KNOWLEDGE OF AND COMPLIANCE WITH PRIVILEGED COMMUNICATION AND CHILD-ABUSE-REPORTING LAWS

• NCJ Number: 53166
• Journal: Professional Psychology Volume: 9 Issue: 3 Dated: (AUGUST 1978) Pages: 448-457
• Author(s): J S SWOBODA; A ELWORK; B D SALES; D LEVINE
• Date Published: 1978
• Length: 10 pages
• Corporate Author: American Psychological Assoc
• Publication Format: Article
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

METHODOLOGY AND RESULTS ARE REPORTED OF A SURVEY OF SOME NEBRASKA MENTAL HEALTH PROFESSIONALS TO DETERMINE THEIR KNOWLEDGE OF AND HYPOTHETICAL COMPLIANCE WITH LAWS OF PRIVILEGED COMMUNICATION AND CHILD-ABUSE REPORTING.

Abstract

FOLLOWING BRIEF GENERAL DESCRIPTIONS OF LAWS OF PRIVILEGED COMMUNICATION AND CHILD-ABUSE REPORTING AS THEY PARTICULARLY APPLY TO MENTAL HEALTH PROFESSIONALS, THE METHODOLOGY AND RESULTS OF A SURVEY OF 236 NEBRASKA MENTAL HEALTH PROFESSIONALS TO DETERMINE THEIR KNOWLEDGE OF AND THEORETICAL COMPLIANCE TO NEBRASKA LAWS IN THESE AREAS ARE DISCUSSED. IN 1977, 236 MENTAL HEALTH PROFESSIONALS, WHOSE NAMES AND ADDRESSES WERE OBTAINED FROM PROFESSIONAL LISTINGS AND PERSONAL INQUIRIES WITH AGENCY AND INSTITUTIONAL DIRECTORS, WERE MAILED QUESTIONNAIRES. A TOTAL OF 98 FILLED OUT AND RETURNED THEIR QUESTIONNAIRES--22 PSYCHIATRISTS, 31 PSYCHOLOGISTS, 35 SOCIAL WORKERS, AND 10 CASE WORKERS. CASE WORKERS WERE DROPPED FROM THE SAMPLE. THE FIRST SECTION OF THE QUESTIONNAIRE ASKED RESPONDENTS IF THEY WERE FAMILIAR WITH THREE QUOTED NEBRASKA STATUTES PERTAINING TO PRIVILEGED COMMUNICATIONS AND CHILD-ABUSE REPORTING. ADDITIONALLY, A HYPOTHETICAL CASE WAS DESCRIBED WHERE A FAMILY IN COUNSELING CONFIDED THAT THE FATHER WAS ABUSING THE CHILDREN, AND THE RESPONDENTS WERE ASKED IF THEY WOULD REPORT SUCH ABUSE TO THE AUTHORITIES INDICATED IN THE CHILD-ABUSE REPORTING STATUTE. OF THE PSYCHOLOGISTS 32 PERCENT WERE REPORTEDLY UNFAMILIAR WITH EITHER OF THE STATUTES PRESENTED, WHILE 23 PERCENT OF THE PSYCHIATRISTS WERE UNFAMILIAR WITH THE PRIVILEGED COMMUNICATION STATUTE AND 18 PERCENT WERE UNFAMILIAR WITH THE CHILD-ABUSE REPORTING LAW; 23 PERCENT OF THE SOCIAL WORKERS WERE UNFAMILIAR WITH THE PRIVILEGED COMMUNICATION LAW, AND 17 PERCENT DID NOT KNOW OF THE CHILD-ABUSE REPORTING LAW. IN THE CASE OF THE HYPOTHETICAL CHILD-ABUSE SITUATION, 15 RESPONDENTS DID NOT ANSWER THIS QUESTION, AND OF THOSE WHO DID, LARGE PERCENTAGES OF PSYCHOLOGISTS (87 PERCENT), PSYCHIATRISTS (63 PERCENT), SOCIAL WORKERS (50 PERCENT), AND ALL MENTAL HEALTH PROFESSIONALS COMBINED (66 PERCENT) SAID THEY WOULD NOT HAVE REPORTED CHILD-ABUSE IN THE CASE DESCRIBED. IMPLICATIONS OF THESE FINDINGS ARE DISCUSSED. DATA AND REFERENCES ARE PROVIDED. (RCB)