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Awareness and knowledge of child abuse amongst physicians – a descriptive study by a sample of rural Austria

Wahrnehmung von Kindesmisshandlung bei Ärzten – anhand einer Studie im medizinischen System Österreichs

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Zusammenfassung

Diese Studie mit eigens ausgewählten Ärzten hat zum Ziel, das Wissen über und die Wahrnehmung von Kindesmisshandlung im medizinischen System Österreichs zu erheben. Zwei Drittel aller Teilnehmer bestätigten Kontakt mit misshandelten Kindern im Laufe ihres Berufslebens, wohingegen 87.3 % keine vorhergehende Ausbildung diesbezüglich angeben. Kinderärzte nahmen misshandelte Kinder signifikant häufiger wahr (p = 0,021) und besaßen signifikant mehr themenrelevante Ausbildung (p = 0,012). Die vorliegenden Ergebnisse lassen darauf schließen, dass Ärzte in ländlichen Regionen Österreichs zwar ein Grundwissen über das Erkennen und die Behandlung von Kindesmisshandlung haben, jedoch weitere Ausbildung und Spezialisierung benötigen um Diagnoseprozesse zu erleichtern, Meldungsraten zu erhöhen, Zusammenarbeit mit anderen Spezialisten zu verbessern und Ängste im Umgang mit misshandelten Kindern zu verringern. Österreich ist ein reiches Land mit einem ausgezeichneten Gesundheitssystem und konkurrenzfähigen Forschungsstrukturen, in der Forschung zu Kindesmisshandlung müssen jedoch noch Rückstände zu gegenwärtigen internationalen Entwicklungen aufgeholt werden.

Summary

This study with a selected sample of physicians was conducted to assess their awareness and knowledge of child abuse. Two thirds (66.7%) of all participants confirmed contact with obviously abused children in the course of their professional life, whereas 87.3% did not report any prior education or training in that field. In relation to general practitioners, pediatricians had significantly more contacts with abused children (p = 0.021) and more prior education (p = 0.012). Results indicate that physicians in rural regions of Austria possess basic knowledge. Better training and further specialization is needed to facilitate diagnosing, enhance reporting, strengthen cooperation with experts and reduce fears when handling abuse victims. Austria is a rich country with excellent health care and competitive research structures. However, child abuse research in Austria still has to fill gaps in order to keep up with international developments.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria

    Christoph Kraus

  2. Department of Psychoanalysis and Psychotherapy, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria

    Elisabeth Jandl-Jager

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  1. Christoph Kraus
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  2. Elisabeth Jandl-Jager
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Correspondence to Christoph Kraus.

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Kraus, C., Jandl-Jager, E. Awareness and knowledge of child abuse amongst physicians – a descriptive study by a sample of rural Austria. Wien Klin Wochenschr 123, 340–349 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00508-011-1579-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00508-011-1579-2

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