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Abstract
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BACKGROUND: Child abuse and neglect are considered one of the problems that affect the child and lead to various psychological problems.
METHODology: This was a cross-sectional questionnaire that included all medical students in Saudi Arabia.
RESULTS: Total of 403 of medical students participated in our study. About 54.8 % and 54.3 % of them were male and aged between 22-24 years old, respectively. About 55.8 % of participants indicated having an educational training about child abuse and neglect during their study. Our participants believed that the main risk factors for child abuse were alcoholic parents (82.9 %), parents with mental conditions (74.4 %), marital and family problems (72.2 %), low socioeconomic status (70.2 %), and low level of education of parents (67 %).
CONCLUSION: Good knowledge was observed among medical students regarding risk factors and symptoms of child abuse and neglect but with lack of confidence. The medical students believed that developing a curriculum for under-graduate students and further specialized training is required to gain more experience with diagnosing and referring children who have been abused or neglected.
Language: en |