The determinants of responses to physical abuse among Armenian-American school teachers

ABSTRACT

Research over the past 40 years has consistently found that teachers do not report all cases of suspected child abuse and neglect even though they see children on a regular basis. Much of the studies on under-reporting by teachers have focused on public school systems, and there is very little research regarding the impact of cultural values. To address this gap in the literature, the current study examined the determinants of decision-making when it comes to responding to child abuse among a sample of Armenian-American faculty members across several private schools, with a specific focus on cultural values. The results indicated that some cultural values may be important but so too were attitudes toward, and knowledge of, reporting laws. Implications for future research and training for private school teachers are discussed.

KEYWORDS:

• Reporting child abuse
• private school teachers
• cultural values

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Sofya Bagdasaryan

Dr. Sofya Bagdasaryan is an Associate Professor of Social Work at Cal State LA, where she teaches policy and research. Her research focuses on public child welfare and social justice.

Austin Mehrabian

Austin Meharabian is a Pupil Services and Attendance Counselor for America’s largest school district, Los Angeles Unified School District in Los Angeles County. Previously, he worked as a children’s social worker for the Department of Children and Family Services for Los Angeles County.