title: Awareness and knowledge of child abuse amongst physicians - a descriptive study by a sample of rural Austria.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria. christoph.kraus@meduniwien.ac.at
authors.forename: Christoph
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Kraus
authors.forename: Elisabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Jandl-Jager
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001317:Austria; D001364:Awareness; D002648:Child; D002649:Child Abuse / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000523:psychology*; D003479:Curriculum; D003625:Data Collection; D005260:Female; D058006:General Practice / Q000193:education; D006176:Gynecology / Q000193:education; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D019221:Mandatory Reporting; D008875:Middle Aged; D010372:Pediatrics / Q000193:education; D010819:Physician's Role / Q000523:psychology*; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D012424:Rural Population; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology