Teachers’ Attitudes and Knowledge toward Child Maltreatment in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Background: Child abuse, along with the negative impact of it has affected many aspects of children’s lives. It is now prevalent that its prevention has become a global healthcare priority. Teachers have a great role to play, as integral part of the community, in the prevention of this phenomenon. Objective: The aim of this study is to evaluate teachers’ knowledge regarding their roles, their opinions on physical punishment, signs of abuse in children, and reporting policies. Method: A cross-sectional study was conducted to 320 participants who teach in different educational stages and school levels located in Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Province. Participants completed a questionnaire assessing the ability to recognize and evaluate different types of child maltreatment, knowledge of reporting procedures, and participants’ opinions on corporal punishment as a method of child discipline. Results: Results showed a considerable improvement regarding the issue of child maltreatment among teachers. Female gender was associated with the level of significance in reporting procedures and other important legal issues surrounding child abuse. Conclusion: Teachers reported having an awareness of their roles, the signs of child abuse and reporting procedures. Since the majority of them possessed a good level of awareness regarding the occurrence of child abuse, we encouraged them to take appropriate steps to learn how to identify different types of abuse and apply the knowledge gained through training and practical.