What do university students who will work professionally with children know about maltreatment and mandated reporting?

This study examines the knowledge and understanding of child maltreatment held by students in majors and disciplines that lead to careers which fall into the mandated reporter category. Participants included 332 graduate and undergraduate students in majors ranging from Nursing to Administration of Justice. Subjects were asked to rate the importance of factors for determining maltreatment (e.g., seriousness of the act), to indicate whether an act depicted in a vignette was maltreatment, and whether they would report that incident. Results indicated less confidence and consistency in ratings relative to working professionals [Portwood, S. (1999). Coming to terms with a consensual definition of maltreatment. Child Maltreatment, 4(1), 56–68.] as well as differences in ratings by academic discipline. The results are discussed with respect to their implications for curriculum and training.