Effectiveness of structured teaching program on parents' knowledge about child physical abuse

Abstract

BACKGROUND: The issue of child physical abuse (CPA) is complex and challenging to study. According to World Health Organization fact sheets for 2020, about 3 in 4 children between 2 and 4 years of age regularly face physical maltreatment by parents or caregivers. It may cause a lifelong impact on physical and mental health. OBJECTIVE: To assess the parents' knowledge and to evaluate the effectiveness of the structured teaching program (STP) regarding child physical abuse (CPA) among parents. METHODS AND MATERIALS: The pre-experimental, 'One-group Pre-test Post-test design' was adopted for this study. Parents of children who were admitted for treatment in the child psychiatry centre (CPC) of a tertiary care referral center between January 2019 and January 2020 were recruited for this study. Thirty parents were recruited with a convenience sampling technique. The study was conducted through an online platform (Zoom). Pre-test and post-tests were conducted through Google survey form. Data were collected with a self-developed knowledge questionnaire on CAP. An online structured teaching program (STP) was administered for three alternative days after the pre-test assessment. The post-test assessment was conducted at a two-point time, that is immediately after the STP and after the one-week gap. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyze the data. RESULTS: The pre-test knowledge assessment means score regarding child physical abuse was found to be 12, with a standard deviation of 1.73. In the post-test one, 17.30 ± 1.39 and in the post-test two, 16 ± 1.55 with P < 0.001. Analysis revealed statistically significant improvement was found in the post-test knowledge regarding child physical abuse among the parents. There was no significant (p < 0.05) relationship found between the socio-demographic variables of the participants and their pre-intervention knowledge scores on child physical abuse. CONCLUSIONS: The study findings reveal that parents have a fair knowledge of CPA and the STP was effective and feasible to administer in improving the subjects' knowledge regarding child physical abuse.