文献类型：期刊文献

英文题名：Weighing consequences: understanding decision-making in mandatory reporting of suspected child physical abuse

作者：Li, Xiao[1];Ma, Beige[1];Bao, Wanjia[1];Tan, Zimin[1]

机构：[1]East China Univ Sci & Technol, Sch Social & Publ Adm, Dept Social Work, Meilong Rd 130, Shanghai 200237, Peoples R China

年份：2026

卷号：184

外文期刊名：CHILDREN AND YOUTH SERVICES REVIEW

收录：;WOS:【SSCI(收录号:WOS:001722253700001)】；

基金：The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests: Zimin Tan reports financial support was provided by The National Social Science Fund of China. If there are other authors, they declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.

语种：英文

外文关键词：Mandatory reporting; Child physical abuse; Dual-process theory; Ethical decision-making

摘要：Mandatory reporting of suspected child abuse presents a complex ethical and cognitive challenge for professionals, particularly social workers. This study explores how Chinese social work students make decisions in response to suspected child physical abuse, focusing on the interplay between intuitive and analytical cognition and the ethical tensions between deontology and consequentialism. Using a vignette-based experimental design, 318 social work students evaluated a fictional case and reported their likelihood to report, perceived risks, and potential consequences. Cluster analysis identified two decision-making types: "intuitive" reporters who prioritized child protection outcomes and "analytic" reporters who weighed all potential consequences more evenly. Logistic regression and mediation analysis revealed that higher perceived risk was associated with intuitive thinking and greater likelihood of reporting, while analytic reasoning sometimes inhibited reporting due to concerns about institutional inadequacy. The findings suggest that while social work students are ethically committed to child protection, consequentialist considerations-particularly doubts about post-reporting support-can override this commitment. This study underscores the importance of integrating ethical reasoning and dual-process theory into child protection training and highlights systemic barriers that complicate the translation of mandatory reporting policy into practice.