Child Abuse and Neglect Awareness Training in Nursing Students

This randomized controlled study aims to evaluate the effect of a child abuse and neglect awareness training program on the knowledge and awareness levels of nursing students. Child abuse and neglect remain significant global public health issues, and healthcare professionals, particularly nurses, play a key role in early recognition and intervention. The study will be conducted among undergraduate nursing students at a university in Istanbul, Turkey. Participants will be randomly assigned to either an experimental group or a control group. Both groups will complete a pre-test to assess baseline knowledge levels. The experimental group will receive a structured training program on child abuse and neglect delivered by an expert nurse working at a Child Advocacy Center under the Ministry of Health, while the control group will not receive any intervention during the study period. One month after the intervention, both groups will complete a post-test to assess changes in knowledge and awareness levels. The primary outcome of the study is the difference in awareness test scores between the pre-test and post-test. The findings are expected to contribute to improving educational strategies and enhancing the competencies of future nurses in recognizing and managing child abuse and neglect cases.

Inclusion Criteria: * Being an undergraduate nursing student * Being able to read and understand Turkish * Willingness to participate in the study * Providing written informed consent Exclusion Criteria: * Not completing the training program * Not completing the pre-test or post-test * Withdrawing from the study at any stage