Addressing caregiver-child conflict in public: Barriers and facilitators to bystander engagement

Child maltreatment is a serious public health issue. Bystander models have been applied in sexual violence and bullying prevention, with little application in public child maltreatment. Support Over Silence for KIDS (SOSFK) is a bystander program aimed at addressing public child maltreatment by supporting caregivers and their children. This study describes formative research conducted to inform the development of SOSFK. Data were collected from focus groups with community members (n = 29), hospital personnel (n = 60), and caregivers (n = 23) from aMidwestern city to examine barriers and facilitators to becoming an active bystander in cases of public child maltreatment. Data were analyzed through mixed content analysis. Participants highlighted contextual, situational, and intrapersonal factors that serve as both barriers and facilitators to bystander intervention in cases of public child mistreatment. The lack of and/or fragmented sense of community and perceived situational danger were identified as barriers to intervention. A shared sense of responsibility for caring for children in the community and having a personal relationship with the parent-child dyad were identified as facilitators to bystander intervention. Results from this study provide implications for the development of programs to support caregivers during stressful parenting moments and might reduce public instances of child maltreatment.