Nurses' intention to report child abuse and related factors in Türkiye

Abstract

Aim: The objective of the present study was to ascertain nurses' propensity to report the intention of child abuse and the factors that influence this behavior. Methods: The present study employed a cross-sectional research design, with 315 participants constituting active nurses in T & uuml;rkiye during the period between January 2024 and January 2025. The data was collected using the Child Abuse Reporting Intention Scale, which is comprised of 89 items. To investigate the relationships among nurses' knowledge levels, attitudes, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control, and their intention to report child abuse, a Pearson correlation analysis was conducted. Additionally, regression analysis was utilised to identify the factors that significantly influence nurses' intentions in this context. Results: The most of the participants were female (87.62 %), most were aged 23-27 (33.02 %), and half were married (50.16 %). Correlation analysis revealed that child abuse and reporting laws knowledge (r = 0.17; p = .002), subjective norms (r = 0.17; p = .002), and perceived behavioral control (r = 0.15; p = .005), significantly predicted child abuse reporting intentions, while overall attitudes (r = 0.07; p = .195), did not. A linear regression analysis was conducted to evaluate the factors influencing Nurses' Child Abuse Reporting Intentions Total, revealing a statistically significant model (F (4,310) = 6.43, p < .001). The findings from the regression analysis show that knowledge, subjective norms and perceived behavioral control emerged as important determinants of nurses' child abuse reporting intentions. Conclusion: Nurses' intention to report child abuse is influenced by knowledge of child abuse and reporting laws, subjective norms and perceived behavioral control. This underscores the significance of enhancing nurses' knowledge, fostering supportive subjective norms, and fortifying perceived behavioral control in fostering their inclination to report instances of child abuse.