Willingness to report abuse and neglect in residential facilities.

This article reports findings obtained in a study that sought to identify factors that influence the willingness of persons associated with and involved in 24-hour residential care to report possible abuse and neglect events. A total of 598 respondents from 33 counties in 5 states were presented with a potentially reportable abuse or neglect situation and were asked to indicate their willingness to report that situation. Characteristics of the event, the resident, staff, and measures of the attitudes of respondents were included in an hierarchical regression model to determine their respective impacts on willingness to report. A model that explained about 45% of the variance in willingness to report was obtained.