Childhood trauma and factors influencing primary school teachers' reporting of child abuse: Insights from Italy

BACKGROUND

Childhood traumatic experiences can profoundly impact individuals, posing risks to the physical and psychological well-being of children and influencing their psychological development. Teachers in primary schools play a critical role in identifying and reporting suspected cases of child abuse and maltreatment (CAM), which initiates child protection interventions. However, the psychological factors that influence teachers' likelihood of reporting suspected CAM cases remain largely unexplored.

AIM

This study investigates the influence of teachers' childhood traumatic experiences and psychological factors (i.e., cognitive empathy and psychological detachment) on their reporting behavior regarding child abuse and maltreatment, addressing an important social issue.

PARTICIPANTS

The study involved 1380 primary school teachers from Italy (88.3 % female; aged 21-69, Mage 46.7, DS 10.3).

RESULTS

The results reveal that teachers with a history of childhood emotional abuse tend to report a higher number of suspected child abuse and maltreatment cases. Other forms of traumatic childhood experiences were not significantly associated with teachers' reporting suspected cases of CAM. Additionally, cognitive empathy and psychological detachment emerge as significant predictors of teachers' reporting behavior.

CONCLUSIONS

This research contributes to the existing literature by providing unique insights into actual reporting behavior within an unexplored cultural context.