Decision-making in child abuse and neglect: The impact of clinician characteristics on potential reporting behaviors.

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to further clarify the impact of clinician characteristics on child abuse and neglect reporting decisions. Examined characteristics included personal attributes, training, length of practice, experiences, and counseling self-efficacy (CSE) on reporting decisions. Using a sample of 232 participants, data was collected using the Counselor Self-Estimate Inventory (COSE; Larson et al., 1992) and a Reporting Questionnaire adapted from Hansen et al. (1997). Results demonstrated partial support for the impact of the professional's maltreatment history on reporting. Length of practice was related to overall CSE, confidence in reporting abilities, and familiarity with reporting laws. Results also supported the theory that overall CSE relating to confidence in general clinical abilities may differ from domain-specific CSE in abuse reporting.