Font Sarah A, Gershoff Elizabeth T, Taylor Catherine A, Terreros Amy, Nielsen-Parker Monica, Spector Lisa, Foster Rebecca H, Budzak Garza Ann, Olson-Dorff Denyse
*Department of Human Development and Family Sciences, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX;†School of Public Health & Tropical Medicine, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA;‡Division of Child Abuse and Neglect, Children's Mercy Hospital, Kansas City, MO;§Department of Psychology, St. Louis Children's Hospital, St. Louis, MO;‖Department of Pediatrics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO;¶Department of Pediatrics, Gundersen Health System, La Crosse, WI;#Department of Behavioral Health, Gundersen Health System, La Crosse, WI.
J Dev Behav Pediatr. 2016 Nov/Dec;37(9):730-736. doi: 10.1097/DBP.0000000000000343.
Physical punishment of children is a prevalent practice that is condemned by most medical professionals given its link with increased risk of child physical abuse and other adverse child outcomes. This study examined the prevalence of parent-to-child hitting in medical settings and the intervention behaviors of staff who witness it.
Staff at a children's medical center and a general medical center completed a voluntary, anonymous survey. We used descriptive statistics to examine differences in the experiences of physicians, nurses, and other medical staff. We used logistic regression to predict intervention behaviors among staff who witnessed parent-to-child hitting.
Of the hospital staff who completed the survey (N = 2863), we found that 50% of physicians, 24% of nurses, 27% of other direct care staff, and 17% of nondirect care staff witnessed parent-to-child hitting at their medical center in the past year. A majority of physicians, nurses, and other direct care staff reported intervening sometimes or always. Nondirect care staff rarely intervened. Believing staff have the responsibility to intervene, and having comfortable strategies with which to intervene were strongly predictive of intervention behavior. Staff who did not intervene commonly reported that they did not know how to respond.
Many medical center staff witness parent-to-child hitting. Although some of the staff reported that they intervened when they witnessed this behavior, the findings indicate that staff may need training to identify when and how they should respond.
对儿童进行体罚是一种普遍存在的行为，鉴于其与儿童身体虐待风险增加及其他不良儿童后果存在关联，受到了大多数医学专业人员的谴责。本研究调查了医疗环境中父母对孩子的殴打行为的发生率以及目睹此类行为的工作人员的干预行为。
一家儿童医疗中心和一家综合医疗中心的工作人员完成了一项自愿、匿名的调查。我们使用描述性统计方法来检验医生、护士和其他医务人员经历的差异。我们使用逻辑回归来预测目睹父母对孩子殴打的工作人员的干预行为。
在完成调查的医院工作人员中（N = 2863），我们发现，在过去一年里，50%的医生、24%的护士、27%的其他直接护理人员以及17%的非直接护理人员在其医疗中心目睹过父母对孩子的殴打行为。大多数医生、护士和其他直接护理人员报告有时或总是会进行干预。非直接护理人员很少进行干预。认为工作人员有责任进行干预，并且有合适的干预策略，这对干预行为有很强的预测作用。未进行干预的工作人员通常表示他们不知道如何应对。
许多医疗中心工作人员目睹过父母对孩子的殴打行为。尽管一些工作人员报告说他们在目睹这种行为时会进行干预，但研究结果表明工作人员可能需要接受培训，以确定何时以及如何做出反应。
