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 phys...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:	Curēus (Palo Alto, CA) Vol. 16; no. 3; p. e56985
Main Authors:	Alyoubi, Reem, Al-Hayani, Majed M, Mazi, Ahlam, Bajawi, Alkhansaa O, Alyazidi, Anas S, Kobeisy, Summayah A
Format:	Journal Article
Language:	English
Published:	United States Cureus Inc 26-03-2024 Cureus
Subjects:	Attitudes Caregivers Child abuse & neglect Children & youth Demographics Emotional abuse Families & family life Family physicians Females Gender Knowledge Marital status Medical personnel Neurology Pediatrics Questionnaires Self-efficacy Sex crimes Sexual abuse Training Violence Workshops Saudi Arabia saudi arabia practicing physicians child neglect child abuse medical education
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Summary:	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 postgraduate curriculum training should be developed to strengthen future healthcare practitioners in dealing with CAN cases to protect children's welfare.
Bibliography:	ObjectType-Article-1 SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1 ObjectType-Feature-2 content type line 23
ISSN:	2168-8184 2168-8184
DOI:	10.7759/cureus.56985