Details

Autor(en) / Beteiligte

• Craig, Mary E

Titel

To Report or Not To Report: Further Studies of Mental Health Professionals and Child Abuse

Erscheinungsjahr

1987

Quelle

ERIC

Beschreibungen/Notizen

• Although all states require professionals providing human services to report cases of suspected child abuse, studies have shown that many professionals selectively report cases of child abuse. A study was conducted to examine professionals' tendency to report suspected child abuse and their attribution of responsibility for child abuse as a function of victim age, type of abuse, and level of certainty that abuse is occurring. Differences in reporting between licensed and non-licensed clinicians were also investigated. Clinicians (N=101) from three community mental health centers in Florida read an experimentally controlled vignette which manipulated victim's age, type of abuse suspected, and the child's reaction to questions about abuse. Subjects rated their tendency to report the abuse and how confident they were that abuse was occurring; indicated factors influential in their reporting decision; and assigned responsibility to the father/offender, mother/spouse, child/victim, and to society. Eighty-one percent of respondents stated that they would tend to report the abuse; victim age and type of abuse (physical, sexual) did not significantly affect tendency to report. Tendency to report differed significantly by child's reaction to questions. Confidence that abuse was occurring was significantly associated with tendency to report. (NB)