Dataset Information

Children's and caregivers' perspectives about mandatory reporting of child maltreatment: a meta-synthesis of qualitative studies.

ABSTRACT:

Objective

To systematically synthesise qualitative research that explores children's and caregivers' perceptions of mandatory reporting.

Design

We conducted a meta-synthesis of qualitative studies.

Data sources

Searches were conducted in Medline, Embase, PsycINFO, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, Criminal Justice Abstracts, Education Resources Information Center, Sociological Abstracts and Cochrane Libraries.

Eligibility criteria

English-language, primary, qualitative studies that investigated children's or caregivers' perceptions of reporting child maltreatment were included. All healthcare and social service settings implicated by mandatory reporting laws were included.

Data extraction and synthesis

Critical appraisal of included studies involved a modified checklist from the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme (CASP). Two independent reviewers extracted data, including direct quotations from children and caregivers (first-order constructs) and interpretations by study authors (second-order constructs). Third-order constructs (the findings of this meta-synthesis) involved synthesising second-order constructs that addressed strategies to improve the mandatory reporting processes for children or caregivers-especially when these themes addressed concerns raised by children or caregivers in relation to the reporting process.

Results

Over 7935 citations were retrieved and 35 articles were included in this meta-synthesis. The studies represent the views of 821 caregivers, 50 adults with histories of child maltreatment and 28 children. Findings suggest that children and caregivers fear being reported, as well as the responses to reports. Children and caregivers identified a need for improvement in communication from healthcare providers about mandatory reporting, offering preliminary insight into child-driven and caregiver-driven strategies to mitigate potential harms associated with reporting processes.

Conclusion

Research on strategies to mitigate potential harms linked to mandatory reporting is urgently needed, as is research that explores children's experiences with this process.

SUBMITTER: McTavish JR

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6500368 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Publications

Children's and caregivers' perspectives about mandatory reporting of child maltreatment: a meta-synthesis of qualitative studies.

McTavish Jill R JR Kimber Melissa M Devries Karen K Colombini Manuela M MacGregor Jennifer C D JCD Wathen Nadine N MacMillan Harriet L HL

BMJ open 20190404 4

<h4>Objective</h4>To systematically synthesise qualitative research that explores children's and caregivers' perceptions of mandatory reporting.<h4>Design</h4>We conducted a meta-synthesis of qualitative studies.<h4>Data sources</h4>Searches were conducted in Medline, Embase, PsycINFO, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, Criminal Justice Abstracts, Education Resources Information Center, Sociological Abstracts and Cochrane Libraries.<h4>Eligibility criteria</h4>English-lang ...[more]

PMID: 30948587

Similar Datasets

Project description:ObjectiveTo systematically search for research about the effectiveness of mandatory reporting of child maltreatment and to synthesise qualitative research that explores mandated reporters' (MRs) experiences with reporting.DesignAs no studies assessing the effectiveness of mandatory reporting were retrieved from our systematic search, we conducted a meta-synthesis of retrieved qualitative research. Searches in Medline (Ovid), Embase, PsycINFO, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, Sociological Abstracts, Education Resources Information Center, Criminal Justice Abstracts and Cochrane Library yielded over 6000 citations, which were deduplicated and then screened by two independent reviewers. English-language, primary qualitative studies that investigated MRs' experiences with reporting of child maltreatment were included. Critical appraisal involved a modified checklist from the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme and qualitative meta-synthesis was used to combine results from the primary studies.SettingAll healthcare and social-service settings implicated by mandatory reporting laws were included. Included studies crossed nine high-income countries (USA, Australia, Sweden, Taiwan, Canada, Norway, Finland, Israel and Cyprus) and three middle-income countries (South Africa, Brazil and El Salvador).ParticipantsThe studies represent the views of 1088 MRs.OutcomesFactors that influence MRs' decision to report and MRs' views towards and experiences with mandatory reporting of child maltreatment.ResultsForty-four articles reporting 42 studies were included. Findings indicate that MRs struggle to identify and respond to less overt forms of child maltreatment. While some articles (14%) described positive experiences MRs had with the reporting process, negative experiences were reported in 73% of articles and included accounts of harm to therapeutic relationships and child death following removal from their family of origin.ConclusionsThe findings of this meta-synthesis suggest that there are many potentially harmful experiences associated with mandatory reporting and that research on the effectiveness of this process is urgently needed.

Project description:BackgroundIn nursing research and practice, there is a paucity of information about how fathers perceive their role in shaping their children's health behaviors. Most studies on the parental factors affecting children's health behaviors have focused on the role of mothers. However, recent studies showed that fathers' health behaviors can influence those of their children. Therefore, the aim of this study was to synthesize existing qualitative studies to explore fathers' perspectives regarding how they influence children's obesity-related health behaviors.MethodsWe conducted a descriptive meta-synthesis. To retrieve relevant articles, we used databases including PubMed, CINAHL, and Web of Science. Only qualitative studies published in English-language peer-reviewed journals, targeting fathers of children aged 2-18 years, and focusing on fathers' perspectives were included. All the quotes collected from the studies were reviewed and coded, and thematic analysis was used to derive themes.ResultsArticle screening and review yielded a total of 13 qualitative studies, from which the following themes emerged: (1) fathers' parenting practices and role-modeling behaviors, (2) fathers' roles in their relationships with their family members, and (3) fathers' resource-seeking behaviors and contributions to their home food environment. Fathers were aware that their parenting practices and role-modeling behaviors could influence their children's health behaviors. Furthermore, fathers recognized the importance of their relationships with family members, which was reflected in their family roles; that is, whether they took responsibility for childcare and household work, whether their parenting practices were similar to those of their spouses, and whether they involved their children in their activities. Fathers also reported their resource-seeking behaviors as well as their contribution to the home food environment, which affected their children's health behaviors.ConclusionFathers' perspectives on their influence on children's health behaviors reveal their unique paternal role in influencing children's health behaviors. Fathers' perspectives could be incorporated into future nursing research to examine the relationship between fathers' roles and children's health behaviors to develop better health intervention programs.

Dataset Information

Children's and caregivers' perspectives about mandatory reporting of child maltreatment: a meta-synthesis of qualitative studies.

Objective

Design

Data sources

Eligibility criteria

Data extraction and synthesis

Results

Conclusion

Publications

Children's and caregivers' perspectives about mandatory reporting of child maltreatment: a meta-synthesis of qualitative studies.

Similar Datasets

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