Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice of Family Healthcare Professionals and Teachers of Elementry Scools and Regarding Child Abuse in Tabriz in 2015-2016

Abstract

Abstract: Child abuse is a widespread social phenomenon with serious life-time consequences. Community Health Workers and Teachers play an important role in identifying and reporting child abuse cases Since parents bring their children to healthcare centers for growth screening provide vaccinations and teachers also are in direct confrontation with educational and behavioral issues, parent-child relationships, and support, care and development of children and can pursue the matter in case of family dysfunction. Thus, the current study is aimed at investigating knowledge, attitude and performance of Community Health Workers and Teachers of Elementary Schools regarding child abuse in Tabriz.

Materials and methods: The present study is a descriptive-analytical study whose population study consists of family health experts of health centers and elementary school teachers of Tabriz. Research samples include 265 family health experts and 330 elementary school teachers selected respectively selected from health centers and stratified( randomly) from school. Questionnaire was used to collect data. Data analysis was carried using SPSS, Vol. 23 through descriptive (Frequency and Percent, mean and standard deviation) and analytical (Two Independent Samples T-test and analysis of variance) statistics. Results: Findings indicate that 58.5 percent of Community Health Workers had good knowledge about causes of child abuse and 45 percent had good knowledge of the signs, symptoms and complications of child abuse. Total knowledge of them was good (57%). The participants had a favorable attitude toward dealing with child abuse (91.3 %), and their performance in dealing with child abuse was moderate and less (94.3 %). The findings showed that 57.5 percent of teachers had moderate and less than moderate knowledge regarding child abuse causes, 45 percent of participants had good knowledge of the signs, symptoms and complications of child abuse, and their total knowledge was moderate and less than moderate (55%). The participants had a favorable attitude toward dealing with child abuse (95.0 %), and their performance in dealing with child abuse was moderate and less than moderate (81.3 %).

Conclusion:

Community Health Workers had good knowledge regarding child abuse, favorable attitude toward dealing with child abuse, and poor performance in dealing with child abuse. Teachers had moderate and less than moderate knowledge regarding child abuse, favorable attitude towards child abuse, and average performance in dealing with child abuse. This may be due to taking less training courses, fear of side issues of dealing with child abuse, or lack of clear legal guidelines for dealing with child abuse