Perception on the issue of Child Abuse And Neglect: a students’ sample view

Background: Child maltreatment is a multidisciplinary problem with a high impact on children, families and community health. A key role is played by professionals’ training and perception on the problem, particularly in Medical Schools, since “it can be recognized only what is known”. Studies on this subject are currently lacking in Italy. Aim: The objective of this study was to explore educational experiences and to assess the knowledge concerning child abuse/neglect of medical-school students (MedS) and child-protection-master students (CPMS) of the University of Padua, Italy. Methods: A preliminary study was conducted with a sample of students attending a course on child abuse and child protecion, before starting the 1st lecture. An instrument constructed for the purpose of this study was utilized to examine the following main areas: (a) personal data on general and CAN-specific education programs (b) students’ perception of what is child maltreatment; (c) their awareness of the risk factors of child maltreatment; perpetrator’s traits (d); and (e) their perceptions on professionals role in managing CAN cases. All data were collected in a dedicated data-base. A descriptive analysis was carried out. Moreover, in small working groups data were collected on the students’ knowledge regarding the operational definition of child abuse and on main signs and symptoms to be searched. Results: Questionnaire data were collected from 62 students (11/51 male/female), 15 master students (post-grad) and 47 medical students (pre-grad). Of those surveyed, 40% of the CPMS and 53% of MedS reported having learned about child abuse/neglect in classroom settings, and 18% reported having experienced cases in clinical settings. The perception of the problem is more defined in thosed who have already heard about this issues in a classroom setting. 3 out of 5 working groups defined child abuse correctly (WHO definition, 1999); and 4 out of 5 identified main sings and symptoms. Further results will follow. Conclusions: Our findings indicate a need for a more systematic approach to students education in childhood intentional injuries and some value clarification of their attitudes toward various forms of childhood discipline. In particular, medical students curricula should be revisited to ensure that students are adequately prepared for this professional task.