ABSTRACT
The
study examined the influence of child abuse on the social adjustment of
students in secondary schools in Mainland Local Government Area of Lagos State.
The descriptive research survey was used to assess the respondents’ opinions
using a researcher designed questionnaire. One hundred and twenty respondents
were selected for the study using the stratified sampling technique to
represent the population of the study. Four null hypotheses were formulated and
tested using the Pearson Product Moment Correlation statistical tool. Results
showed that there is a significant relationship between social adjustment and
each of physical, psychological, sexual and emotional abuse. These findings
were discussed generally and recommendations were made.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Title page i
Certification ii
Dedication iii
Acknowledgements iv
Abstract v
Table of contents vi
Chapter One: Introduction 1
1.1 Background to the Study 1
1.2 Statement of the Problem 6
1.3 Purpose of the Study 9
1.4
Research Questions 10
1.5
Research hypotheses 10
1.6
Significance of the
Study 11
1.7
Scope and of the
Study 11
1.8
Definition 12
Chapter Two: Literature Review 13
2.0 Introduction 13
2.1 Concept of Child Physical Abuse and
Neglect 14
2.2 Parental Abuse and Neglect of Toddlers 17
2.3 Causes of Child Abuse 19
2.4 Effect of
Emotional Abuse on Social Adjustment of Children 24
2.5 Effect of
Physical Abuse on Social Adjustment of Children
25
2.6 The
Effect of Psychological Abuse on Social Adjustment of Children 26
2.7 The
Effects of Sexual Abuse on Social Adjustment of Children 30
2.8 Perpetrators
and Families in which Neglect Occurs 34
2.9 Perpetrators
and Families in which Physical Abuse Occurs 35
2.10 Prevention
and Intervention 36
2.6
Summary of Review 38
Chapter Three: Methodology 42
3.1
Research Design 42
3.2
Population of Study 42
3.3
Sampling Procedure 43
3.4
Sample Size 43
3.5
Instrument 43
3.6
Administration of
Instrument 44
3.7
Validity of the Instrument 44
3.8
Reliability of the
Instrument 44
3.9
Procedure of Data
Analysis 45
Chapter
Four: Data Analysis, Presentation
of Results and
Discussion of Findings 46
4.1
Introduction 46
4.2
Hypotheses Testing 46
4.3 Summary of
Findings 47
Chapter
Five: Summary, Conclusion and
Recommendations 53
5.1
Introduction 53
5.2 Discussion
of the Findings 53
5.3 Summary of
the Findings 57
5.4 Conclusion
58
5.5 Recommendations
59
References 61
Appendix 64
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background
to the Study
The
term “child abuse” is becoming alarming in our contemporary society. Its
magnitude and frequency of occurrence are such that is has attracted global
attention. The protection of children from all kinds of abuse has been a major
crusade in our society (Henry, 2004). Parents who abuse children from all
ethnic, religious, geographic, socio-economic, and educational groups, moat
child abuse parents were themselves abuse as children. They regard their
children as someone who should satisfy his/her parents’ psychological needs.
When the child cannot do this, as he/she usually cannot, the parents may become
violently angry. Most abusers are simply lonely, unloved, immature, depressed
and angry persons.
The
way children are abuse these days is not the way it was in the olden days. For
example, many parents do undress in the full glare of their children, thereby
abusing them psychologically. In those days, parents hardly undress in the
presence of their children. And this has curtailed the rate of child abuse in
those days. These days, parents do not see their undressing before their
children as anything bad. Rather, they think that they are teaching the child
on how to take care of their bodies and dresses.
Child
abuse is the physical or emotional harm to children caused by parents,
guardians or other adult members of the society, Achilles (2004). In the United
States for example, physical abuse per a million people are reported each year.
An approximately equal number of cases of serious neglect are reported. One
third of all types of child abuse affect children under 1 year of age, one
third from ages 1 to 3 and one third over 3 years. Every country of the world
has laws requiring physicians and other professionals to report suspected child
abuse.
Laymen
and also strongly encouraged to report cases of child abuse or neglect in order
for these children to be identified and helped (United Nations, 2000).
The
rate of which adolescents are turning to become touts and hooligans in the
society is one of the reasons this researcher is embarking on this study. This
is because many students from good homes seem to turn out to be socially
maladjusted. Perhaps due to the problem of parental abuse or neglect. The numbers
of homeless, street trading, touts, area boys and girls and prostitution among
our youths in the Nigerian society, especially in Surulere Local Government
Area of Lagos State cannot but be a great source of concern.
Oloko
(2005) is of the opinion that the magnitude of child abuse or neglect and its
frequency of occurrence are such that it has attracted global attention for
example, she claims that the protection of children from all forms of abuse has
been a major crusade in our society and beyond. According to her, symposia were
organized in Lagos and other places to mark the day of the African child in
which people participated. Representative from United Nations Children
Education Fund (UNICEF) were not left out. In addition, other organisation such
as the Organisation for African United (OAU) the International Labour
Organisation (ILO) etc frowned at this phenomenon in the society.
Children
are abused in many ways by either parents or the adult members of the society.
The abuse ranges from sexual abuse, physical abuse, psychological abuse,
emotional abuse, to total neglect which in any case leads to their negative
social adjustment in the society (Russel, 2004). Child sexual abuse and neglect
are widely regarded as a cause of mental health problems in adult life. The
possible influence of child sexual abuse on adult social and economic
functioning has not received the attention it perhaps deserves, as well as
documented difficulties that sexually abused children experience in the school
situation with academic performance and behaviour (Jong, Balt and Raymond,
2002).
Banjor
(2006) states that, the fact that the Nigerian children are subjected to
various forms of abuse and neglect by individuals and the society does not
means that it is legal and fashionable to treat children in such manner. He
therefore, supports the opinion of the Nigerian constitution which stipulates
in chapter 11, section 18 that children of young persons and the aged in our
society or communities are to be protected against moral or material neglect.
Becker,
(2000) states that in the United States of America, various laws are made in
order to protect the interest of children. Their provision is further
buttressed by the fact that the children must not be subjected to any kind of
abuse or neglect. Moreso, as they symbolize the future growth of the society in
which they live.
Bamidele
(2003) state that children are commonly seen in Lagos hawking while their
parents/guardians comfortably sit at home waiting for the proceeds. Apart from
not being in school. Female children are given out in early marriages at a very
tender age. Also, the female genital mutilation abounds in almost all parts of
the country today, it is very pathetic to observed that despite media reports
regarding its hazards some parents and guardians still subject their children
or wards to this dangerous practice.
It
is impossible to eradicate child abuse or neglect when in actual fact,
parents/guardians, actively encourage it. For example, in some communities,
parents actually give out their children or wards as house helps only to come
at the end of the month for income (Adeoye, 2000 and Kendale, 2000). Child
abuse has caused untold hardship on the children who are abused, especially
children given to serve people as househelps. In many cases, children who serve
as househelps do not go to school. Even, when they go to school their school
fees are not paid promptly and their necessary schools materials such as school
uniforms, textbooks, exercise books etc are not provided. This condition of
being a househelp leads a child to absenteeism, truancy and dropping out of
school syndrome. These in any case, lead to poor academic performance, poor and
social personal adjustment and poor socio-economic status of the child when
he/she becomes an adult member of the society. In many cases, child abuse has
led to prostitution, and sexual harassment which in turn led to unwanted
pregnancies, aborting, death or early motherhood without education. For example
a girl child who hawks wares on the street may end up being a prostitute and
consequently contacting sexually transmitted disease such as the deadly
HIV/AIDS and this may lead to premature death and cutting short of her
opportunity and career in life (Nwagbo, 2004).
Child
abuse may be limited to the following factors: Lack of parental care, poverty,
loss of parents or death of breadwinner(s) in the home, parental separation of
marital divorce. Some of these factors can lead to a child being left in the
hands of care-giver, such as step-parents/guardians etc who now mishandle the
affairs of the child in the most unfortunate way or manner which contributes
abuse or care-givers to the child’s social adjustment cannot be over
emphasized. Due to the abuse meted on the child by those who are supposed to
take care of him/her, make the child to be socially maladjusted in the
immediate community or society where he/she funds him/her self. This leads to
social deviations and delinquencies which are anti-social behaviours or
negative norms the society abhorres and avoids (Chen, 2003).
1.2 Statement
of the Problem
The
increase in the incidence of child abuse in the society has been of great
concern to both the government and educationsists. The issues of child abuse
has been persistent in many parts of the country. The society or environment
where a child is brought up is a determinant of the level of child abuse he/she
is subjected to. Due to this, the society is no longer free. Child abuse has
eaten the minds of many Nigerians especially parents, guardians and other care
givers in the country. The problems of child abuse include street begging for
parents upkeep, hawking on the streets by kids where they can easily be exposed
to dangers of being knocked down by speeding vehicles. Many children who are
neglected by their parents are atimes hooligans, robbers etc while the female
ones go into prostitution and other related cases, such as rape, sexual
harassment, drug abuse and addiction which is a deviant behaviour in the
society.
Other
negative influence are personality problems, high rate of crimes in our
society, corruption, absenteeism, truancy and dropping out of school which is
prevalent among the abused and the neglected children etc.
It
is against this background that this study is embarked upon in order to examine
the effects of child abuse on the social adjustment of the pupils in the
primary school level and to prefer possible solution to this problem.
Psychological
maltreatment is understood to occur alone as psychological abuse or neglect, to
occur in association with other forms of abuse and neglect, and to be the
embedded psychological context, and meaning of other forms of neglect and
abuse.
The
term psychological maltreatment has come to be preferred to other labels (e.g.
emotional abuse and neglect, mental abuse or injury). It includes both the
cognitive and affective (psychological) meanings of maltreatment as well as
perpetrator maltreatment acts of both commission and omission (Joan, 2001).
Psychological
maltreatment include: spurning, i.e. hostile rejecting /degrading, verbal and
non-verbal caregiver acts that reject and degrade a child; terrorizing i.e.
caregivers behaviour that threatens or is likely to physically hurt, kill,
abandon, or place the child or child’s loved ones or objects in recognizably
dangerous situations; isolation of the child i.e. caregiver acts that
consistently deny the child the opportunities to meet needs for interacting or
communicating with peers or adults inside or outside the home;
exploiting/corrupting the child i.e. modelling, permitting or encouraging
anti-social behaviour; denying emotional responsiveness i.e. caregiver acts
that ignore the child’s attempts and needs to interact and show no emotion in
interactions with the child and mental health, medical and educational neglect
i.e. ignoring the need for, failing or refusing to allow or provide treatment
for serious emotional/behavioural, physical health, or educational problems or
needs of the child.
Sexual
abuse accounts for 12 percent of the one million substantiated cases of child
abuse and neglect annually Reece (2000). Girls are three times more likely to
be sexually abused than boys. The overwhelming victims know their abusers.
Girls are more likely abused by their family members, and boys, by friends of the
family.
Child
sexual abuse include: penetration (oral, vaginal, or anal) often leads to more
symptoms. Abuse that occurs often and lasts for years will typically be more
harmful than abuse that happens only sporadically and over less time. The
effects of sexual abuse of the child include: Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
(PTSD), cognitive distortions, emotional distress, impaired sense of self,
avoidance, interpersonal difficulties and physical health problems etc.
1.3 Purpose
of the Study
The
objective of this study was to investigate the influence of child abuse on the
social adjustment of children. Other specific objectives of the study include:
1. To
assess the prevalence of child abuse in Lagos State.
2. To
find out whether physical abuse of children influences their social adjustment.
3. To
ascertain whether there is any relationship between psychological abuse and
social adjustment of children.
4. To
investigate whether a relationship exists between sexual abuse and children’s
social adjustment.
5. To
examine if relationship exists between emotional abuse and children’s social
adjustment.
1.4 Research
Questions
The
following research questions will guide the conduct of this study.
1. How
pronounced is child abuse in Lagos State?
2. To
what extent does physical abuse influence the social adjustment of children?
3. Is
there a relationship between psychological abuse and social adjustment of
children?
4. Is
there any relationship between sexual abuse and children’s social adjustment?
5. How
does emotional abuse affects children’s social adjustment in the society?
1.5 Research
Hypotheses
Ho1: There is no significant relationship between
physical abuse and children’s social adjustment.
Ho2: There is no significant
relationship between psychological abuse and children’s social adjustment.
Ho3: There is no significant
relationship between sexual abuse and children’s social adjustment.
Ho4: There is no significant
relationship between emotional abuse and children’s social adjustment in the
society.
1.6 Significance
of the Study
The
importance of this research work will be that it would provide more knowledge
to the masses especially, the parents or guardians on the implications of any
form of child abuse and neglect on adolescents.
It
will also enlighten people on the different forms of abuse of children and
maltreatment and various ways would be suggested on the best method of handling
the issue of child abuse in the society. As this has posed a serious concerns
to both the government and parents in the country today.
Not
only that, new and upcoming researchers and students would find this work a
great treasure and a reference material in their future work.
1.7 Scope/Limitation
of the Study
The
study was limited to the influence of child abuse on the social adjustment of
students in selected secondary schools in Mainland Local Government Area of
Lagos State.
Some
factors that may hinder this study are factors like fund, time, sourcing of
relevant materials and other logistics in the course of carrying out this
investigation.
1.8 Definition
of Terms
The
following terms were operational defined:
Child: A
child is a person who is easily controlled due to his frail personality and
dictated for by the adult members of the society (Ross & Ross, 2000).
Child Abuse:
Child abuse is used in terms of child labour beyond the age of the child. For
example, long hours of labour, sending the child to do some paid jobs in order
to assist the family income when the child is supposed to go the school etc
(Mindle, 2003).
Child Neglect: Child
neglect means a situation whereby the child is not given proper care of
attention as being deprived of the basic comforts of life (Alpha, 2004).
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