Socio-Cultural Variables and Child Abuse in Akwa Ibom State

Abstract

This study examined socio-cultural variables and child abuse in Akwa Ibom State. Four objectives, four research questions and four hypotheses guided this study. A correlation research design was used and the population of this study was 57,004 students in senior secondary II classes in the 253 public secondary schools for the 2020/2021 academic session in the study area and a sample size of 570 students from 11 of the schools selected through simple random sampling technique was used for the study but 526 students returned the questionnaires. A researcher-made questionnaire named Socio-Cultural Variables and Child Abuse Questionnaire with reliability coefficient of 0.74 was the instrument for data collection. The instrument was duly administered on the respondents and the data collected were used in testing the hypotheses formulated. The data were analyzed using Pearson product moment correlation at .05 alpha level. The findings of the study showed that poverty, domestic violence, child rearing practices and family structure significantly related with child. Based on these findings, it was concluded that socio-cultural variables significantly contribute to child abuse in Akwa Ibom State. It was recommended that parents/guardians irrespective of the family structure should strive as much as possible to provide for their children, positively influence them, and raise them properly with love so that they can develop the right attitude to life rather than allowing life situations to make them abuse their children.