Prevalence of child sexual abuse among secondary school adolescents in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State, Nigeria

Abstract

Background: The traumatic impact of experiencing sexual abuse as a child can be long lasting and span into adulthood; it is a contributory factor to poor academic performance, suicide, depression, high prevalence of HIV/AIDS and transmission of abusive characters to the younger generations. The crime permeates all cultures, gender, and socioeconomic classes. This study evaluated the prevalence of child sexual abuse (CSA) and socio-demographic risk factors among adolescents in Obio/Akpor LGA, Rivers State, Nigeria

Methodology: Using multi-staged sampling technique, 1558 adolescents aged 10-19 years were studied in a cross-sectional, school- based survey from January to May 2013, to determine the prevalence of child sexual abuse among adolescents in Obio/ Akpor. Ethical clearance was obtained. Confidentiality and anonymity was ensured. Data was collected using a semi-structured pretested questionnaire completed by students. Descriptive statistics was used for data analysis, test for association between subgroups was carried out using Chi-square test while the difference between means was determined using the Students t-test.

Results: The subjects comprised of 739 males (47.4%) and 819 females (52.6%) with a male female ratio of 1:1.1. 572 of the 1558 subjects had experienced CSA giving an overall prevalence of 36.7%. The proportion of females and males that were sexually abused were 47.4% and 24.9% respectively. Girls were 2.7 times more likely to be victims of CSA compared to their male counterparts. (OR: 2.714; 95% CI: 2.188 - 3.37) The gender difference was statistically significant (p= 0.001). The highest prevalence of CSA of 39.8 % occurred within the age range of 14-16 years. The age at the time of CSA ranged from 7 – 18 years with a mean age of 12.6 ± 2.9 years. The prevalence rate increased with low social class, living in a single family set up and the presence of more than 4 children in the family.

Conclusion: The prevalence of child sexual abuse among adolescents in secondary school in Obio/ Akpor LGA is high. It is recommended that a stable home with adequate monitoring of children especially the girl child as well an increased public enlightenment on the risk factors and prevention of CSA can reduce its occurrence