| Summary: | Background: Children with disabilities are a particularly vulnerable group of being exposed to violence and abuse. Nurses play a key role in identifying children who are exposed to violence, or who are at risk of doing so. Despite this, several studies show that nurses underreport violence against children based on the Social Services Act, and that there are several factors that influence them not to report despite their legal obligation to report. Aim: The aim of the study was to investigate whether pediatric nurses, based on their specialist training, could identify signs of violence against children with disabilities, and whether they reported this in accordance with the law of mandatory reporting. An additional purpose was to investigate which factors influenced the pediatric nurses in a possible decision not to report. Method: The study design was a mixed method that integrated quantitative and qualitative data, which were collected through a questionnaire. The sample consisted of pediatric nurses who were recruited from the University Children's Hospital in Uppsala. The theoretical framework of the study was the child perspective, which is a central concept for the pediatric nurse's profession. Results: The results showed that the pediatric nurses often had a good ability to identify violence against children with disabilities. However, having identified violence was not always sufficient for a report of concern to be made. There were factors that both consciously and unconsciously influenced the pediatric nurses in their decision not to report a concern.Conclusion: There were few pediatric nurses who always reported a concern when they identified signs of abuse against children with disabilities, and several factors influenced the decision. When the pediatric nurses misinterpreted or did not identify signs of violence, or when the situationen was seen from the parents' perspective rather than the child's it may indicate a lack of a child perspective.
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