Association between parental awareness of child abuse and abuse-related cognitions: A cross-sectional study

This study was conducted to examine the relationship between parents' levels of awareness of child abuse and their cognitions regarding abuse.

This descriptive study was conducted with 386 parents of children aged 4-6 years who visited 8 family health centers in Sivas province, Türkiye. Data were collected using the Demographic Information Form, the Child Neglect and Abuse Awareness Scale, and the Child Abuse Beliefs Scale, and were analyzed using descriptive statistics, t-tests, ANOVA, and Pearson correlation analysis in SPSS 23.0.

While mothers constituted 80.8% of the participants, 70.5% of the parents had not previously received training on child neglect and abuse. The mean score on the Parental Abuse Awareness Scale was 53.69 ± 6.15, while the mean score on the Abuse-Related Cognitions Scale was 38.38 ± 8.93, indicating a moderate level. The awareness level showed a significant difference according to the number of children and place of residence, the cognition level showed a significant difference according to maternal and paternal educational status, the child's sex, income level, the mother's employment status, and previous training on child neglect and abuse (p < 0.05). Additionally, a weak positive significant correlation was found between awareness and cognition levels (r = 0.249; p < 0.001).

It was determined that parents' child abuse awareness and cognition levels are affected by various factors, and as abuse awareness increases, cognitive distortion levels also increase.

It is recommended to organize training programs aimed at improving parents' awareness and cognition levels regarding abuse and neglect.