ATTITUDES AND KNOWLEDGE OF NURSING STUDENTS AT THE FACULTY OF HEALTH STUDIES IN RIJEKA TOWARDS CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE

Seksualno zlostavljanje djece je česta pojava i velik javnozdravstveni problem koji izaziva pozornost diljem svijeta. Stavove i znanja studenata sestrinstva prema seksualnom zlostavljanju djece važno je ispitati jer će oni za vrijeme ili nakon svog obrazovanja raditi u okruženju s djecom zbog čega mogu prepoznati znakove seksualnog zlostavljanja ili biti osobe kojima se dijete povjerava. Osim toga, kada postanu zdravstveni djelatnici, biti će obvezani zakonom prijaviti sumnju na seksualno zlostavljanje djeteta. Međutim, ukoliko vjeruju u mitove o seksualnom zlostavljanju djece, smanjuju se šanse da će vjerovati djetetu kada im se povjeri, da će prepoznati žrtvu ili počinitelja seksualnog zlostavljanja te prijaviti seksualno zlostavljanje nadležnim tijelima. Opći cilj ovog istraživanja je utvrditi stavove i znanja studenata/ica Sestrinstva Fakulteta zdravstvenih studija Sveučilišta u Rijeci prema seksualnom zlostavljanju djece. Specifični ciljevi su utvrditi razlikuju li se stavovi studenata/ica prema spolu, razini studija (preddiplomski/diplomski studij), s obzirom na prethodno obrazovanje iz područja seksualnog zlostavljanja djece i obzirom na osobno poznanstvo žrtava ili počinitelja seksualnog zlostavljanja. Provedeno je dobrovoljno anonimno anketno istraživanje. Upitnici su podijeljeni studentima/icama Sestrinstva na preddiplomskom i diplomskom studiju prije početka nastave. Istraživanjem je utvrđeno da se studenti/ce najviše slažu sa tvrdnjama vezanim uz prijavljivanje slučajeva seksualnog zlostavljanja djece nadležnim službama i visokim kaznama za počinitelje, ali i stručnjake koji nisu prijavili slučaj seksualnog zlostavljanja djece. Studenti/ce su bili neodlučni po pitanju postojanja učinkovite terapije za počinitelje seksualnog zlostavljanja djece, ali i prepoznavanju znakova koji ukazuju da je dijete seksualno zlostavljano što ukazuje na potrebu dodatne edukacije studenata/ica o terapiji počinitelja i prepoznavanju žrtava seksualnog zlostavljanja.Child sexual abuse has become a very common phenomenon and a major public health problem and as such attracts attention around the world. It's important to examine attitudes and knowledge of nursing students towards child sexual abuse because they will work in the environments with children during or after their education. Therefore, they can recognize signs of sexual abuse or be the person to whom the child entrusts. In addition, when they become healthcare professionals, they will be required by law to report suspicion of child sexual abuse. However, if they believe in the myths about child sexual abuse, the chances of believing a child when they disclose, recognizing the victim or the perpetrator of sexual abuse and reporting sexual abuse to the competent authorities are reduced. The general aim of this research is to determine the attitudes and knowledge of nursing students of the Faculty of Health Studies at the University of Rijeka about child sexual abuse. Specific objectives are to determine whether students' attitudes vary based on gender, level of study (undergraduate / graduate studies), according to prior education in the area of child sexual abuse and given the personal acquaintance of victims or perpetrators of sexual assault. A voluntary anonymous survey was conducted. The questionnaires were given to nursing students in undergraduate and graduate studies, before the beginning of the class. The survey found that students agree most with allegations of reporting cases of child sexual abuse to authorities and high penalties for perpetrators but also for experts who have not reported the suspicion. The students were indecisive about the existence of effective therapy for child sexual offenders, but also about recognizing signs indicating that the child is being sexually abused. This indicates the need for additional education of the students about the treatment of perpetrators and recognizing victims of sexual abuse