Swedish School Nurses’ Experiences of Child Abuse

Child abuse recognition and the protection of children is a global concern. In Sweden, the role of the school nurse (SN) is to promote schoolchildren’s health and development and to identify and prevent harm. The aim of this study was to describe Swedish SN experiences of suspecting, identifying, and reporting child abuse and to compare them with respect to (a) years of experience as SN, (b) age of SN, and (c) pupil population size. A descriptive design was used. Two-hundred and thirty-three SNs completed a survey detailing their experiences. Most SNs (96%) reported having suspected a child suffering from physical or psychological abuse. Approximately half of them reported occurrences of honor-related violence (54%) and of child sexual abuse (57%). SNs with less nursing experience reported significantly less recognition and reporting of child abuse. The findings indicate that experiences of child abuse are common. Thus, it is vital that SNs have the necessary competency and support to identify and report suspected child abuse.