Nurses' perceived ability in dealing with child victim of abuse and child abuse perpetrator

Abstract

The aim of this study was to explore the nurses' perceived ability when dealing with child victim of abuse and child abuse perpetrator. These perceived abilities were analyzed to elicit any, similarities between literature and the actual findings. A non- experimental quantitative method was used which was determined by means of a self-administered questionnaire adopted from a previous study by (Seidl, Stanton, Pillitteri, Smith and Boehler, 1993) . The instrument was piloted and then conveniently administered to a sample from a target population of 229 nurses working both in a Community Mental Health setting and the local Mental Health setting. The sample consisted of 75 nurses and 72 participated in the study giving a response rate of 96 %. Data was analysed using descriptive methods and results are highlight in tables and histograms. Findings show no difference in the nurses' approach in dealing with such circumstances whether they are traditional nurses, diploma or degree nurses with a mean score of 3.14. No difference was also recorded when nurses deal with this phenomenon, both in gender or years of experience categories, findings has shown a mean score of 3.14 as a general result. Results indicate that this is a modem challenge and a phenomenon that today's nurses, must deal within a complex area. Both from literature and through the findings it has shown that more often the nurses find it more difficult in dealing with sexually abused children mean score of 2.79 than other types of abuse. The need for further research on a larger scale is recommended to address this issue more intensively. This is required to provide a wider spectrum of results, to help identify successful nursing practices that have been implemented by nurses' on how to deal with such circumstances and to demonstrate whether nurses' perceived abilities are stable or transient in nature. An awareness of these successful nursing practices may be exposed and shared with other members of the nursing model.