Child Abuse and Neglect Awareness Training in Nursing Students (CANAT)

April 11, 2026 updated by: Burcu SELVI CALISKAN, Istanbul Arel University

Effect of Child Abuse and Neglect Awareness Training on Nursing Students: A Randomized Controlled Trial

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.

Study Overview

Status

Not yet recruiting

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

This study is designed as a randomized controlled trial with a pre-test and post-test design to evaluate the effectiveness of a structured child abuse and neglect awareness training program among nursing students.

The study will be conducted at a foundation university in Istanbul, Turkey, in 2026. The study population consists of undergraduate nursing students enrolled in the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th years. Based on power analysis, a total of 120 participants will be included in the study, with 60 participants assigned to the experimental group and 60 to the control group.

Participants will be selected according to inclusion criteria and randomly assigned to groups using a stratified randomization method based on class level and gender to ensure homogeneity between groups. After enrollment, all participants will complete a Personal Information Form and 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 affiliated with the Ministry of Health. The training content includes general information about child abuse and neglect, types and indicators of abuse, legal responsibilities, institutional procedures, and management of suspected cases. The training will be delivered through face-to-face sessions supported by educational materials.

The control group will not receive any intervention during the study period. One month after the training, both groups will complete the post-test. The primary outcome measure is the knowledge and awareness score obtained from the assessment tools. Secondary outcomes include comparisons of pre-test and post-test scores within and between groups.

Ethical approval will be obtained from the Institutional Review Board of Istanbul Arel University prior to the study. Participation is voluntary, and written informed consent will be obtained from all participants. Data confidentiality and participant anonymity will be strictly maintained throughout the study.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

120

Phase

  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Locations

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Description

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

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Other
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Experimental Group
Participants receive a structured child abuse and neglect awareness training delivered by an expert nurse.
Behavioral: Child Abuse and Neglect Awareness Training
A structured educational program delivered by an expert nurse working at a Child Advocacy Center, covering types, signs, legal aspects, and management of child abuse and neglect.
Other: Control Group
Participants do not receive any training during the study period.
Other: No Intervention
Participants in the control group will not receive any training or intervention during the study period. After completion of data collection, the training will be offered to the control group for ethical considerations.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Child Abuse and Neglect Awareness Score
Time Frame: Baseline and 1 month after the intervention
The primary outcome is the change in awareness levels measured using the "Child Abuse and Neglect Awareness Scale (ÇİFÖ)". The scale was developed by Altan (2015) and consists of 20 items, including 11 negatively worded and 9 positively worded items. It is a 5-point Likert-type scale ranging from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree). Total scores range from 20 to 100, with higher scores indicating greater awareness of child abuse and neglect. The scale will be administered before the intervention (pre-test) and one month after the intervention (post-test).
Baseline and 1 month after the intervention

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Between-Group Difference in Awareness Scores
Time Frame: 1 month after intervention
Post-test awareness scores measured using the Child Abuse and Neglect Awareness Scale (ÇİFÖ) will be compared between the intervention and control groups. Scores range from 20 to 100, with higher scores indicating greater awareness.
1 month after intervention

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Istanbul Arel University

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Estimated)

April 1, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

June 15, 2026

Study Completion (Estimated)

June 30, 2026

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

April 2, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

April 2, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

April 13, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

April 15, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

April 11, 2026

Last Verified

April 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Other Study ID Numbers

  • 2026/01
  • 191B012433573 (Other Grant/Funding Number: The Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TUBITAK))

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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