Methods
An Institutional Review Board-approved twenty-four-item paper and pencil survey, requiring approximately ten minutes to complete, was administered to predoctoral dental students at the UCLA School of Dentistry. The survey included items related to students’ knowledge of mandated reporting rights and responsibilities, as well as their knowledge of the culture of abuse and neglect.
A review of the literature informed the development and selection of survey items. The 2004 Survey of State Adult Protective Services in Kentucky provided data on rates of abuse and profiles of perpetrators.10 Findings from research on the reporting of abuse in Iowa nursing homes informed the two opinion questions.11 The questions in our survey regarding legal responsibilities of mandated reporters in California are anchored in a report sponsored by the California Dental Association Foundation, Dental Professionals Against Violence.6 Our survey included yes/no and true/unsure/false questions to profile students’ academic training in gerontology