An Exploration of the Relationship between Liking of Children and Determining Abuse and Neglect among Students Studying Child Development at a Vocational School

Abstract People working with children have important roles in diagnosing the symptoms and risks of child abuse and neglect. The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between liking of children and determining a diagnosis of child abuse and neglect among a group of students studying child development at a Vocational School (N = 193). The data were collected using the Introductory Information Form, The scale for the Identification of the Symptoms and Risks of Child Abuse and Neglect and Barnett Liking of Children Scale. It was found that the mean score of the scale for diagnosing the symptoms and risks of child abuse and neglect was 3.58 ± 0.45 and the mean score of the liking of children scale was 86.64 ± 14.0. The results of the regression analysis indicated that the liking of children did not significantly predict the scores of the sub-dimensions of determination of symptoms and risks of CAN, and there was no relationship between them (p > 0.05). Moreover, the results indicated that the level of diagnosis of child abuse and neglect should be improved.