An Exploratory Study on Knowledge and Awareness of Child Abuse

Introduction: This study explores students', teachers' and no teaching staff's knowledge about the risk factors of child abuse and their level of awareness in comparison with other professional and educational fields. The study assesses the degree of knowledge about the risk factors related to child characteristics, family, socioeconomic and cultural factors, and abusers' individual factors that explain abuse. Sensitivity to abuse was measured through the perception of the severity of different behaviors related to passive abuse (neglect) and active abuse and the frequency of the different abusive behaviors. Method: The sampling procedure carried out was non-probabilistic for convenience. 878 people (68.3% women) between 18 and 65 years old participated. Specific instruments were designed using a 5-point Likert-type scale to assess the degree of knowledge about the risk factors that explain abuse and the sensitivity to it. For data analysis, the SPSS v.25.0 program was used, and multivariate analysis of variance and Pearson correlations were performed. Results: The study shows that teachers seem to be more prepared than general population for detection since they have a greater knowledge of risk factors and the frequency and severity of abuse. Both knowledge about risk factors in the appearance of abuse and previous personal experience seem to be factors that influence sensitivity to abuse. Discussion and Conclusion: It is highlighted the importance of sensitivity and training to increase the knowledge about child abuse and it is concluded that preventive programs must be planned considering the profile to which they are directed due to the differences in knowledge between some groups and others.