פניית תלמידים לעזרת יועצים חינוכיים בבית הספר בעקבות אלימות ופגיעה במשפחה

Parental maltreatment has serious short-term and long-term negative effects on children. Treatment and care of maltreated students at school have therefore been among the main concerns of welfare systems worldwide. However, many maltreatment students do not report or seek help, are unknown to the welfare authorities, and receive neither care nor assistance. The present study was designed to examine children’s willingness to seek help from school counselors at school for dealing with parental maltreatment, and to reveal factors that enhance students’ willingness to seek help from them. A sample of 859 students (44% boys, 56% girls) in 6th-12th grades participated in the study. The results show that about half of the students who suffer parental abuse or neglect never sought help in school. Friends are the most frequent help resource for those who do seek help in school. Only about 15% seek help from the school staff, where the school counselors comprise the most common help resource. The greatest significant contribution to students’ willingness to seek help from school counselors was found to be their interpersonal relationships with them.