Perceptions associated with dentists' decisions to report hypothetical cases of child maltreatment.

The purpose of this study was to examine case-specific perceptions associated with dentists' decisions to report hypothetical cases suggestive of child maltreatment. Surveys were mailed to 500 general dentists (GDs) in Georgia and all 200 pediatric dentists (PDs) in Georgia and Florida. The GDs were chosen from a pool of 1500 by a stratified randomization scheme. Each survey contained two brief vignettes suggestive of, but not conclusive for, child neglect and abuse. Identical questions followed each vignette that were designed to assess five perceptions of the incident and whether the respondent would be likely to report the case. Responses were received from 185 GDs (37%) and 103 PDs (51.5%), for a total of 288 (41.1%). A majority of respondents considered each vignette to be serious, but only a minority believed that they were required to report the neglect (7.3%) and the abuse (33.7%) vignettes. The percentages of likely reporters of the neglect (n = 28) and abuse (N = 103) vignettes were 9.7 and 36%, respectively. No significant differences were noted in the response patterns of GDs and PDs. Decisions to report child maltreatment described in the vignettes were associated with perceptions of 1) the seriousness of the incident, 2) the incident being defined as neglect or abuse, and 3) a requirement to report. The possibility that a maltreatment report would have a negative impact on the child was associated with a decision not to report. The perception that a report would have a negative impact on the family was common among likely reporters and nonreporters.

Demographic, educational, and experiential factors associated with dentists' decisions to report hypothetical cases of child maltreatment.

The purpose of this study was to examine demographic factors associated with dentists' decisions to report hypothetical cases suggestive of child maltreatment. Surveys were mailed to 500 general dentists (GDs) in Georgia and all 200 pediatric dentists (PDs) in Georgia and Florida. The general dentists were chosen from a pool of 1500 by a stratified randomization scheme. Each survey contained two brief vignettes suggestive of, but not conclusive for, child neglect and abuse. Respondents were asked about their likelihood of reporting each vignette. General demographic questions were asked about the population served by the dentist, the year of dental degree and speciality certificate acquisition, and gender of the respondent. Further questions were asked about the individual's exposure to continuing education in child maltreatment, knowledge of legal requirements to report and the agency to which reports should be directed, and experience with suspected and filed cases. Responses were received from 185 GDs (37%) and 103 PDs (51.5%), a total of 288 (41.4%). PDs had more practitioners in larger communities and had more female respondents. PDs were more likely to answer yes to the questions about education/experience with child maltreatment. Factors associated with likely reporting of neglect were: 1) serving communities with populations < or = 100,000; 2) PDs acquiring specialty certificates after 1980; 3) being female; 4) exposure to continuing education; 5) having suspected cases in practice; and 6) having filed a maltreatment report. Factors associated with likely reporting of abuse were: 1) PDs acquiring specialty certification after 1980 and 2) self-reported recognition of the legal obligation to report.