorities and rather focused on counseling the parent/family. The role of pedodontists was found to be crucial since most reported cases were from their end; however, dental students showed a greater interest in managing a case of CAN. There is a need to create more awareness regarding the management of CAN cases among dentists and students. CAN is a major problem around the world that can have long-term adverse effects on Children. The first step in intervention is awareness and identification of CAN cases. Sampangi Ramegowda AB, Kumar VD, Bhatnagar S, et al. Awareness and Professional Responses in Managing Cases of Child Abuse and Neglect (CAN) among Dental Students, General Dentists, and Pedodontists of Bengaluru City, India. Int J Clin Pediatr Dent 2023;16(4):619-625.

Child Abuse and Neglect: Awareness among Dental Students.

Child abuse and neglect (CAN) have significant consequences for children's health and well-being. Dentists play an important role in identifying and reporting CAN cases. This study aimed to assess knowledge and attitudes toward CAN among dental students. A cross-sectional study was conducted among dental students, comparing second-year (preclinical) and fifth-year (clinical) students, both male and female, in the College of Dentistry at King Saud University during the first semester of the 2022/2023 academic year, using a questionnaire with 23 multiple-choice questions and an electronic link. The results revealed that most dental students (96%) were aware of CAN, with social media being the most utilized source of information (85%). However, the dental college was noticed as the least utilized source (50%). Most dental students recognize the significance of CAN in dentistry and expressed an intense interest in learning how to effectively deal with such cases. Only a small proportion, 16%, of dental students reported experiencing incidents of CAN in their clinical practice. In general, there were statistically significant differences between preclinical and clinical students, but there were no significant differences in awareness between female and male students when the source of information and role in dealing with CAN were taken into consideration. Both preclinical and clinical dental students were aware of CAN, although there were concerns about their ability to cope with it. The results emphasize the importance of comprehensive education and training programs across the dental curriculum about CAN.

Knowledge and Information Resources about Child Abuse among Government and Private Dental Practitioner in Uttar Pradesh, India.

To evaluate knowledge, attitude, and information sources about child abuse and neglect (CAN) among dentists in Varanasi district of Uttar Pradesh state, India. A cross-sectional online survey was carried out of dentist working in government and private hospitals in the Varanasi district, Uttar Pradesh State, India (n = 674). The structured questionnaire was sent through electronic mail that contained the consent form, instructions for filling, and returning the questionnaire. The data obtained were systematically compiled and the Chi-square test was applied to test the association. The significance level of P ≤ 0.05 was applied. A maximum number of dental practitioners from the government (81.97%) and private sector (85.98%) were aware of the child protection law. A significant number of government and private dental practitioners were satisfied with their knowledge (p = 0.0092); however, 83.79% suggested that the continuing education programs/courses were important tool to update their knowledge. The girl child was maximum sufferer (p = 0.0056) of CAN. Only 14.08% of practitioners acted on the suspected cases, and a statistical significant relation was observed between the government and private dental practitioners for not taking any action on child abuse and neglect (p = 0.0010). Data from this study may provide a useful contribution to the current limited knowledge about the familiarity of dental practitioners with child maltreatment and their skills to recognize and manage CAN cases in their practice. The majority of dental practitioners knew about the child protection law in India, but they were reluctant to report such cases due to the fear of anger from the parents and family of the child. Continuing education programs/courses were the most preferred method for increasing the knowledge regarding CAN. They should report the CAN cases to local legislators and health authorities so to prevent child abuse and neglect from ever occurring.

Evaluation of Knowledge, Awareness, and Attitude of Dental Professionals of Delhi-NCR Region Towards Child Abuse and Neglect (CAN)

INTRODUCTION: Child abuse is engaging in an action or not engaging in an action by the parents or child’s guardian(s) that violates the child’s rights and puts his/her favorable life, development and dignity at risk. Children who have been abused or who experience dental neglect may/may not present to a dental professional for evaluation. It is an ethical and legal responsibility of dental practioners to have knowledge, awareness, and to participate actively in diagnosis, and report the cases of child abuse. AIM: To evaluate the knowledge, awareness and attitude regarding child abuse and neglect (CAN) amongst dental practioners of Delhi- NCR region. MATERIALS AND METHOD: Present study was designed as a cross sectional observational study using a pretested, prevalidated close-ended questionnaire. Questionnaire was distributed among the 500 dental professionals in Delhi-NCR region. Filled questionnaires were collected on the same day. The response formats were tabulated and subjected to descriptive and analytical statistics in SPSS 19.0. R RESULTS: Majority of the respondents were aware about child abuse and neglect, gender predominance and associated role of socioeconomic status. Knowledge regarding presenting symptoms, referral and treatment options was found to be inadequate and the respondents wanted to enhance their knowledge regarding the same. About 92.7% - Age group of 20-30 yrs. feel CAN is matter of concern. Females had more awareness and positive attitude towards attending programs regarding CAN. Age group above 50yrs age – 54.5% professionals referred the cases of CAN for care. 89.9% of dental Professionals of Age group 20-30 yrs. willing to attend programs for increasing their awareness CONCLUSION: Knowledge and Awareness of dentists about the indicators of child abuse was found to be inadequate. However, the respondents showed positive attitude towards improving their professional knowledge. Keywords: [Child abuse, Physical abuse, Neglect, oro-dental Injuries, Child protection training

Knowledge and Attitudes of Medical and Nursing Students in Greece Regarding Child Abuse and Neglect.

Data on the knowledge and attitudes of healthcare practitioners in training regarding child abuse and neglect (CAN) are scarce. The aim of this study was to investigate the knowledge and attitudes regarding CAN of medical and nursing students in Greek universities. We performed a questionnaire-based e-survey on a convenience sample of students and recruited 609 students (366 medical and 243 nursing). An unsatisfactory level of knowledge in the field was reported overall. Most of the students (92.2%) were aware of their future responsibility to protect vulnerable children and report suspected cases of CAN; at the same time, they were willing to obtain further education. Based on the above, appropriate training in the undergraduate curriculum should be developed in order to strengthen future healthcare practitioners and boost their confidence in dealing with suspected cases of CAN and protect children's welfare.

Child abuse and neglect in Brussels during the COVID-19-lockdown

BackgroundIt is likely that the circumstances during the COVID-19-lockdown in Belgium increased the incidence and prevalence of child abuse and neglect (CAN) due to exacerbated risk factors and new COVID-19-related stressors. However, traditional reporters had less contact with children which could lead to undetected cases of CAN. ObjectiveGain insight into the number and profile of CAN reports filed to the Brussels Confidential Center of Child Abuse and Neglect (CCCAN) during the COVID-19-lockdown. Participants and settingA dataset comprising 536 CAN reports from periods before (N = 442) and during the lockdown (N = 94). MethodsCharacteristics about the report, reporter, victim and his/her family, perpetrator(s) and the trajectory with the CCCAN were registered. The number and characteristics of reports during the lockdown were compared to those of reports before the lockdown. ResultsThe number of advisory questions (p = .506, d = .377) and allegations (p = .095, d = 1.206) remained unchanged. During the lockdown, the risk assessment of advisory questions was higher (p = .011, d = .280), they evolved more into social exigency investigations (p < .001, φ = .246) and were referred more often to judicial authorities (p = .010, φ = .163). Allegations were filed more often by the helpline, police and judicial authorities (p < .001, φ = .590) during the lockdown and involved more Dutch-speaking (p = .016, φ = .166) victims. ConclusionsThe number of CAN reports remained the same during the lockdown but their profile changed.

Child Abuse and Neglect Awareness among Medical Students.

Physical, emotional, and sexual abuse and various forms of neglect of children have been encountered more frequently by healthcare providers, particularly physicians. However, mismanagement of child abuse and neglect (CAN) due to a lack of awareness of it can lead to substantial and serious consequences. This study primarily aimed to evaluate the awareness of CAN among medical students and compare it between preclinical and clinical males and females in Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University in Dammam, Saudi Arabia. A cross-sectional study using a self-reported-based questionnaire was carried out to study child abuse and neglect awareness and compare preclinical and clinical male versus female medical students during the first semester in 2021/2022. The majority of the participants were aware of CAN (90.6%), agreed that CAN exists locally (96.6%), believed that CAN is important in the medical field (96.3%), and expressed the important role of physicians in participating in the management of CAN (84.3%). Some students did not know about the legislation of CAN in Saudi Arabia (15%). The results show a lack of exposure to real CAN cases (80.3%) and the need for more formal education (70.3%). In general, the students were comparable, but there were significant differences showing more awareness in female students compared to males and, similarly, more awareness in clinical-year students. Both clinical and preclinical medical students were aware of CAN, with some concerns regarding their competency in dealing with CAN. CAN should be given more weight in the medical school curriculum.

Oral health practitioners’ knowledge and attitudes about child abuse and neglect

Child abuse and neglect (CAN) is a significant issue for New Zealand – evidence suggests at least one in five children have had statutory child protection reports, with approximately 10% substantiated (Rouland &amp; Vaithianathan, 2018). Given that the government provides free dental care to tamariki, and oral manifestations of CAN are commonly evident (Sarkar et al., 2021), oral health practitioners (OHP) are in a critical position to detect signs and symptoms of CAN and report to child protection agencies. The government’s guidelines and legislation support OHP’ roles in child protection, yet there is a gap between policy and practice. Oral Health Therapists (OHTs) and Dental Therapists (DTs) provide dental care to children and adolescents aged under 18 years old in public and private dental sectors. Descriptive exploratory survey research was conducted to understand the knowledge and attitudes of OHTs and DTs in detecting and reporting CAN in a dental setting. Findings of the anonymous survey (n = 92, response rate = 15.8%) indicated 77% of participants had suspected CAN during their careers; however, only 21% have ever reported a suspected case. OHTs and DTs have encountered an average of 6.8 potential CAN cases during their careers. Still, only 1.8 potential cases were reported to child protection agencies. Participants identified fear of false reporting (70%) and further violence (57%), and a lack of knowledge to detect (48%) and report (56%) as potential barriers. Findings confirmed knowledge and attitude gaps of OHTs and DTs towards CAN. Inadequate knowledge of reporting processes and ethical dilemmas were common barriers to taking action. Such an effort to enhance the knowledge and attitudes of OHTs and DTs will be necessary to promote child safety and wellbeing. In this presentation, I will discuss potential areas to focus to improve OHP’s responsiveness in child protection.

Knowledge Levels and Educational Experiences among Dental Graduates in Saudi Arabia Regarding Child Abuse and Neglect: A National Study.

Background: Child abuse and neglect (CAN) is considered a serious problem worldwide. Dentists have a significant role in recognizing and reporting CAN cases. Aim: The aim of this study was to assess the CAN-related knowledge and educational experiences among Saudi dental graduates. Design: Self-administered questionnaires were distributed to dental graduates from all dental schools in Saudi Arabia (n = 1552). Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to assess the associations between knowledge level and different predictors. Results: A total of 988 dental graduates completed the questionnaire. The majority of them were dissatisfied with the amount of education they had received in their school (56.4%). Around 60% of the participants had inadequate knowledge regarding CAN. Graduates from government schools who received dental education about CAN and female participants had significantly higher odds of having adequate knowledge scores than others (odds ratio = 2.0, 3.1, and 1.7, respectively). Only 39.5% of the participants felt confident in their ability to identify CAN cases, and only 9.7% knew how to report such cases. Conclusions: Graduate dental students have insufficient knowledge about CAN. More time should be dedicated to educating students about this important topic in dental curricula.

Calculating the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on child abuse and neglect in the U.S.

BackgroundCOVID-19 has had a major impact on child abuse and neglect (CAN) in the U.S. leading to a change in the number of reported screened-in CAN investigations, missed prevention cases, and missed CAN cases. ObjectivesTo estimate the deficit number of CAN investigations and resultant estimated number of missed prevention and CAN cases due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the U.S. from March 2020 to December 2020. MethodsSecondary data analyses of administrative child welfare data from January 2013 to December 2020 from New York City, Florida, New Jersey and Wisconsin were conducted. Spline regression modeling controlling for autocorrelation was utilized to explore any significant changes once the pandemic began in March 2020 in the number of screened-in CAN investigations. The seven-year monthly average of screen-in CAN investigations for March through December from 2013 to 2019 was calculated and compared to the numbers of CAN investigations for March 2020 to December 2020. The resultant number of missed prevention cases and CAN cases was estimated for the four jurisdictions and used to approximate the number of missed prevention cases and CAN cases in the U.S., as well as the projected estimation of national lifetime economic costs. ResultsPrior to the pandemic, there were insignificant monthly increases of 0.7 CAN investigations in NYC and 6.2 CAN investigations in Florida, a significant monthly increase 4.2 CAN investigations in New Jersey and an insignificant monthly decrease in 0.6 CAN investigations in Wisconsin. Once the pandemic began, there were significant monthly decreases (p < .001) in each of the four jurisdictions, including 1425.6 fewer CAN investigations in NYC, 3548.0 fewer CAN investigations in Florida, 963.0 fewer CAN investigations in New Jersey and 529.1 fewer CAN investigations in Wisconsin. There were an estimated 60,791 fewer CAN investigations in these four jurisdictions from March 2020 to December 2020 of which there were approximately 18,540 missed prevention and CAN cases suggesting up to $4.2 billion in lifetime economic costs. It was estimated that were 623,137 children not investigated for CAN in the U.S. during the same 10-month period. This suggests that there were an estimated 85,993 children were missed for prevention services and about 104,040 children were missed for CAN with a potential lifetime economic impact of up to $48.1 billion in the U.S. ConclusionsThe COVID-19 pandemic has led to a precipitous drop in CAN investigations where almost 200,000 children are estimated to have been missed for prevention services and CAN in a 10-month period. There are opportunities for the child welfare jurisdictions to work with partner education, public health, social service and other providers to strategically approach this very grave issue in order to mitigate its impact on this very vulnerable population.

Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice Regarding Child Abuse and Neglect among Dental Practitioners

Background: Child abuse and neglect (CAN) is a prevalent and growing public health problem. Dentistsare in a strategic position to identify and report cases of CAN as common signs of child abuse are in theorofacial region. Proper knowledge and awareness are required for early identification and intervention toprevent untoward consequences.Methodology: A cross-sectional observational study using a predesigned three parts questionnaire wasconducted among general and specialty practitioners in branches of dentistry of Dakshina Kannada district,Karnataka to assess the knowledge, awareness, and behavioral practice towards child abuse and neglect. Thedata extracted were tabulated, statistically analyzed and results calculated based on percentages using SPSS.Result: The participants in the current study demonstrated sufficient knowledge of the signs and symptomsof child physical abuse, actions that should be taken in suspected cases, circumstances in which to reportsuch cases, and the legal authorities to which they should be reported. Most of the participants desired forfurther training such as courses or workshops on examining, diagnosing, and reporting cases of child abuse.Conclusion: - The study suggests that dental practitioners need an effective education to increase theirknowledge and awareness on CAN for its precocious identification and diagnosis as an assay for earlyintervention.

Assessment of the knowledge, awareness, and attitudes of family physicians in Adana regarding child abuse and neglect

The aim of this study was to determine the knowledge levels, awareness, and attitudes of physicians working in family medicine units in Adana city center, Turkey, on child abuse and neglect (CAN) and to evaluate the quality of education given to family physicians on CAN. This was a cross-sectional study of family physicians providing health services in the urban districts of Adana. A personal information form was used to query the sociodemographic characteristics of the physicians, their educational status, occupational experience, status in encountering cases of CAN, and approach to CAN. The Scale for the Identification of Symptoms and Risks of Child Abuse and Neglect (SISRCAN) was used to assess the physicians’ level of knowledge about CAN. A total of 375 family physicians participated in the study. Of these, 39.2% (n = 147) stated that they had encountered a case of CAN. Of the physicians who had encountered CAN, 48.2% considered themselves partially adequate, 25.1% fully competent, and 22.4% inadequate in intervention. The rate of diagnosing abuse was higher in those who had received education in this regard (p < 0.001). The mean total SISRCAN score of the family physicians who participated in the study was calculated as 261.50 ± 22.75 (3.90 ± 0.33). There was no significant relationship between the status of receiving education on CAN and the scores obtained from the scale. It can be concluded that family physicians do not have sufficient knowledge and awareness about CAN. Additionally, educational activities in this regard are inadequate and need to be re-structured and increased.

Knowledge and attitudes toward child abuse and neglect among medical and dental undergraduate students and interns in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Background: Child abuse and neglect (CAN) is a major problem around the world including Saudi Arabia. According to National Family Safety Program registry, most of cases of CAN in Saudi Arabia are detected in hospitals. Hence, healthcare professionals play an important role in identifying and reporting suspected cases of CAN. The purpose of the study is to assess knowledge and attitudes toward CAN among medical and dental undergraduate (UG) students and interns in Riyadh. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study distributed a self-administrated structured questionnaire to 351 medical and dental UG students and interns in different public and private medical and dental colleges in Riyadh. Participants were recruited using convenient sampling. The data were entered using IBM SPSS version 22 software. Descriptive statistics (frequency distribution), Chi-square test, and t-test were used to perform the statistical analysis. The significance level (P value) was set at Results: About 57.5% of the participants reported having formal training on CAN during their UG study. Mean knowledge score related to CAN was 6.81 ± 1.17 for medical participants and 6.35 ± 1.35 for dental participants, and the difference was statistically significant (P = 0.001). Majority of the participants believed that the main barrier for not reporting a suspected case of CAN is the fear of consequences (medical = 82.4%, dental = 68.5%, P = 0.01). About 77% of the participants agreed to the need for further training in dealing with suspected cases of CAN. Conclusion: This study showed that dental participants had relatively less knowledge about the clinical presentation of CAN than medical participants. Improvements in the educational system are still needed to raise awareness about this issue. Inclusion of case scenarios and problem-based learning may help retain knowledge acquired during training. To increase awareness about the diagnosis and referral procedures, academic institutes should consider continuous educational courses and seminars.

Awareness and Experience regarding Child Abuse and Neglect Among Dentists in Turkey.

Objectives: This study assessed the level of knowledge, attitudes, and awareness of child abuse and neglect (CAN) among dentists. Study design: The sample, consisted of 20,298 Turkish Dental Association (TDA) members, which comprise about two thirds of all dentists, specialists, academics and dental PhD students in Turkey. Among the 20,298 emails sent, 1,020 responses were obtained Descriptive analysis was performed and correlations were tested using the Chi-square and Fischer's Exact tests. A p value of <0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: Of the participating dentists, 32.7% were able to identify cases of CAN cases, while 17.1% had suspected cases of child abuse and only 1% of them, reported these, to the authorities. The most frequently cited reasons for hesitation to report CAN cases were lack of adequate history (45%), lack of knowledge about the healthcare worker's role in reporting CAN (18.3%), and considerations of the possible consequences against the child (18.8%). Only 11.6% of the participants had received undergraduate level training on the topic of CAN; The majority (86.5%) expressed the need for further education on this issue, and, also, 84.3% believed that it should be a part of postgraduate education. Conclusions: Improvements in CAN education and continuing education courses are necessary to equip dentistry professionals with adequate knowledge about the physical and behavioral indicators of possible abuse, the current legislation regarding mandated reporting and the procedures for reporting suspected cases.

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

Child maltreatment is considered a global problem that has serious consequences for a victim's physical and mental well-being. Nurses interact with children and their families at different levels of health care. All nurses must be able to identify children who are at risk of harm or abuse, and act accordingly. The purpose of the study was to investigate barriers that inhibit reporting suspected cases of child abuse and neglect by nurses at King Abdulaziz Medical City, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The study was conducted at King Abdulaziz Medical City, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. One hundred and forty-five nurses from all paediatric settings participated in the study using non-probability "convenience" sampling technique and a descriptive design was used. A structured self-report data collection method was applied to elicit data about the participants' knowledge and circumstances that prevent them from reporting child abuse. It was found that only one fifth (20.7%) of nurses had attended either a lecture or workshop on child abuse and neglect (CAN). Two fifths (40.7%) of participants had a knowledge score on CAN more than 75% while one third (33.1%) had a knowledge score ranging from 50% to 75% with a median score of knowledge of 63.10 ± 25.48. Furthermore, more than half (51%) of participants were aware of the Suspected Child Abuse and Neglect (SCAN) team in the hospital. When participants were asked about the circumstances when they would not report suspected CAN cases, "I was not certain that the child was abused" was reported by 78.6%. Other barriers that inhibit reporting of child abuse and neglect are ignorance about how to report, in addition to having previous negative experiences after reporting. The findings of the current study indicated that there exist barriers for not reporting suspected cases of child abuse and that availability of training and educational programmes are needed. Establishment of a clear and structured child protection policy to enable nurses to report abuse victims is recommended.

The impact of the low-income housing tax credit on children's health and wellbeing in Georgia

Housing instability is a risk factor for child abuse and neglect (CAN). Thus, policies that increase availability of affordable housing may reduce CAN rates. The Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) program is the largest affordable housing policy initiative in the country. This study used fixed-effects models to estimate the relationship between LIHTC units and county-level CAN reports in Georgia from 2005 to 2015, controlling for county demographic characteristics. One-way fixed-effects models (including only county fixed-effects) demonstrated significant negative associations between number of LIHTC units and substantiated cases of CAN and total reports of sexual abuse. In two-way fixed-effects models (including county and year fixed-effects), LIHTC units were not associated with any of the outcomes. The findings are subject to limitations, including voluntary provision of CAN data, suppressed data for counties with <10 CAN cases, and no assessment of the quality of LIHTC neighborhood. LIHTC may be a promising prevention strategy, but more research is needed.

Experience and knowledge of child abuse and neglect: A survey among a group of resident doctors in Nigeria.

Child abuse and neglect (CAN) is a significant public health problem. Dentists are in good position to identify and report cases of CAN. The aim of this study was to determine the experience and knowledge of CAN among a group of Nigerian dental residents. This was a cross-sectional study carried out among dentists attending a postgraduate update course. Data were collected to assess the knowledge of respondents on the forms of CAN, indicators and risk factors. Respondents' professional experiences were also assessed as well as actions taken and possible barriers to reporting suspected cases. Data were collected from 179 respondents, with a mean age of 33.1 ± 5.2 years. The respondents demonstrated good knowledge of the forms of child abuse, with an average score of 95.2%. The risk factors for CAN were correctly identified by 153 (85.5%) respondents as children with physical/mental disabilities, 151 (84.4%) as products of unwanted pregnancies, 128 (71.5%) as children from polygamous families and 122 (68.2%) as children from low socioeconomic families. Physical, sexual and emotional abuse and neglect were majorly identified as bruises behind the ears, 162 (90.5%); oral warts, 114 (63.7%); poor self-esteem, 158 (88.3%) and untreated rampant caries, 137 (76.5%), respectively. Seventy-four (46.5%) of the respondents did not evaluate children for CAN and only 12 (14.1%) of those who observed suspected cases of CAN reported to the social service. Lack of knowledge of referral procedures and concerns about confidentiality were the major barriers to reporting cases of CAN. The dentists had good theoretical knowledge of the indicators, risk factors and signs of CAN but lagged in clinical detection and reporting of such suspected cases. There is a need for continuing education and advancement of the postgraduate dental curriculum to improve the educational experiences with regard to CAN.