@article{ref1,
title="Knowledge and attitude regarding child abuse among primary healthcare physicians and interns in Al Qassim, Saudi Arabia",
journal="Curēus",
year="2020",
author="Aldukhayel, Abdulrhman and Almutairi, Raghad and Alsaqer, Ohud M. and Almazyad, Nouf S. and Alturki, Fatima M. and Aljarbou, Emad",
volume="12",
number="12",
pages="e12270-e12270",
abstract="Introduction Child abuse can include physical abuse, psychological abuse, sexual assault, neglect, or failure to meet the child's basic needs. It can lead to major  psychosocial problems resulting in long-lasting consequences for the child. <br><br>OBJECTIVE This study aimed to assess the knowledge and attitude (KA) of primary  healthcare physicians and interns regarding child abuse in Al Qassim, Saudi Arabia. <br><br>MATERIALS AND METHODS This multicenter, cross-sectional study was conducted among  primary healthcare physicians and interns in the Qassim region, Saudi Arabia, from  July to October 2020. A self-administered questionnaire was distributed among the  targeted physicians using either an online platform or face-to-face interviews. The  questionnaire was devised from the pre-tested literature and formal discussions with  experts. A total of 292 primary healthcare physicians and interns participated in  our study. A consent form and brief details of the study were given ahead of the  recruitment. Data were tabulated in a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet (Microsoft  Corporation, Redmond, WA); a separate codebook was prepared with a description of  the variables and corresponding codes, and all statistical analyses were performed  using IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, Version 21.0 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY). <br><br>RESULTS  A total of 292 respondents were involved in the study. Among them, 45% (n=131) were  medical interns, 39.4% (n=115) were residents, and the rest were either specialists  (n=34; 11.6%) or consultants (n=12; 4.1%). Among the respondents, the KA level was  found to be moderate, high, and low in 68.8%, 28.4%, and 2.7%, respectively. The  overall mean KA score was 81.1 [standard deviation (SD): 9.56] out of a possible 115  points. Factors associated with high KA were age (>30 years), non-Saudi nationality,  having children, and having studied outside Saudi Arabia; The only factor  significantly associated with low levels of KA was being a pediatrician (p<0.001). <br><br>CONCLUSION Overall, the participants displayed adequate levels of KA regarding child  abuse. Better KA was observed among expatriate physicians who were parents  themselves and had earned their degrees outside the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. However, pediatricians demonstrated poor knowledge with regard to child abuse.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="2168-8184",
doi="10.7759/cureus.12270",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.7759/cureus.12270"
}