Lifetime Experience of Childhood Abuse and Neglect Among High School Students at Debre Tabor Town, South Gondar Zone, Northwest Ethiopia: An Institution-Based Cross-Sectional Study

Background

Childhood abuse and neglect is defined as any intentional harm or mistreatment of a child that results in actual or potential harm to the child's health, survival and development. It has been linked to an increased risk of a wide range of serious short- and long-term medical and mental health problems. Although it is a complex societal issue, it receives limited research attention in the area.

Objective

To assess lifetime prevalence of childhood abuse and neglect among high school students in Debre Tabor town, south Gondar Zone, Northwest Ethiopia, 2022.

Methods

A cross-sectional study design was used to assess 423 high school students, chosen through a systematic sampling technique. Data were collected using a pre-tested, structured and self-administered international child abuse screening tool, child version (ICAST-C). The effect of independent variables on the outcome variable was explored using logistic regression analyses. The level of significances were determined using an odds ratio with a 95% confidence interval.

Results

Of the 423 study participants, 84.4% had lifetime experience of childhood abuse and neglect. Being female (AOR=4.5, 95% CI: 2.38, 8.60), parental marital status (AOR=5.4, 95% CI: 1.07, 27.3), illiteracy of father (AOR=1.65, 95% CI: 4.5, 6.03), birth order (AOR=4.5, 95% CI: 1.57, 13.0), open family discussion of sexual matters (AOR=0.37, 95% CI:1.74, 7.86), and watching pornography (AOR=0.08, 95% CI: 0.02, 0.40) were significantly associated with lifetime experience of childhood abuse and neglect.

Conclusion

Lifetime experience of childhood abuse and neglect was high as compared with previous studies. Being female, parental marital status, illiterate fathers, watching pornography, and open family discussion of sexual matters were predictors of childhood abuse and neglect. Dealing with this issue should be considered an integral component of high school students' care, including parental education and respite care.

ISPCAN Child Abuse Screening Tool for Children (ICAST-C): Translation and adaptation to Mexican Spanish, and psychometric properties tested in Mexico City adolescents

BACKGROUND

Research using the IPSCAN Child Abuse Screening Tool for Children (ICAST-C), has provided ample evidence of the magnitude of violence against children. Knowledge about its psychometric characteristics and validity is limited. Hence, our objective was to translate and culturally adapt the ICAST-C in adolescents from Mexico City and determine its psychometric properties.

PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING

To determine the psychometric properties of the instrument 723 adolescents between 11 and 18 years of age from 9 public secondary schools in Mexico City participated.

METHODS

The study was carried out in two phases: 1) translation and adaptation of the instrument (in 5 steps) and 2) pilot evaluation of the psychometric properties. Total and factor reliabilities were determined, Pearson correlation was used for temporal stability while construct validity was determined by Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA), and final adequacy of the items eliminated by the CFA.

RESULTS

We developed the culturally relevant Mexican Spanish version of the ICAST-C. The CFA confirmed the six-factor structure hypothesis. To improve the original model we eliminated ten items, the final model showed good global fit indices (χ2(1310) = 2207.68, p < .01, χ2/df = 1.68; CFI =0.95; RMSEA = 0.02 [CI95% 0.02-0.03]; SRMR = 0.08). Total and factor reliabilities were adequate (Alpha = 0.79-0.92, r = 0.52-0.75), except for the non-violent discipline factor (Alpha = 0.59, r = 0.38).

CONCLUSIONS

While these data suggest that this version of the ICAST-C is valid and reliable for adolescents in Mexico City public secondary schools, further research should evaluate the psychometric properties in a national sample.

Children's exposure to psychological abuse and neglect: A population-based study in rural Bangladesh

AIM

We aimed to estimate the prevalence and risk factors of child psychological abuse and neglect in a rural area of Bangladesh.

METHODS

Data were obtained from interviewing 1416 children aged 11-17 years administering the International Society for the Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect Child Abuse Screening Tool for Children between March and April 2017. Linear regression analysis was used to estimate the risks of child psychological abuse and neglect.

RESULTS

The prevalence rates of at least one form of psychological abuse both in the past year and lifetime were more than 97 per cent. Moreover, the rates of at least one form of neglect were about 58 per cent during the past year and 78 per cent over lifetime. Living separately from parents posed children to significant risks of neglect and psychological abuse. Working children and greater number of siblings in a family were risk factors for neglect, whereas witnessing family violence and being bullied were risk factors for psychological abuse. Children with more years of schooling experienced less neglect and psychological abuse.

CONCLUSION

The high prevalence of child psychological abuse and neglect in this study shows child maltreatment as an ignored issue in Bangladesh.

Child Maltreatment in Turkey: Comparison of Parent and Child Reports

BACKGROUND AND AIM

Child maltreatment, i.e. abuse and neglect, is a significant problem worldwide and can cause impaired physical and mental health throughout life. The true extent still remains unknown in all countries, including Turkey. The aim of this study was to apply the two versions of the International Society for the Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect (ISPCAN) Child Abuse Screening Tool of ICAST-C and ICAST-P, which are used to assess child and parent feedback and to compare reports given by children and those given by parents. This is the first study of its kind conducted in Turkey.

METHODS

First, ICAST was translated into Turkish by bilingual experts. Students and their parents were asked to complete ICAST-C and ICAST-P respectively, with the help of trained researchers. In total, data from 2,608 matched reports (2,608 children and 2,608 parents) was obtained. Descriptive statistics were used to evaluate demographical variables, and chi-square tests were employed to investigate the statistical significance of comparisons.

RESULTS

The present study demonstrated that Turkish parents consider rebukes, insults and corporal punishment effective ways of disciplining children. According to parents' reports, the use of psychological abuse was most prevalent against boys aged 16, while the use of physical abuse was most prevalent against boys aged 13. A statistically significant relationship was found between parents' economic conditions and child abuse (p<0.01). No significant relationship was detected between maternal educational levels and child abuse (p>0.05). However, the relationship between paternal educational background and psychological abuse was observed to be significant (p<0.05). A comparison of children's and parents' reports shows that parents tended to under-report child maltreatment.

CONCLUSIONS

The results show that there is a significant healthcare problem in Turkey, since child maltreatment is prevalent, but parents are not generally aware of its extent. Possible approaches to changing this situation include efforts to increase education levels, promoting public awareness, and strengthening political commitments.