Nursing EducationMoulageNCT07509723
Moulage Technique in Child Abuse Recognition
A study testing Moulage Technique Group and movie group in people with Nursing Education and Simulation of Physical Illness, run by Atlas University at 1 site in Turkey (Türkiye).
Trial summary
Early recognition of physical abuse in children is essential for ensuring child safety and preventing further harm. However, distinguishing abuse-related injuries from accidental findings can be challenging, especially for nursing students who have limited clinical experience. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 to 25 yearsHealthy volunteers can take part
- Conditions the study is for
- Nursing Education, Simulation of Physical Illness, Child Physical Abuse, Suspected, Sequela
- What is being tested?
- Moulage Technique Group and movie group
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 70 participants
- Where
- 1 siteTurkey (Türkiye)
- Study dates
- 10 Apr 2026to 30 Jun 2026
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- Not yet: the study is under way
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 18 to 25 years
- All sexes
- Healthy volunteers accepted
- Adult
Who may be able to join
- Agreeing to participate in the study voluntarily
- Having completed the Child Health and Diseases course
Who cannot join
- Having received any education or training related to child abuse and neglect other than the Child Health and Diseases course
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country. Contact the study team or a site near you to ask about taking part.
Turkey (Türkiye)1 site
Atlas University
Istanbul, Kağıthane, 34098
sermin dinç, 05424033430, sermin.dinc@atlas.edu.tr
About this study
Official title: The Role of Moulage Technique in Identifying Physical Abuse in Children: A Randomized Controlled Study With Nursing Students
Early recognition of physical abuse in children is essential for ensuring child safety and preventing further harm. However, distinguishing abuse-related injuries from accidental findings can be challenging, especially for nursing students who have limited clinical experience. Simulation-based educational methods may provide safe and effective environments for developing these skills.
This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of moulage-based simulation training in improving nursing students' ability to recognize signs of physical abuse in children. The study will use a randomized controlled design in which students will be assigned to either a moulage-based simulation group or a control group receiving standard theoretical education.
Read more
After a lecture on child physical abuse within the Child Health and Pediatric Nursing course, students will participate in laboratory practice sessions. The intervention group will assess a pediatric mannequin prepared with simulated abuse findings using moulage techniques. Students' knowledge and recognition of physical abuse indicators will be evaluated before and after the intervention.
The study seeks to determine whether moulage-based education improves nursing students' recognition of physical abuse findings and supports the development of clinical assessment skills.
Read the detailed description
Child abuse is a significant global public health problem and may occur in various forms, including physical, emotional, and sexual abuse as well as neglect. Physical abuse in children may manifest through a wide range of clinical findings such as bruises, burns, bite marks, cuts, fractures, and head injuries. Because these findings may sometimes be confused with other medical conditions or accidental injuries, it is critically important for healthcare professionals to accurately recognize signs of physical trauma in order to ensure the early protection of children.
Nurses frequently represent the first point of contact between abused children and the healthcare system and therefore play a key role in identifying trauma-related findings. For this reason, simulation-based educational strategies have gained increasing importance in nursing education to strengthen students' clinical observation and decision-making skills. Among these strategies, moulage is a makeup-based simulation technique that realistically replicates physical trauma findings such as bruises, burns, lacerations, and bite marks. By creating realistic clinical scenarios, moulage allows students to practice recognizing injury patterns and improves their ability to assess potential abuse cases.
Educational simulations using moulage can enhance students' engagement, facilitate experiential learning, and provide opportunities to practice clinical assessment skills in a safe learning environment. Such applications may contribute to improved recognition of trauma-related findings and support the development of professional competencies required for identifying possible child abuse cases.
The present study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of moulage-based simulation in improving nursing students' ability to recognize physical abuse findings in children. Within this framework, simulated physical abuse findings will be created on a pediatric mannequin using moulage techniques, and students will be asked to conduct a general physical assessment of the child. The effectiveness of this method will be compared with a traditional educational approach based on watching film scenes that include examples of physical abuse indicators.
The study will be conducted within the Child Health and Pediatric Nursing course at a university in Istanbul between December 2025 and February 2026. Students participating in the course will be randomly assigned to either a moulage-based simulation group or a film-based learning group. Following the educational interventions, students' knowledge, attitudes, communication skills, and learning experiences related to child abuse recognition will be evaluated using standardized assessment tools.
This research seeks to determine whether moulage-based simulation provides a more effective learning environment for recognizing signs of physical abuse in children. In addition, the study aims to explore how simulation-based training contributes to students' professional competencies in identifying potential abuse cases and to identify possible challenges encountered during the learning process.
- Conditions
- Nursing Education, Simulation of Physical Illness, Child Physical Abuse, Suspected, Sequela
- Being tested
- Moulage Technique Group, movie group
- Keywords
- Child Physical Abuse, Moulage Technique, Nursing education
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Moulage Technique GroupOther
Makeup (moulage) will be applied to a 3-5-year-old mannequin by an expert trained in moulage techniques. The application will be based on visual examples of physical abuse findings presented in the book "Physical Signs of Child Abuse" (Hobbs \& Wynne, 2001), which serves as an atlas commonly used in healthcare studies for identifying physical signs and lesions associated with child abuse.
Students will then be asked to perform a "general physical assessment of the child" on the mannequin with the applied moulage injuries.
movie groupOther
Control group watches film clips showing physical abuse signs to support learning and discussion.
A total of 30 minutes of selected clips from three films depicting physical abuse (Sleepers, Antwone Fisher, The Tale) will be shown. These clips include visual examples of physical abuse indicators, such as bruises, repeated injury marks (e.g., belt buckle marks, stick marks), and soft tissue injuries. The films will be shown only within the scope of the study and not as part of the course curriculum.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Control group watching film clips showing physical abuse signs to support learning and discussion. | Active comparator | A total of 30 minutes of selected clips from three films depicting physical abuse (Sleepers, Antwone Fisher, The Tale) will be shown. These clips include visual examples of physical abuse indicators, such as bruises, repeated injury marks (e.g., belt buckle marks, stick marks), and soft tissue injuries. The films will be shown only within the scope of the study and not as part of the course curriculum.
During the intervention, students in both groups will be observed and guided by Assistant Professor Dr. Suna Uysal and Lecturer Nil Bruk, who have been invited from different universities. Receives: Other: movie group |
| Moulage Technique Group | Experimental | Moulage applied to a child mannequin to assess students' attitudes and behavioral responses. Receives: Other: Moulage Technique Group |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Healthcare Professionals' Attitudes Toward Reporting Child Abuse Scale
It is a 5-point Likert scale.
Each item is scored as:
Strongly disagree = 1
Disagree = 2
Neutral = 3
Agree = 4
Strongly agree = 5
Some items are reverse-scored; for these, 1↔5, 2↔4, 3 remains 3.
Total score is the sum of all item scores.
Higher scores indicate a more positive attitude toward reporting child abuse, while lower scores indicate reluctance or a negative attitude.
Measured: "pre-intervention"
Recognition of the signs and risk factors of child abuse and neglect measured using the Scale for Identifying the Signs and Risks of Child Abuse and Neglect.
The Attitudes of Healthcare Professionals Toward Reporting Child Abuse Scale, developed by Aynur Uysal in 1998, has 67 items and six subscales assessing knowledge of physical, behavioral, and neglect signs of abuse, as well as parent, child, and family risk factors. Items are rated on a 5-point Likert scale, with some reverse-scored, and higher subscale averages indicate greater knowledge in that area.
Measured: "immediately after the intervention"
Secondary outcomes (1)
Student Satisfaction and Self-Confidence in Learning
The scale is a 12-item, 5-point Likert instrument with two subscales: "Satisfaction with Current Learning" (5 items) and "Self-Confidence in Learning" (7 items). Scores range from 1 to 5 per item, with higher scores indicating greater learning satisfaction and self-confidence, and the total score ranges from 12 to 60.
The scale consists of 12 items and two subscales:
Satisfaction with Current Learning (5 items)
Self-Confidence in Learning (7 items)
The instrument is a five-point Likert-type scale ranging from 1 to 5, and it contains no negatively worded items. Total scores range from 12 to 60, with higher scores indicating higher levels of satisfaction with learning and greater self-confidence.
The internal consistency reliability of the scale was reported as Cronbach's alpha = 0.89.
Measured: "immediately after the intervention"
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted3 Apr 2026
- Study start10 Apr 2026 (estimated)
- Primary completion15 Jun 2026 (estimated)
- Study completion30 Jun 2026 (estimated)
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for Nursing EducationStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase N/A
- Primary purpose
- Other
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- Single blind
- Who is masked
- Participant
- Enrolment
- 70 participants (estimated)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Atlas University
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Responsible party
- Principal investigator, Sermin Dinc, Atlas University
- Investigators
- sermin dinç, Dr., Principal investigator, Atlas University
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07509723
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- E-22686390-050.99-93020
- Acronym
- Moulage
- Status last verified
- Mar 2026
- First submitted
- 5 Mar 2026
- Last updated
- 3 Apr 2026
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- No
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 3 Apr 2026. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- The Role of Moulage Technique in Identifying Physical Abuse in Children: A Randomized Controlled Study With Nursing Students
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07509723
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- Moulage / E-22686390-050.99-93020
- Conditions
- Nursing Education, Simulation of Physical Illness, Child Physical Abuse, Suspected, Sequela
- Keywords
- Child Physical Abuse, Moulage Technique, Nursing education
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Not yet recruiting
- Enrolment
- 70 participants (estimated)
- Lead sponsor
- Atlas UniversityUniversity, hospital or other
- Study start
- 10 Apr 2026 (estimated)
- Primary completion
- 15 Jun 2026 (estimated)
- Study completion
- 30 Jun 2026 (estimated)
- First posted
- 3 Apr 2026 (actual)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
Early recognition of physical abuse in children is essential for ensuring child safety and preventing further harm. However, distinguishing abuse-related injuries from accidental findings can be challenging, especially for nursing students who have limited clinical experience. Simulation-based educational methods may provide safe and effective environments for developing these skills.
This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of moulage-based simulation training in improving nursing students' ability to recognize signs of physical abuse in children. The study will use a randomized controlled design in which students will be assigned to either a moulage-based simulation group or a control group receiving standard theoretical education.
After a lecture on child physical abuse within the Child Health and Pediatric Nursing course, students will participate in laboratory practice sessions. The intervention group will assess a pediatric mannequin prepared with simulated abuse findings using moulage techniques. Students' knowledge and recognition of physical abuse indicators will be evaluated before and after the intervention.
The study seeks to determine whether moulage-based education improves nursing students' recognition of physical abuse findings and supports the development of clinical assessment skills.
Detailed description
Child abuse is a significant global public health problem and may occur in various forms, including physical, emotional, and sexual abuse as well as neglect. Physical abuse in children may manifest through a wide range of clinical findings such as bruises, burns, bite marks, cuts, fractures, and head injuries. Because these findings may sometimes be confused with other medical conditions or accidental injuries, it is critically important for healthcare professionals to accurately recognize signs of physical trauma in order to ensure the early protection of children.
Nurses frequently represent the first point of contact between abused children and the healthcare system and therefore play a key role in identifying trauma-related findings. For this reason, simulation-based educational strategies have gained increasing importance in nursing education to strengthen students' clinical observation and decision-making skills. Among these strategies, moulage is a makeup-based simulation technique that realistically replicates physical trauma findings such as bruises, burns, lacerations, and bite marks. By creating realistic clinical scenarios, moulage allows students to practice recognizing injury patterns and improves their ability to assess potential abuse cases.
Educational simulations using moulage can enhance students' engagement, facilitate experiential learning, and provide opportunities to practice clinical assessment skills in a safe learning environment. Such applications may contribute to improved recognition of trauma-related findings and support the development of professional competencies required for identifying possible child abuse cases.
The present study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of moulage-based simulation in improving nursing students' ability to recognize physical abuse findings in children. Within this framework, simulated physical abuse findings will be created on a pediatric mannequin using moulage techniques, and students will be asked to conduct a general physical assessment of the child. The effectiveness of this method will be compared with a traditional educational approach based on watching film scenes that include examples of physical abuse indicators.
The study will be conducted within the Child Health and Pediatric Nursing course at a university in Istanbul between December 2025 and February 2026. Students participating in the course will be randomly assigned to either a moulage-based simulation group or a film-based learning group. Following the educational interventions, students' knowledge, attitudes, communication skills, and learning experiences related to child abuse recognition will be evaluated using standardized assessment tools.
This research seeks to determine whether moulage-based simulation provides a more effective learning environment for recognizing signs of physical abuse in children. In addition, the study aims to explore how simulation-based training contributes to students' professional competencies in identifying potential abuse cases and to identify possible challenges encountered during the learning process.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Other
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- Single blind (participant)
- Number of arms
- 2
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Control group watching film clips showing physical abuse signs to support learning and discussion. | Active comparator | Other: movie groupA total of 30 minutes of selected clips from three films depicting physical abuse (Sleepers, Antwone Fisher, The Tale) will be shown. These clips include visual examples of physical abuse indicators, such as bruises, repeated injury marks (e.g., belt buckle marks, stick marks), and soft tissue injuries. The films will be shown only within the scope of the study and not as part of the course curriculum. During the intervention, students in both groups will be observed and guided by Assistant Professor Dr. Suna Uysal and Lecturer Nil Bruk, who have been invited from different universities. |
| Moulage Technique Group | Experimental | Other: Moulage Technique GroupMoulage applied to a child mannequin to assess students' attitudes and behavioral responses. |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 to 25 years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Accepted
- Age groups
- Adult
Key inclusion criteria (2 listed)
- Agreeing to participate in the study voluntarily
- Having completed the Child Health and Diseases course
Key exclusion criteria (1 listed)
- Having received any education or training related to child abuse and neglect other than the Child Health and Diseases course
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| Moulage Technique GroupMakeup (moulage) will be applied to a 3-5-year-old mannequin by an expert trained in moulage techniques. The application will be based on visual examples of physical abuse findings presented in the book "Physical Signs of Child Abuse" (Hobbs \& Wynne, 2001), which serves as an atlas commonly used in healthcare studies for identifying physical signs and lesions associated with child abuse. Students will then be asked to perform a "general physical assessment of the child" on the mannequin with the applied moulage injuries. | Other | Moulage Technique Group |
| movie groupControl group watches film clips showing physical abuse signs to support learning and discussion. A total of 30 minutes of selected clips from three films depicting physical abuse (Sleepers, Antwone Fisher, The Tale) will be shown. These clips include visual examples of physical abuse indicators, such as bruises, repeated injury marks (e.g., belt buckle marks, stick marks), and soft tissue injuries. The films will be shown only within the scope of the study and not as part of the course curriculum. | Other | Control group watching film clips showing physical abuse signs to support learning and discussion. |
Primary outcome
Healthcare Professionals' Attitudes Toward Reporting Child Abuse Scale
Time frame: "pre-intervention"
It is a 5-point Likert scale. Each item is scored as: Strongly disagree = 1 Disagree = 2 Neutral = 3 Agree = 4 Strongly agree = 5 Some items are reverse-scored; for these, 1↔5, 2↔4, 3 remains 3. Total score is the sum of all item scores. Higher scores indicate a more positive attitude toward reporting child abuse, while lower scores indicate reluctance or a negative attitude.
Recognition of the signs and risk factors of child abuse and neglect measured using the Scale for Identifying the Signs and Risks of Child Abuse and Neglect.
Time frame: "immediately after the intervention"
The Attitudes of Healthcare Professionals Toward Reporting Child Abuse Scale, developed by Aynur Uysal in 1998, has 67 items and six subscales assessing knowledge of physical, behavioral, and neglect signs of abuse, as well as parent, child, and family risk factors. Items are rated on a 5-point Likert scale, with some reverse-scored, and higher subscale averages indicate greater knowledge in that area.
1 secondary outcome
Student Satisfaction and Self-Confidence in Learning
Time frame: "immediately after the intervention"
Results and safety
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 3 Apr 2026.
- Risk factors for child abuse: Quantitative correlational designLink provided by the sponsor.
- Child abuse and neglect: Reporting by health professionals and their need for trainingLink provided by the sponsor.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: No
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Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part.
sermin dinç, Dr. principal investigator
Atlas University
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Moulage Technique Group and movie group in people with Nursing Education and Simulation of Physical Illness, run by Atlas University at 1 site in Turkey (Türkiye).
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 2 inclusion and 1 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: opening soon, as of the sponsor's last update on 3 Apr 2026. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 1 site in Turkey (Türkiye). Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
Contact sermin dinç, Dr. (+905424033430, sermin.dinc@atlas.edu.tr), or a site near the patient. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Healthcare Professionals' Attitudes Toward Reporting Child Abuse Scale (time frame: "pre-intervention"). The study lists 2 primary outcomes in all. It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 3 Apr 2026.