Child Abuse and Neglect Awareness Among Healthcare Students in Saudi Arabia

Area of Science:

• Pediatrics
• Public Health
• Medical Education

Background:

• Healthcare workers are crucial in identifying and managing pediatric violence victims.
• Existing research lacks data on healthcare students' awareness, knowledge, and attitudes towards child abuse and neglect.
• Rising awareness and reporting necessitate understanding the preparedness of future healthcare professionals.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess undergraduate healthcare students' awareness and knowledge of child abuse and neglect.
• To identify demographic factors associated with awareness and knowledge of child maltreatment.
• To explore students' understanding of reasons for under-reporting child abuse and neglect in Saudi Arabia.

Main Methods:

• A quantitative survey design was employed.
• A convenience sample of 237 undergraduate healthcare students at King Abdulaziz University participated.
• Data were collected from March to May 2021 using a survey on child abuse and neglect.

Main Results:

• Students generally rated their understanding of actions constituting child neglect (M=4.18) and abuse (M=4.04) highly.
• Knowledge regarding child abuse and neglect (M=3.13) and reasons for under-reporting (M=3.34) received lower scores.
• Gender and year level were significantly associated with students' knowledge of child abuse and neglect.

Conclusions:

• Healthcare students exhibit substantial awareness of child maltreatment.
• There is a notable gap in understanding the specific reasons behind the under-reporting of child violence cases in Saudi Arabia.
• Findings suggest a need for enhanced curriculum components focusing on the complexities of child abuse and neglect reporting.