Abstract
This study investigated child abuse and neglect as predictors of depressive tendencies among adolescents in secondary schools in Ideato North Local Government Area (L.G.A.) of Imo State, Nigeria. The study adopted a correlational survey research design. Two research questions and two hypotheses were formulated to guide the study. The study population comprised all the public and private secondary school adolescents in Ideato North Local Government Area of Imo State. The population consists of thirteen thousand seven hundred and fifteen (13,715) adolescent students in secondary schools. A sample of 1364 students was used for the study representing 10% of the entire population using the clustered sampling technique. A questionnaire titled Physical and Sexual Abuse Scale (PSAS) and Depressive Tendencies Scale (D.T.S.) were validated. The reliability coefficients of the instruments were 0.94 and 0.89, respectively using Cronbach alpha statistics, which guarantee the use of the instruments for the study. The Pearson product-moment correlation coefficient was used to answer the research questions, while the two hypotheses were tested at a probability level of 0.05 using ANOVA. It was found out among others that physical and sexual abuses predict depressive tendencies among adolescent students. It was recommended that government should enact legislation against child abuse and neglect, there should be awareness programmes for children through a collaboration of parents and teachers/caregivers, principals should recognize the roles of educational psychologists and school counselors in the fight against sexual abuse and neglect, parents and guardians should also be properly enlightened through seminars and workshops by government and N.G.O.s to prevent and protect their children and wards against any forms of child abuse and neglect.
Highlights
It is no more a controversy that children are the leaders of tomorrow and as such should be treated as important human elements in our society
The ANOVA table shows a significant relationship between physical abuse, neglect and depressive tendencies among secondary school adolescents in Ideato North Local Government Area of Imo State since the sig value p=0.043 is less than 0.05 alpha level
The findings of this study indicate that child abuse and neglect are predictors of depressive tendencies among secondary school adolescents in Ideato North Local Government Area of Imo State
Summary
It is no more a controversy that children are the leaders of tomorrow and as such should be treated as important human elements in our society. According to World Health Organization (2006), such records contain reports of unkempt, weak and malnourished children cast out of families to fend for themselves, especially those of them who have been physically and or sexually abused These children who have experienced this abuse and neglect are at risk for a number of problematic developmental, health and mental outcomes, including learning problems and peer problems and internalizing symptoms such as depression and anxiety together with conduct disorder or aggression and post-traumatic stress disorder. As an adolescent, these children continue to exhibit increased risk for emotional disorders, substance use, serious medical illness, etc. This study needs this study as adolescent secondary school students could be adversely affected by the conditions of child abuse and neglect
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