Child abuse awareness amoung parents in Edirne

The aim of this study is to evaluate the awareness of parents in Edirne about child abuse. Data for this study was collected from 410 parents. Participants were parents who are 18 years old or above, residing in Edirne who volunteered to participate in the study. Data from those who were younger than 18 year or having communication problem were excluded from the study. The survey given to the participants consisted of 12 questions o sociodemographic information and 18 questions of Abuse Awareness Scale Parent Survey. Resulting data was analyzed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences v.19 SN: 10240642. As a result of the study, awareness of parents about child abuse was found to be moderate. Participants aged 18-24 years old were ranked high on the abuse scale whereas those aged 40 years and above were ranked low. A meaningful inverse correlation between education level and child abuse with participants with a college degree or above were found to rank lower on the abuse scale while participants with a secondary education or below ranked high. This shows positive correlation with educational level concerning awareness in child abuse. Parents who were public servants ranked lower on the abuse scale while housewives were found to rank higher. Participants whose income was greater than their spending ranked lower, while income of whom was equal to their spending were found to rank moderate on the scale. On the otherhand participants whose income was less than their spending were found to have higher rank on the abuse scale. Participants who became parents between the age of 18 to 24 years , parents using alcohol and parents who were a victim of child abuse ranked higher on the abuse scale. Parents using alcohol ranked high on the abuse scale. Parents with children who have chronic conditions ranked low on the abuse scale. As a result of the study, child abuse awareness were found to differ according to the sociodemographic traits of the parents. On a battle against child abuse and neglect, regular education programs should be offered to families and children and at-risk families should be provided with consulting services through social support. These approaches are important steps towards prevention of child abuse and neglect. General practitioners play a critical role in providing the health services and protective health services included in the first step. As the first point of contact between patient and the health services, general practitioners can make evaluations taking into consideration the individual and effecting social environmental factors. General practitioners should play an active role in the protection of the child, of diagnostics and treatment, reduction of long-term effects of abuse and the course of rehabilitation.