NCJ Number
51850
Date Published
1974
Length
13 pages
Annotation
IT IS RECOMMENDED THAT NORTH DAKOTA PHYSICIANS BE PROVIDED WITH INFORMATION AND PRACTICAL ADVICE CONCERNING CHILD ABUSE AND THAT THE ABUSE REPORTING SYSTEM BE MODIFIED TO ENCOURAGE REPORTING.
Abstract
SURVEY DATA OBTAINED BY UNIVERSITY OF NORTH DAKOTA RESEARCHERS INDICATES THAT NORTH DAKOTA PHYSICIANS ARE CONCERNED ABOUT CHILD ABUSE, BUT THAT THEY ARE ALSO INSUFFICIENTLY INFORMED ABOUT THE PROBLEM AND ITS POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS. A QUESTIONNAIRE MAILED TO 620 NONMILITARY MEDICAL DOCTORS IN NORTH DAKOTA GENERATED 242 RESPONSES, A RESPONSE RATE OF 38 PERCENT. THE INFORMATION OBTAINED BY THE QUESTIONNAIRE INDICATED THAT ONLY 37 OF 234 RESPONDENTS HAD REPORTED CASES OF CHILD ABUSE WITHIN THE PREVIOUS TWO YEARS. THE RESEARCHERS NOTED THAT THIS DATA IS IN APPARENT CONFLICT WITH THE STATISTICS OF THE STATE CENTRAL REGISTRY WHICH RECORDED ONLY 25 CASES REPORTED DURING THE PREVIOUS THREE YEARS. IT IS SPECULATED THAT NOT ALL OF THE PHYSICIANS REPORTS WERE MADE TO THE PROPER AGENCY, THAT ONLY CASES OF PROVEN ABUSE ARE REGISTERED, OR THAT CASES REPORTED BY THE PHYSICIANS AS CHILD ABUSE ARE SUBSEQUENTLY LISTED AS CHILD NEGLECT. THOSE DOCTORS WHO DID REPORT CHILD ABUSE MADE THEIR REPORTS TO THIRTEEN DIFFERENT AGENCIES, SUCH DIVERGENCE IS BELIEVED TO INDICATE A NEED TO PROVIDE PHYSICIANS WITH INFORMATION CONCERNING THE PROPER REPORTING METHOD THAT WILL RESULT IN THE MOST EFFECTIVE RESPONSE. ALTHOUGH 56 PHYSICIANS STATED THAT THEY HAD CASES OF SUSPECTED CHILD ABUSE WHICH THEY DID NOT REPORT, 43 MEMBERS OF THAT GROUP HAD MADE REPORTS IN OTHER CASES. IT IS FELT THAT MANY PHYSICIANS ARE PREVENTED FROM REPORTING THEIR SUSPICIONS BECAUSE OF THEIR LACK OF SUBSTANTIATION, OR BECAUSE THE PHYSICIANS ARE DISCOURAGED BY THE FAILURE OF THE AUTHORITIES TO REMOVE ABUSED CHILDREN FROM ABUSIVE PARENTS. ADDITIONAL DATA REVEALS BOTH THE PHYSICIANS' LACK OF FAMILIARITY WITH NORTH DAKOTA REPORTING LAWS, AND THE OVERWHELMING DESIRE OF THE DOCTORS TO OBTAIN USEFUL INFORMATION ON REPORTING. IT IS NOTED, HOWEVER, THAT SEVERAL PHYSICIANS WHO CONSIDERED THEMSELVES UNFAMILIAR WITH THE REPORTING LAWS NEVERTHELESS MADE REPORTS OF SUSPECTED CHILD ABUSE. ALTHOUGH OF THE 37 DOCTORS WHO FELT THAT THE STATE LAWS WERE SUFFICIENT, MANY SUGGESTED CHANGES IN THOSE SAME LAWS, INDICATING TO THE RESEARCHERS THAT LESS THAN 37 OF THE RESPONDENTS ARE ACTUALLY SATISFIED WITH THE LAWS. OUT OF 220 RESPONDENTS, 194 STATED THAT THEY WOULD PREFER OTHER PROFESSIONS TO BE INCLUDED IN THE REPORTING REQUIREMENTS, BUT THAT THEY WOULD NOT FAVOR A LEGAL PENALTY FOR NONREPORTING, NOR WOULD THEY FAVOR A REQUIREMENT FOR WRITTEN REPORTS. IT IS RECOMMENDED THAT PRACTICAL SUGGESTIONS BE GIVEN TO PHYSICIANS TO CREATE BOTH AN INCREASED AWARENESS OF THE CHILD ABUSE PROBLEM AND TO INCREASE THE LIKELIHOOD OF EFFICIENT AND EFFECTIVE REPORTING. IT IS FURTHER RECOMMENDED THAT ADDITIONAL GROUPS OF PERSONS, SUCH AS TEACHERS AND SOCIAL WORKERS, BE REQUIRED TO REPORT SUSPECTED CHILD ABUSE, AND THAT A MORE UNIFORM SYSTEM OF REPORTING BE IMPLEMENTED THAT WOULD MAXIMIZE USE OF THE CENTRAL REGISTRY. (TWK)