Examination of the knowledge of teachers working in the central districts of Denizli about child sexual abuse and their attitudes and behaviors towards reporting abuse

Sexual abuse is defined as "exposure to sexual behaviors that the child cannot fully comprehend, cannot give informed consent, is not developmentally ready for, and violates laws and social taboos". Schools play a central role in the lives of children and families. Therefore, teachers working in schools have a key role. This study aimed to examine teachers' level of knowledge about child sexual abuse, their behaviors and their attitudes towards reporting child sexual abuse. The population of the study consists of teachers working in schools in Pamukkale and Merkezefendi districts of Denizli province. A 60-question questionnaire was used as a data collection tool. The 13-item "Teachers' Attitudes Toward Reporting Child Sexual Abuse Scale" was used for attitude. Descriptive statistics were given with number, percentage, mean, standard deviation, median, difference between quartiles; Mann Whitney U or Kruskall Wallis Tests were applied for comparisons of measurable variables and Chi-square test was applied for categorical variables. Logistic regression analysis was used to determine the factors affecting teachers' knowledge and reporting of child sexual abuse, and linear regression analysis was used to determine the factors affecting teachers' attitudes towards reporting child sexual abuse. 16.9% of the teachers had previously encountered child sexual abuse, and 64.4% reported the sexual abuse of a student. According to the regression analysis for knowledge level, it was found that the knowledge level of female teachers, counselors and those who thought that their knowledge of child sexual abuse was adequate was higher.According to the regression analysis for attitude, the attitudes towards reporting child sexual abuse score was higher in those who received post-graduate education and those who knew the obligation to report child sexual abuse. According to the regression analysis for reporting status, it was found to be higher in females, those who did not have children/ had 1 or 2 children, those who had been working in the profession for 11-20 years, and those who thought that they intervened adequately in the case of child sexual abuse they encountered. As a result, in this study, being a woman, being a guidance counselor and thinking that the level of knowledge about child sexual abuse is sufficient were found to be factors that increased the level of knowledge about child sexual abuse. In their attitudes towards reporting child sexual abuse, the positive attitudes of teachers who received in-service training and those who knew that reporting child sexual abuse was mandatory were found to be higher. In the case of reporting, it was observed that women, those who had a lower number of children, those who had been working in the profession for 11-20 years and those who thought that they intervened adequately in cases of child sexual abuse were more likely to report.