Health communications about infant abandonment and safe haven laws: recommendations from a diverse sample of university students in the U.S

Objective: It is estimated that annually, several hundred infants are abandoned in the United States. Infant safe haven laws (SHLs) allow parents to legally surrender their infants, but knowledge of these laws is limited and use of SHLs may be tied to racial. Most infants are abandoned or relinquished by young adults; the primary targets of SHLs are young adults and yet, their knowledge and where they learned about SHLs remains unexamined. Methods: Using a quantitative, online survey, this study examined the knowledge of SHLs and recommendations concerning public health communications regarding SHLs of a diverse sample of university students (n = 222). Results: Findings showed modest knowledge about SHLs (59.1%); most students learned about SHLs from the media and TV shows; recommendations about how to communicate with the public varied by some racial characteristics. Conclusions: This brief ends with recommendations for how to educate a diverse university population about SHLs and recommendations for future research.