Children’s and caregivers’ perspectives about mandatory reporting of child maltreatment: A meta-synthesis of qualitative studies
Date
2019
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
BMJ Open
Abstract
Objective To systematically synthesise qualitative
research that explores children’s and caregivers’
perceptions of mandatory reporting.
Design We conducted a meta-synthesis of qualitative
studies.
Data sources Searches were conducted in Medline,
Embase, PsycINFO, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied
Health Literature, Criminal Justice Abstracts, Education
Resources Information Center, Sociological Abstracts and
Cochrane Libraries.
Eligibility criteria English-language, primary, qualitative
studies that investigated children’s or caregivers’
perceptions of reporting child maltreatment were included.
All healthcare and social service settings implicated by
mandatory reporting laws were included.
Data extraction and synthesis Critical appraisal of
included studies involved a modified checklist from
the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme (CASP). Two
independent reviewers extracted data, including direct
quotations from children and caregivers (first-order
constructs) and interpretations by study authors (secondorder constructs). Third-order constructs (the findings
of this meta-synthesis) involved synthesising secondorder constructs that addressed strategies to improve
the mandatory reporting processes for children or
caregivers—especially when these themes addressed
concerns raised by children or caregivers in relation to the
reporting process.
Results Over 7935 citations were retrieved and 35
articles were included in this meta-synthesis. The
studies represent the views of 821 caregivers, 50 adults
with histories of child maltreatment and 28 children.
Findings suggest that children and caregivers fear being
reported, as well as the responses to reports. Children
and caregivers identified a need for improvement
in communication from healthcare providers about
mandatory reporting, offering preliminary insight into
child-driven and caregiver-driven strategies to mitigate
potential harms associated with reporting processes.
Conclusion Research on strategies to mitigate potential
harms linked to mandatory reporting is urgently needed,
as is research that explores children’s experiences with
this process
Description
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Article
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Keywords
International Resources, Canada, mandatory reporting, research
Citation
McTavish, J. R., Kimber, M., Devries, K., Colombini, M., MacGregor, J. C., Wathen, N., & MacMillan, H. L. (2019). Children’s and caregivers’ perspectives about mandatory reporting of child maltreatment: a meta-synthesis of qualitative studies. BMJ open, 9(4), e025741.