Knowledge, attitude, and practice of healthcare providers and clients toward child abuse in Tabriz

Child abuse is considered a major public health issue worldwide. The knowledge and attitudes of parents and health service providers are of great importance in the prevention and control of child abuse. Therefore, this study was conducted to investigate the knowledge, attitudes, and performance of healthcare providers (HCPs) and healthcare clients (HCCs) regarding child abuse in Tabriz.

This cross-sectional study was performed among 445 HCPs and 390 HCCs in Tabriz in 2021. The samples were selected via random sampling methods, and the information was gathered through a researcher-made questionnaire. In this study, knowledge, attitudes, and performance were considered dependent variables, and demographic variables were regarded as independent variables. Multiple linear regression was used to evaluate the association between dependent and independent variables. The data were analyzed using Stata statistical software (version 17).

The mean score of the knowledge, attitudes, and performance of HCPs was 73.2, 87.89, and 85.12, respectively. The mean score of knowledge, attitudes, and performance of HCCs was 58.81, 64.3, and 48.18, respectively. The knowledge and performance of HCPs had a significant relationship with passing a training course in the field of child abuse, jobs, and education, so that passing the training course increased the knowledge score by 3.33 units. In addition, the knowledge and attitude of HCCs were significantly associated with gender, education, and marital status, so that the knowledge score of people with postgraduate education was 8.03 units higher than that of those having a diploma.

Overall, the knowledge, attitude, and performance of HCPs toward child abuse were favorable. Therefore, they may have a high potential for detecting child abuse and developing preventive initiatives. Additionally, considering the medium level of knowledge and performance of HCCs toward child abuse, it seems necessary to design family education programs for future parents and launch community-based support services in health centers to prevent child abuse.

The findings of this study can be presented to the policymakers of the Ministry of Health to provide an opportunity to improve the knowledge, attitude, and performance of HCPs and HCCs by developing national guidelines for dealing with child abuse.