Abstract
Background
Child maltreatment (CM) is a serious societal problem that needs to be reported in order to be dealt with. Teachers, who are in a key position to identify and report CM, often do not report it and this instigated much research on teachers’ intention to report CM. However, most of this research examined potentially related variables without using any particular theory, while the few theoretically informed studies mostly used the theory of planned behavior (TPB), an extension of the theory of reasoned action (TRA).
Objective
In the present study, both TRA and TPB were used to predict teachers’ intention to report CM.
Method
Teachers’ (N = 117) attitude, subjective norm, perceived behavioral control and intention to report CM were assessed with the Child Abuse Report Intention Scale (CARIS) in a 4 (abuse type: physical vs. sexual vs. emotional vs. neglect) × 2 (severity level: low vs. high) within subjects design.
Results
TRA and TPB could both predict teachers’ intention to report CM. However, TRA was better than TPB in predicting report intention for low severity cases, whereas TPB was better for high severity cases.
Conclusions
TRA and TPB are both useful theories within the context of reporting CM. For the reporting of high (but not low) severity CM it is crucial to understand the potential reporter’s relevant control beliefs. Theoretically driven research on teachers’ intentions to report CM promises an overall better handling of this serious societal problem.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Abrahams, N., Casey, C., & Daro, D. (1992). Teachers’ knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs about child abuse and its prevention. Child Abuse and Neglect, 16, 229–238. https://doi.org/10.1016/0145-2134(92)90030-U.
Ajzen, I. (1991). The theory of planned behavior. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 50, 179–211. https://doi.org/10.1016/0749-5978(91)90020-T.
Ajzen, I. (2002). Perceived behavioral control, self-efficacy, locus of control, and the theory of planned behavior. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 32, 665–683. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1559-1816.2002.tb00236.x.
Ajzen, I. (2011). Editorial. The theory of planned behaviour: Reactions and reflections. Psychology and Health, 26, 1113–1127. https://doi.org/10.1080/08870446.2011.613995.
Ajzen, I., & Fishbein, M. (2000). Attitudes and the attitude-behavior relation: Reasoned and automatic processes. European Review of Social Psychology, 11, 1–33. https://doi.org/10.1080/14792779943000116.
Andrews, G., Corry, J., Slade, T., Issakidis, C., & Swanston, H. (2004). Child sexual abuse. In M. Ezzati, A. D. Lopez, A. Rodgers, & C. J. L. Murray (Eds.), Comparative quantification of health risks: Global and regional burden of disease attributable to selected major risk factors (pp. 1851–1940). Geneva: World Health Organization.
Armitage, C. J., & Conner, M. (2001). Efficacy of the theory of planned behaviour: A meta-analytic review. British Journal of Social Psychology, 40, 471–499. https://doi.org/10.1348/014466601164939.
Ben Natan, M., Faour, C., Naamhah, S., Grinberg, K., & Klein-Kremer, A. (2012). Factors affecting medical and nursing staff reporting child abuse. International Nursing Review, 59, 331–337. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1466-7657.2012.00988.x.
Brislin, R. W. (1980). Translation and content analysis of oral and written material. In H. Triandis & J. W. Berry (Eds.), Handbook of cross-cultural psychology: Methodology (pp. 389–444). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Butchart, A., Phinney Harvey, A., Kahane, T., Mian, M. & Furniss, T. (2006). Preventing child maltreatment: A guide to taking action and generating evidence. Geneva: World Health Organization and International Society for Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect.
Daskalakis, D. I., Mpougioukos, G. & Fasoulis, (2013). Report: The situation of children in Greece [in Greek]. Athens: UNICEF. Retrieved from https://www.unicef.gr/uploads/filemanager/PDF/info/children-in-Greece-2013.pdf.
de Wit, J. B. F., Stroebe, W., de Vroome, E. M. M., Sandfort, T. G. M., & van Griensven, G. J. P. (2000). Understanding AIDS preventive behavior with casual and primary partners in homosexual men: The theory of planned behavior and the information-motivation-behavioral-skills model. Psychology & Health, 15, 325–340. https://doi.org/10.1080/08870440008401996.
Dinehart, L., & Kenny, M. C. (2015). Knowledge of child abuse and reporting practices among early care and education providers. Journal of Research in Childhood Education, 22, 429–443. https://doi.org/10.1080/02568543.2015.1073818.
Feng, J.-Y., Chang, Y.-T., Chang, H.-Y., Fetzer, S., & Wang, J.-D. (2015). Prevalence of different forms of child maltreatment among Taiwanese adolescents: A population based study. Child Abuse and Neglect, 42, 10–19. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2014.11.010.
Feng, J.-Y., Huang, T.-Y., & Wang, C.-J. (2010). Kindergartens teachers’ experience with reporting child abuse in Taiwan. Child Abuse and Neglect, 34, 124–128. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2009.05.007.
Feng, J.-Y., & Levine, M. (2005). Factors associated with nurses’ intention to report child abuse: A national survey of Taiwanese nurses. Child Abuse and Neglect, 29, 783–795. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2004.11.006.
Feng, J.-Y., & Wu, Y.-W. B. (2005). Nurses’ intention to report child abuse in Taiwan: A test of the theory of planned behavior. Research in Nursing & Health, 28, 337–347. https://doi.org/10.1002/nur.20087.
Fichten, C. S., Nguyen, M. N., Amsel, R., Jorgensen, S., Budd, J., Jorgensen, M., et al. (2014). How well does the theory of planned behavior predict graduation among college and university students with disabilities? Social Psychology of Education, 17, 657–685. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11218-014-9272-8.
Figueroa, R., Barnett, L., Estevan, I., & Wiley, A. R. (2018). How well can family childcare providers report on preschoolers’ motor skill competence? Child & Youth Care Forum. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10566-018-9470-1.
Fishbein, M., & Ajzen, I. (1975). Belief, attitude, intention, and behavior: An introduction to theory and research. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley.
Foster, P. J., & Fullagar, C. J. (2018). Why don’t we report sexual harassment? An application of the theory of planned behavior. Basic and Applied Social Psychology, 40, 148–160. https://doi.org/10.1080/01973533.2018.1449747.
Gilbert, R., Widom, C. S., Browne, K., Fergusson, D., Webb, E., & Janson, S. (2009). Burden and consequences of child maltreatment in high-income countries. Lancet, 373, 68–81. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(08)61706-7.
Goebbels, A. F. G., Nicholson, J. M., Walsh, K., & De Vries, H. (2008). Teachers’ reporting of suspected child abuse and neglect: Behavior and determinants. Health Education Research, 23, 941–951. https://doi.org/10.1093/her/cyn030.
Huang, L., & Mossige, S. (2012). Academic achievement in Norwegian secondary schools: the impact of violence during childhood. Social Psychology of Education, 15, 147–164. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11218-011-9174-y.
Karamoschoglou, A. (2010). Law 3500/2006—The penal arrangements. The role of educators [in Greek]. Poiniki Dikaiosyni [Penal Justice], 10/2010, 1175–1179.
Kelesidou, S., Chatzikou, M., Tsiamagka, E., Koutra, E., Abakoumkin, G., & Tseliou, E. (2017). The role of parents’ educational level and centre type in parent satisfaction with early childhood care centres: A study in Greece. European Early Childhood Education Research Journal, 25, 768–783. https://doi.org/10.1080/1350293X.2016.1203570.
Kenny, M. C. (2004). Teachers’ attitudes toward and knowledge of child maltreatment. Child Abuse and Neglect, 28, 1311–1319. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2004.06.010.
Lee, S., & Kim, K. J. (2018). Factors that influence mandatory child abuse reporting attitudes of pediatric nurses in Korea. Journal of Forensic Nursing, 14, 31–41. https://doi.org/10.1097/JFN.0000000000000186.
Madden, T. J., Ellen, P. S., & Ajzen, I. (1992). A comparison of the theory of planned behavior and the theory of reasoned action. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 18, 3–9. https://doi.org/10.1177/0146167292181001.
Manstead, A. S. R., Proffitt, C., & Smart, J. L. (1983). Predicting and understanding mothers’ infant-feeding intentions and behavior: Testing the theory of reasoned action. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 44, 657–671. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.44.4.657.
Norman, R. E., Byambaa, M., De, R., Butchart, A., Scott, J., & Vos, T. (2012). The long-term health consequences of child physical abuse, emotional abuse, and neglect: A systematic review and meta-analysis. PLOS Medicine, 9(11), e1001349. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1001349.
O’Toole, R., Webster, S. W., O’Toole, A. W., & Lucal, B. (1999). Teachers’ recognition and reporting of child abuse: A factorial survey. Child Abuse and Neglect, 23, 1083–1101. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0145-2134(99)00074-5.
Ryan, M. J. (1982). Behavioral intention formation: A structural equation analysis of attitudinal and social Influence interdependency. Journal of Consumer Research, 9, 263–278. https://doi.org/10.1086/208922.
Sideridis, G. D. (2005). Attitudes and motivation of poor and good spellers: Broadening planned behavior theory. Reading & Writing Quarterly, 21, 87–103. https://doi.org/10.1080/10573560590523685.
Spinazzola, J., Hodgdon, H., Liang, L.-J., Ford, J. D., Layne, C. M., Pynoos, R., et al. (2014). Unseen wounds: The contribution of psychological maltreatment to child and adolescent mental health and risk outcomes. Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, and Policy, 6, S18–S28. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0037766.
Stanton, M. P., Seidl, A., Pillitteri, A., & Smith, C. (1994). Nurses’ attitudes toward emotional, sexual, and physical abusers of children with disabilities. Rehabilitation Nursing, 19, 214–218. https://doi.org/10.1002/j.2048-7940.1994.tb00809.x.
Theodorakis, Y., Bagiatis, K., & Goudas, M. (1995). Attitudes toward teaching individuals with disabilities: Application of planned behavior theory. Adapted Physical Activity Quarterly, 12, 151–160. https://doi.org/10.1123/apaq.12.2.151.
Walsh, K., Bridgstock, R., Farrell, A., Rassafiani, M., & Schweitzer, R. (2008). Case, teacher and school characteristics influencing teachers’ detection and reporting of child physical abuse and neglect: Results from an Australian survey. Child Abuse and Neglect, 32, 983–993. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2008.03.002.
Walsh, K., Mathews, B., Rassafiani, M., Farrell, A., & Butler, D. (2012a). Understanding teachers’ reporting of child sexual abuse: Measurement methods matter. Children and Youth Services Review, 34, 1937–1946. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2012.06.004.
Walsh, K., Rassafiani, M., Mathews, B., Farrell, A., & Butler, D. (2012b). Exploratory factor analysis and psychometric evaluation of the teacher reporting attitude scale for child sexual abuse. Journal of Child Abuse, 21, 489–506. https://doi.org/10.1080/10538712.2012.689423.
Zellman, G. L. (1990). Linking schools and social services: The case of child abuse reporting. Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, 12, 41–55. https://doi.org/10.3102/01623737012001041.
Zellman, G. L. (1992). The impact of case characteristics on child abuse reporting decisions. Child Abuse and Neglect, 16, 57–74. https://doi.org/10.1016/0145-2134(92)90008-F.
Acknowledgements
We thank Jui-Ying Feng for providing us with the CARIS as well as with relevant information and Wolfgang Stroebe for helpful comments on an earlier draft.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Conflict of interest
The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.
Ethical Approval
The treatment of our study’s human participants complies with APA ethical standards and with the University of Thessaly Code of Conduct.
Informed Consent
Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.
Additional information
Publisher's Note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Christodoulou, AD., Abakoumkin, G. & Tseliou, E. Teachers’ Intention to Report Child Maltreatment: Testing Theoretically Derived Predictions. Child Youth Care Forum 48, 513–527 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10566-019-09492-x
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10566-019-09492-x