Cent Eur J Public Health 2016, 24(3):217-222

Child Maltreatment in Turkey: Comparison of Parent and Child Reports

Zeynep Sofuoğlu1, Görkem Sarıyer2, M. Gökalp Ataman3
1 Association of Emergency Ambulance Physicians, Izmir, Turkey
2 Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences, Yasar University, Izmir, Turkey
3 Department of Emergency, Çigli Research and Training Hospital, Izmir, Turkey

Background and Aim: Child maltreatment, i.e. abuse and neglect, is a significant problem worldwide and can cause impaired physical and mental health throughout life. The true extent still remains unknown in all countries, including Turkey. The aim of this study was to apply the two versions of the International Society for the Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect (ISPCAN) Child Abuse Screening Tool of ICAST-C and ICAST-P, which are used to assess child and parent feedback and to compare reports given by children and those given by parents. This is the first study of its kind conducted in Turkey.

Methods: First, ICAST was translated into Turkish by bilingual experts. Students and their parents were asked to complete ICAST-C and ICAST-P respectively, with the help of trained researchers. In total, data from 2,608 matched reports (2,608 children and 2,608 parents) was obtained. Descriptive statistics were used to evaluate demographical variables, and chi-square tests were employed to investigate the statistical significance of comparisons.

Results: The present study demonstrated that Turkish parents consider rebukes, insults and corporal punishment effective ways of disciplining children. According to parents' reports, the use of psychological abuse was most prevalent against boys aged 16, while the use of physical abuse was most prevalent against boys aged 13. A statistically significant relationship was found between parents' economic conditions and child abuse (p<0.01). No significant relationship was detected between maternal educational levels and child abuse (p>0.05). However, the relationship between paternal educational background and psychological abuse was observed to be significant (p<0.05). A comparison of children's and parents' reports shows that parents tended to under-report child maltreatment.

Conclusions: The results show that there is a significant healthcare problem in Turkey, since child maltreatment is prevalent, but parents are not generally aware of its extent. Possible approaches to changing this situation include efforts to increase education levels, promoting public awareness, and strengthening political commitments.

Keywords: child abuse and neglect, child maltreatment, ICAST-C, ICAST-P, parental reports, public health

Received: October 31, 2014; Revised: May 10, 2016; Accepted: May 10, 2016; Published: September 1, 2016  Show citation

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Sofuoğlu Z, Sarıyer G, Ataman MG. Child Maltreatment in Turkey: Comparison of Parent and Child Reports. Cent Eur J Public Health. 2016;24(3):217-222. PubMed PMID: 27743516.
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