Nursing Students’ Knowledge and Attitudes to Child Abuse and Neglect in Jamaica: A Mixed Methods Study
by Leemoy Weaver and Steve R. Weaver


Our aim was to assess nursing students’ knowledge and attitudes to child abuse and neglect (CAN) and to determine whether knowledge of CAN significantly predicts nursing students’ attitudes to dealing with CAN. We also explored nursing students’ understanding and attitudes to dealing with CAN and their perception of the role of the BScN curriculum in providing exposure to CAN. A convergent mixed methods research design was employed where we collected data simultaneously from questionnaires and focus group discussions. Quantitative results indicated that while the existing curriculum provided the necessary support for nursing students’ knowledge and attitude to CAN, qualitative findings showed deficiencies in their knowledge and application in clinical practice. Students’ knowledge and experiences on CAN were gainedmainly from vicarious learning. Also, there was no significant relationship between students’ knowledge and attitudes to dealing with CAN. Curriculum developers need to consider overtly incorporating CAN in nursing curricular to better prepare students for dealing with CAN as first responders to protect children from abuse and neglect. The study contributes to the literature as an example of how amixed methods approach can highlight inconsistencies in research findings that would not be easily identified using a mono research method.