School Nurses Avoid Addressing Child Sexual Abuse

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Child Psychology
• Pediatric Nursing

Background:

• Child sexual abuse (CSA) is a global public health issue with severe individual and societal impacts.
• Previous research indicated school nurses did not initially recognize CSA as a form of child abuse.
• Child disclosure and support are contingent on an available, receptive listener.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore school nurses' capacity to detect and support children experiencing CSA.
• To analyze the barriers school nurses face in addressing CSA disclosures.

Main Methods:

• Secondary analysis of focus group interviews with school nurses.
• Thematic analysis was employed to interpret the qualitative data.

Main Results:

• School nurses avoided discussing CSA due to emotional responses, ambivalence, and the intricate disclosure process.
• Barriers included the arousal of strong emotions and the complexity of managing disclosures.

Conclusions:

• Detecting and supporting sexually abused children requires school nurses to be more attentive to CSA as a potential cause of physical and mental health issues.
• Enhanced training and support are needed for school nurses to effectively address CSA.