NURSE REPORTING OF KNOWN AND SUSPECTED CHILD ABUSE AND NEGLECT CASES IN TAIWAN

Despite the frontline role of taking care of children, nurses in Taiwan have been reluctant to report known and suspected cases of child abuse and neglect (CAN). This problem threatens the success of legislation aimed at reducing CAN cases in Taiwan. The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of nurses' perceptions, attitudes, and knowledge on suspecting and reporting CAN cases in health care settings in Taiwan. Two hundred and thirty-eight nurses were surveyed using structured questionnaires with a return rate of 79.3%. Health care settings surveyed in this study included emergency units, pediatric units, and community centers from eight hospitals in southern Taiwan. Almost 3/4 (70%) of the sample of nurses thought they needed more training courses on CAN. Correlation analysis showed a significant relationship between suspecting and reporting CAN with perception, attitude, and knowledge. Stepwise multiple regression analysis revealed that perception (beta=0.475), knowledge (beta=0.265), and attitude (beta=0.246) accounted for 60% of the variance in suspecting and reporting CAN. The focus and scope of training programs for nurses in Taiwan should take these findings into consideration.