Child maltreatment impacts children from all socioeconomic levels, religions, ethnicities, and cultural groups. In 2020, in the United States, an estimated number of 1750 children died from child maltreatment (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention CDC, 2022). Almost 80 % of child fatalities related to maltreatment involve at least one parent, and 90.6% of child victims are maltreated by one or both parents (Child Welfare Information Gateway, 2021).

Caring for this vulnerable population and their families is complex, as it can be both intellectually and emotionally challenging (Lazoritz et al., 2010; Tingberg et al., 2008). Nurses caring for children who experience maltreatment may face many professional and personal challenges. Dealing with multiple providers, including healthcare and law enforcement officers, while keeping a professional relationship with abusive parents often causes stress for nurses who care for children who experience maltreatment (Rowse, 2009). Nurses working in all healthcare settings are in a prime position to identify and care for children of maltreatment. However, the stress, coupled with potential secondary trauma resulting from working in circumstances where abuse - alleged or confirmed - exists, can contribute to adverse outcomes for nurses. A recent Iranian study found that nurses caring for children victims of violence experience role conflicts of being the police officer, the family advocate, and the interrogator; they lack continuity of care, and they experience emotional resentment that triggers long-lasting feelings (Vosoghi et al., 2021). Similarly, Angelo et al. (2013) conducted a study in Sao Paulo, Brazil, and found that nurses who care for a child victim of domestic violence experience helplessness, sadness, anxiety, and indignation.

Studies on nurses' knowledge and attitudes regarding detecting and reporting cases of child maltreatment have shown that most nurses are reluctant to report cases due to a lack of certainty and knowledge in identifying cases (Brnawi, 2021; Gkentzi et al., 2019; Li et al., 2017; Pisimisi et al., 2022). The roles of identification and reporting for nurses are specific and associated with legal ramifications; they do not include aspects of care in the hospital (or on the unit) that involve longer-term nurse-patient relationships and emotional effects on nurses. The current nursing literature does not capture specialty nurses' (pediatric and forensic nurses') voices concerning their lived experiences in caring for children who experience maltreatment. Filling this gap in the literature is significant, as it may provide a holistic understanding and view of caring for children who experience maltreatment.

This study aimed to describe the lived experiences of pediatric and forensic nurses who care for children who experience maltreatment. The findings can provide a deeper understanding of the issues these nurses face in caring for these patients and contribute to future interventions to promote nurses' overall well-being. This, in turn, can inform the development of effective strategies to help mitigate the many challenges these nurses encounter.