Abstract
The study investigated prevalence and perpetrators of domestic violence against adolescents in Rivers State. Cross sectional and co-relational designs were used for the study. Three research questions guided the study and four hypotheses were postulated and tested. The population for the study was 93,076 adolescents in Rivers State Senior Secondary Schools. A sample size of one thousand five hundred and twelve (1512) respondents was selected using multistage sampling procedures. The instrument for data collection was validated self-structured/adapted 59-item questionnaire titled domestic violence prevalence and perpetrators questionnaire (DVPPQ). The data generated were subjected to statistical analysis using mean and standard deviation to answer the research questions, while Z-test and ANOVA were used to test the hypotheses at 0.05 alpha levels. The findings of the study revealed that domestic violence against adolescents was prevalent in Rivers State with grand mean of 2.63. Guardians, siblings and parents were the major perpetrators of physical, verbal, economic and emotional abuses, while relatives, friends and neighbors were the perpetrators of sexual abuse against adolescents. The findings also revealed that age, parents’/guardians’ educational and occupational status had no significant influence on the perpetration of domestic against adolescents but gender did. Based on the findings, the study recommended among others that integrated approaches be adopted to curb the menace of domestic violence in the society, particularly in Rivers State.
Highlights
Domestic violence (DV) has been recognized as a global public health problem affecting various individuals including adolescents with its attendant negative effects
Research Question 1: What is the prevalence of domestic Violence among adolescents in Rivers State?
OF FINDINGS Prevalence of Domestic Violence against Adolescents The findings of the study in tables 1-5 showed that domestic violence was prevalent among adolescents in Rivers State with a grand mean of 2.63 which included physical abuse (2.47) verbal abuse (3.31), emotional abuse (2.79), economic abuse (2.76) and sexual abuse(1.84) this study revealed that verbal abuse had the highest mean score (3.31) among other forms of domestic violence experienced by adolescents
Summary
Domestic violence (DV) has been recognized as a global public health problem affecting various individuals including adolescents with its attendant negative effects. According to Alvarez Davidson, Fleming and Glass (2016), the phenomenon has attracted careful attention from numerous national and international establishments, yet its prevalence is increasing on a daily basis and has continued to be a persistent social problem cutting across religious, racial and cultural borders. World Health Organization [WHO] (2017) revealed that domestic violence against adolescents progresses to domestic violence in adult relationship the need to break the cycle. Femi-Ajao, (2018) observed that Sub Saharan Africa remains the most affected as confirmed by previous research studies which revealed up to fifty-one per cent prevalence. In Nigeria, the prevalence of DV is on the increase, as according to Musawa (2016) and Nigeria
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