Adolescent Violence: Assessment of Nurses’ Attitudes and Educational Needs

Adolescent violence is a major public health problem. Because of their roles in community and hospital settings, nurses have an opportunity to limit the epidemic of violence. The purpose of this study was to examine the perceived levels of knowledge, the value of further education, resource utilization, and attitudes of nurses caring for adolescent victims of violence. Data were collected from 60 nurses employed at an urban public hospital. Results of the study indicate that 50% of the respondents had high scores on the perceived knowledge section of the survey. However, the majority of nurses (82.5%) felt inadequately educated about violence. The attitudes reported with the most frequency were frustration (78%), anger (59%), and powerlessness (58%). The results of this study indicate a need for additional violence education for nurses, particularly in the areas of available resources and intervention for adolescent victims of violence.