School nurse's screening for child maltreatment facilitates disclosure – A Swedish intervention study

Abstract

Early identification of child maltreatment (CM) is essential for children to receive support. The aim was to develop and evaluate a screening instrument for CM to be used by the school nurse in the health dialogue. The research questions included if victimisation could be disclosed by screening, if disclosure led to support measures, and the pupils' and the school nurses' experiences of the screening. A screening instrument to identify CM was developed. A total of 140 pupils and eleven school nurses participated. Mixed methods were used for analysis. Results showed that 29.7% of the participants disclosed CM victimisation and support was given when needed. Girls disclosed exposure to all types of maltreatment to a greater extent than boys. Pupils expressed the importance of screening and it created a trustful relation with the school nurse. No school nurses or pupils were distressed by the screening. Screening for CM facilitated disclosure.