Citation

Gully KJ, Price BL, Johnson MK. Child Maltreat. 2008; 13(3): 280-288.

Affiliation

Primary Children's Medical Center, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2008, American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children, Publisher SAGE Publishing)

DOI

10.1177/1077559508316042

PMID

18359928

Abstract

This investigation evaluated an experimental protocol employed by nurses with parents to increase access to evidence-based mental health treatment for children who are suspected victims of abuse. The protocol was compared with typical services during forensic medical examinations, first in a quasi-experimental design, then as a randomized controlled trial. In both studies, the protocol produced a significant increase in parental reports of having discussed evidence-based treatment during a mental health appointment within 1 month after the forensic medical examination. Likewise, both studies showed that the protocol produced a significant increase in parent-reported satisfaction with the forensic medical examination. Similarly, nurses viewed the protocol favorably. These findings suggest that this approach may be sustainable as a standard component of forensic medical examinations for children who are suspected victims of abuse.

Language: en