Department of Health Promotion and Development, Faculty of Psychology, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway.
Oral Health Centre of Expertise in Western Norway, Bergen, Norway.
Health Soc Care Community. 2019 Jul;27(4):871-879. doi: 10.1111/hsc.12703. Epub 2018 Dec 19.
This study is a national cross-sectional survey, conducted in November 2014, of 366 dental hygienists and dentists who had suspected maltreatment but did not report it to Norwegian Child Welfare Services (CWS). The aims of the present paper are to identify the reasons why public dental healthcare professionals are reluctant to report suspected child maltreatment to CWS and to determine whether there are differences in the identified barriers according to socio-demographic variables. The questionnaire was based on earlier studies and was adapted to fit the Norwegian context. The most frequently chosen reason for not reporting was "unsure of own assessment" (90.4%). Thirteen items pertaining to not reporting were factorised into three factors of barriers. These factors were "insufficient knowledge of child maltreatment and reporting", "fear of the consequences for oneself and the dental clinic", and "fear of the consequences for the patient and their family". A t test revealed that public dental healthcare personnel who had not received training on maltreatment and reporting to CWS during their professional education scored significantly higher on the barrier "insufficient knowledge of child maltreatment and reporting" than did dental personnel who had received such training. Furthermore, dental personnel with more years of experience (11+) scored higher on this barrier than did dental personnel with less experience. No other significant differences in barriers were observed. Public dental healthcare personnel have a mandatory obligation to report to CWS if they suspect child maltreatment. Despite this obligation, the present study reveals that several barriers to reporting exist. This study underscores the importance of strengthening knowledge among dental hygienists and dentists about when and how to report, both during education and in clinical practice.
本研究是一项全国性的横断面调查，于 2014 年 11 月对 366 名牙科保健员和牙医进行了调查，这些人怀疑有虐待行为，但并未向挪威儿童福利服务机构（CWS）报告。本研究旨在确定公共牙科保健专业人员不愿向 CWS 报告疑似儿童虐待的原因，并确定根据社会人口统计学变量，确定的障碍是否存在差异。该问卷基于早期研究，并进行了调整以适应挪威的情况。不报告的最常见原因是“不确定自己的评估”（90.4％）。有 13 项与不报告相关的项目被归纳为三个障碍因素。这些因素是“对儿童虐待和向 CWS 报告的知识不足”，“对自己和牙科诊所的后果的恐惧”和“对患者及其家人的后果的恐惧”。 t 检验显示，在专业教育中未接受过虐待和向 CWS 报告培训的公共牙科保健人员在“对儿童虐待和报告的知识不足”这一障碍上的得分明显高于接受过此类培训的牙科人员。此外，具有 11 年以上经验的牙科人员在该障碍上的得分高于经验较少的牙科人员。未观察到其他障碍存在显著差异。公共牙科保健人员有义务向 CWS 报告他们怀疑的虐待行为。尽管有此义务，但本研究表明，报告存在一些障碍。本研究强调了在教育和临床实践中，加强牙科保健员和牙医了解何时以及如何报告的重要性。
