Adult respondents' perceptions of child abuse and formal child-protection institutions in Palestine and Jordan: a cross-sectional online survey.

Résumé

BACKGROUND: Public responses to child abuse depend on recognition of harm, knowledge of reporting pathways, perceived credibility of formal institutions, and broader social norms. This study examined these perceptions among adult online respondents in Palestine and Jordan.METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional online survey from 25 January to 12 April 2026 among adults residing in Palestine or Jordan. The Arabic questionnaire included 54 items covering sociodemographic characteristics and seven attitudinal domains: institutional trust and legitimacy, required staff expertise, perceived staff qualities, perpetrator accountability, institutional response orientation, media exposure, and punitive orientation. Composite scores were standardized to a 0-100 metric. Because "I do not know/cannot say for sure" responses were common for staff-quality items, uncertainty was analyzed descriptively and in sensitivity analyses.RESULTS: The analytic sample included 779 respondents, 391 from Palestine and 388 from Jordan. The highest standardized means were observed for punitive orientation (73.35 ± 23.35) and required staff expertise (73.28 ± 19.62), whereas institutional trust and legitimacy remained below the midpoint (49.76 ± 17.24) and media exposure was lowest (39.58 ± 23.05). Staff-quality uncertainty was substantial: item-level uncertainty ranged from 30.4 to 39.0%, the mean number of uncertainty responses was 3.07 ± 3.37 across nine items, and 16.2% selected uncertainty for all nine items. Cross-country differences were generally small and were not significant after adjustment for measured sociodemographic covariates. Income was the most consistent measured correlate, but multivariable models explained modest variance ( range: 0.016-0.054). Sensitivity analyses for staff qualities did not materially change the main country-comparison findings.CONCLUSION: Among adult online respondents in Palestine and Jordan, endorsement of institutional involvement, multidisciplinary expertise, and perpetrator accountability exceeded confidence in institutions and procedural knowledge. These findings are not nationally representative.