Influence of Parental Socio-Economic Status On The Incidence of Child Abuse and Neglect Among Primary School Pupils in Aguata Education Zone of Anambra State

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OKPUKPARA IJEOMA P
(PG/MED/08/49696)
INFLUENCE OF PARENTAL SOCIO-ECONOMIC

SOCIO ECONOMIC STATUS ON
THE INCIDENCE OF CHILD ABUSE AND NEGLECT AMONG
PRIMARY SCHOOL PUPILS IN AGUATA EDUCATION ZONE OF
ANAMBRA STATE.
FACULTY OF EDUCATION
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATIONAL
FOUNDATIONS
Digitally Signed by:: Content managers Name

Ebere Omeje DN : CN = Webmasters name
O= University of Nigeria,
a, Nsukka
OU = Innovation Centre
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INFLUENCE OF PARENTAL SOCIO-ECONOMIC STATUS ON THE

INCIDENCE OF CHILD ABUSE AND NEGLECT AMONG PRIMARY
SCHOOL PUPILS IN AGUATA EDUCATION ZONE OF ANAMBRA
STATE.
BY
OKPUKPARA IJEOMA P
(PG/MED/08/49696)
PROJECT SUBMITTED TO THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATIONAL

FOUNDATIONS, FACULTY OF EDUCATION
UNIVERSITY OF NIGERIA, NSUKKA IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT
OF REQUIREMENT FOR THE AWARD OF DEGREE OF MASTER OF
EDUCATION (M.ED) IN CHILDHOOD EDUCATION.
SUPERVISOR: PROF (MRS) J. O. CHUKWU
JANUARY, 2015
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APPROVAL PAGE
THIS THESIS HAS BEEN APPROVED FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF

EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATIONS, UNIVERSITY OF NIGERIA, NSUKKA.
BY
..
PROF (MRS.) J. O. CHUKWU INTERNAL EXAMINER
SUPERVISOR

EXTERNAL EXAMINER PROF C.J.A. ONWUKA
HEAD OF DEPARTMENT

PROF UJU UMO
DEAN OF FACULTY
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CERTIFICATION
This is to certify that OKPUKPARA IJEOMA P. a postgraduate student in the
Department of Educational Foundations with registration number
PG/MED/08/49696 has satisfactory completed the requirement for the award of
the degree of Master of Education (M.ED) in Childhood Education. The work
embodied in this project is original and has not been submitted in part or full for
any other diploma or degree of this or any other university.
.. ..
OKPUKPARA, IJEOMA P. PROF (MRS.) J. O. CHUKWU
STUDENT SUPERVISOR
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DEDICATION
The work is dedicated to all Nigerian children.
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The researcher is immensely grateful to God Almighty for good health,
divine favour, provision and protection throughout the period of this research
work.
The researchers appreciation goes to her supervisor, Prof (Mrs.) J.O.
Chukwu, who painstakingly directed and read through the entire work in a step-
by-step basis. The researcher also appreciate her supervisor for her patience,
tolerance, kindness, ever-preparedness to help and wealthy experiences that
propelled the researcher from the beginning of this study to the end. The
researcher is grateful to Prof. (Mrs.) Julie Ibiam for her positive criticism,
suggestions and encouragement. The researcher also thanks the children who
were used for this study.
Special thanks goes to the researchers loving and caring husband Mr.
Emma Mbanefo Okpukpara for his financial support and encouragement. The
researcher appreciates the love and prayers of her children Chukwuemerie
Okpukpara and Mmesoma Okpukpara throughout the period of this work.
Okpukpara Ijeoma P.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Title Page i
Approval ii
Certification iii
Dedication iv
Acknowledgement v
Table of Contents vi
List of Tables ix
Abstracts x
CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION 1
Background of the Study 1
Statement of the Problem 9
Purpose of the Study 10
Significance of the Study 10
Scope of the Study 11
Research Questions 12
Hypotheses 12
CHAPTER TWO: REVIEW OF LITERATURE 13
Conceptual Framework 14
Concept of Child 14
Concept of Child abuse and neglect 14
Forms of Child abuse and neglect 15
Possible Causes of Child Abuse and neglect 21
Possible Consequences of Child abuse and neglect 23
Possible Strategies for solution of the identify problems 24
Concept of Socio-Economic Status 25
Theoretical Framework 27
The Social Learning Theory of Albert Bandura 27
Abraham Maslow Hierarchy of Human Needs 28
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Eri Eriksons Psychosocial Theory 30

Review of Empirical Studies 31
Study on Child maltreatment 31
Study on sexual abuse 32
Study on child neglect 34
Summary of Literature Review 36
CHAPTER THREE: RESEARCH METHOD
Design of the Study 37
Area of the Study 37
Population of the Study 38
Sample and Sampling Technique 38
Instrument for Data collection 38
Validation of the Instrument 39
Reliability of the Instrument 40
Method of Data collection 40
Method of Data Analysis 40
CHAPTER FOUR RESULTS
Research Question 1 41
Hypothesis 1 42
Hypothesis 2 44
Hypothesis 3 47
Summary of Findings 47
CHAPTER FIVE DISCUSSION, CONCLUSION, IMPLICATIONS
Discussion of Major Findings 49
Educational Implications 51
Recommendation 53
Limitation of the study 53
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Suggestions for Further Study 54

Summary of the Study 54
REFERENCES 56
Appendix A 61
Appendix B 66
Appendix C 71
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LIST OF TABLES
1. Mean and Standard deviation of the extent of influence of Parents
income on the incidence of child abuse and neglect - - - 43
2. One-way analysis of various (ANOVA) of extent to which Parents level

of income influence the incidence of child abuse and neglect in Aguata
Education Zone.- - - - - - - - - 44
3. Mean and Standard deviation of the extent of the influence of Parents
level of education on the incidence of child abuse and neglect - 45
4. One-way analysis of variation (ANOVA) of extent Parents level of
education influence the incidence of child abuse and neglect. 47
5. Mean and Standard deviation of the influence of Parents occupation on
the incidence of child abuse and neglect. - - - - 48
6. There is no significant difference in the mean response of pupils on the
extent to which Parents occupation influence the incidence of child
abuse and neglect in Aguata Education Zone - - - 49
7. One-way analysis of variance of the influence of socio-economic status
on the incidence child abuse and neglect. - - - - 71
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Abstract
The study sought to find out the influence of parental socio-economic status on
the incidence of child abuse and neglect among primary school pupils in Aguata
education zone of Anambra State. Three major attributes of socio-economic
status (parents income, parents education and parents occupation) were
considered. The study adopted Ex-post facto research design. Three research
questions and three hypotheses were formulated to guide the study. Sample
consisted of 618 primary six pupils drawn from schools in Aguata education
zone through simple random sampling. The instrument used for data collection
was parental socio-economic status and incidence of child abuse and neglect
questionnaire. The overall reliability coefficient of the instrument was found to
be 0.83. Data collected were analyzed using analysis of variance (ANOVA). The
finding of the study revealed that parents level of income significantly
influences the incidence of child abuse and neglect. It was also revealed that
parents level of education significantly influences the incidence of child abuse
and neglect. Furthermore, it was discovered that parents occupation
significantly influences the incidence of child abuse and neglect.
The implications of the findings were discussed and appropriate suggestions
and recommendations were made.
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CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
Background of the Study
Procreation is a phenomenon that ensures the survival and continuity of a
nation. However, the rearing pattern of the children that are products of wedlock
is a crucial task that is significant in determining the quality of citizens that
make up a particular society. It is disappointing to note that juvenile cases and
other social vices that characterized our society today are traceable to bad child
patterns of many homes. Children who have passed through such homes were
either battered, abandoned, or abused in any other form. They were
consequently toughened and eventually become liabilities to the community
rather than assets. In Nigeria today, the rate of child abuse and neglect have
assumed a worrisome and alarming proportion (Semenitani, 1998).
Children are regarded as precious gifts from God. It is rather outrageous
and unfortunate that these same children are subject to abuse and neglect. Child
abuse and neglect is one of the most rampant societal malaise facing societies
today. The ill-treatment of children by those who are supposed to care for them
has been recognized as a major problem in child upbringing in the society.
Child abuse and neglect is a prevalent problem all over the world and Nigeria is
no exception.
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There is no commonly accepted definition of child abuse and neglect.
Ohia, Soronnadi, Udemezue and Okonkwo, (2002) define child abuse and
neglect;
as a situation in which a child is suffering serious physical

injury, which was not inflicted upon him by accident, but by a
deliberate act or omission, is suffering harm by reason of
neglect, malnutrition or sexual abuse, is growing without
necessary and basic physical care, and is growing-up under
conditions, which threaten his physical and emotional
survival (P. 3).
According to Jones (1982), child abuse and neglect are seen as two
separate phenomenons. He defines child abuse as inflicting serious physical,
physiological and sexual injury on children through non accidental means,
while child neglect on the other hand is defined as endangering physical, mental
or emotional condition of children through improper care. Crystal (1995)
linking both child abuse and neglect, opined that child abuse may be physical,
sexual, emotional or through neglect. National Child Rights Implementation
Committee (NCRIC,1995) defines child abuse and neglect as any form of
cruelty to a childs physical, moral or mental well-being. According to the
Department of Justice, Canada (2001), the term child abuse refers to the
violence, maltreatment or neglect that a child or adolescent may experience
while in the care of someone they either trust or depend on, such as parents,
siblings, other relatives caregivers or guardians.
Public Health Agency of Canada (2003) divided child abuse and neglect
into five categories, namely: physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse,
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neglect and exposure to domestic violence. Physical abuse involves deliberately
using force against a child in such a way that the child is either injured or is at
risk of being injured. It may consist of just one incident or may happen
repeatedly. For those who survive, the emotional scars are often deeper than the
physical scars (Loo, Bala, Clarke and Hornick, 1999). This type of abuse
includes excessive beating, slapping, sticking, kicking, battering, burning,
bruising, corporal punishment among others (Wikipedia, no date).
According to Loo, Bala, Clarke and Hornick, (1999) sexual abuse occurs
when a child is used for sexual purposes by an adult or adolescent. It involves
exposing a child to any sexual activity or behaviour. Sexual abuse does not
always consist of penetration. Okpala (2010) sees sexual abuse as a form of
child abuse in which an adult or older adolescent or caregiver abuses a child
through sexual stimulation. There are eight forms of sexual abuse; penetration
intercourse, incest, rape or sodomy, attempted penetration, oral sex, fondling
touching, or kissing a childs genitals, making a child fondle the adults
genitals, sex talk telling dirty stories; voyeurism forcing the child to
undress, spying on a child in the bathroom or bedroom, exhibitionism
showing sex organs to a child, forced observation of sexual acts, showing
pornographic materials, group sex including a child. Exploitation sexual
exploitation such as enticing children to pornographic sites or materials on the
internet, luring children through internet to meet for sexual liaisons, exposing
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children to pornographic movies or magazines, child prostitution or using a
child in the production of pornography, such as film or magazine.
Neglect includes the situation in which children have suffered harm, or
their safety or physical, psychological or emotional development has been
endangered as a result of the caregivers failure to provide for or protect them
(Public Health Agency of Canada, 2003). Neglect is often chronic and it usually
involves repeated incidents. Neglect includes failing to provide a child with
love, safety and a sense of worth. Another aspect of child abuse is emotional
abuse. This is a difficult category to document since the effects of emotional
value tend to become apparent over time. It involves harming a childs sense of
self and can include acts (or omissions) that result in or place a child at risk of
serious behavioral, cognitive, emotional or mental health problems (Kassan
2005). There are four forms of emotional abuse: Verbal abuse; psychological
maltreatment; inadequate nurturance/affection; and exposure to non-intimate
violence (Public Health Agency of Canada, 2003).
Exposure to domestic violence is another form of child abuse. In this
case, children are exposed to violence between persons who have intimate
relationship. These children display emotional and behavioral problems as
though they were physically abused. Child labour/exploitation is also a form of
child abuse. It takes different forms like hawking of all kinds of items,
excessive house working, selling in shops, restaurants, hotels, among others
when the children should have been in schools or at home studying or doing
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their home work. Child trafficking involves the movement of children from
place to place by force, coercion or deception into situations where they are
economically or sexual exploited (Okpara, 2010).
Consequently, it will be difficult to discuss the issue of child abuse and
neglect in Nigeria without a look at the socio-economic status which has great
influence on the incidence of child abuse and Neglect. Socio-Economic Status
(SES) is often measured as a combination of education, income and occupation,
(Ezewu 1985). It is commonly conceptualized as the social standing or class of
an individual or group, when viewed through a social class lens, privilege;
power and control are emphasized (Calhoun, Hemingway, and Poulter, 1998).
Bradley and Corwyn (2002) defined socio-economic status (or socio-economic
position) as a persons position in a society using criteria such as income, level
of education, occupation, value of property owned and so on. Socio-economic
status (SES) can be high, average or low. It is observed that people of low
socio-economic status often engage in child abuse and neglect due to poverty,
low income earnings, low educational background.
To this background, Chen and Patergon (2006) maintain that low socio-
economic status and its correlates, such as lower education, poverty, and poor
health ultimately affect Nigerian children. Research indicates that socio-
economic status is the key factor that influences quality of life for children,
youths and families. Socio-economic status affect human functioning in many
ways including development across the life span, psychological health, physical
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health of a child which in turn brings about child abuse and neglect in our
societies.
Poverty is defined in both absolute and relative terms. Absolute

poverty refers to a state of lacking the most basic requirements
of life. Relative poverty refers to lacking the resources
required to participate in the lifestyle and consumption patterns
enjoyed by others in society. As such, poverty is a
multidimensional concept that can include maternal
deprivation, exclusion from social networks and isolation from
community life (NCRIC, 1995).
In the views of Ondersma (2002), poverty is a reliable predictor of child
abuse and neglect. Among low-income families, those with family exposure to
substance use to exhibit the highest rates of child abuse and neglect. Melki,
Beydoun, Khogali, Tamim and Yenis (2004) stressed that low socio-economic
status can be linked to domestic crowding, a condition which has negative
consequences on children including higher psychological stress and poor health
outcomes.
In addition, inequality refers to a condition in which separate groups
differ in terms of a defined variable. The defined variable can relate to socio-
economic status (hence terms such as socio-economic inequality, economic
inequality and income inequality). Evidence are abounds that children from low
socio-economic status or impoverished settings are much more likely to be
absent from school throughout their educational experiences (Khang, 2003).
Chen and Paterson (2006) suggest that children from low socio-economic
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backgrounds are likely to have higher physiological markers of chronic stressful
experiences, sexual abuse, physical abuse, emotional abuse and neglect.
However, Lynch and Kaplan (2000), indicated that general health and
well-being of a child are mostly affected in a number of ways by individual
socio-economic factors and environmental socio-economic factors at both the
family and community levels. Individual socio-economic position than to
absolute poverty, and are affected by social and structural variables; such as
social attitudes toward disadvantaged people and the degree to which supports
and services are available Being raised in a family characterized by low socio-
economic status has been found to contribute negative outcomes during
childhood like sexual abuse, physical abuse, emotional abuse and a host of
others. In addition, Acheson (1999) indicates that living in a socio-economically
disadvantaged community can contribute to child abuse and neglect or negative
outcomes for child development.
Education in its broadest, general sense is the means through which the
aims and habits of a group of people lives on from one generation to the next.
Education according to Eke (2011) is a vital instrument for social and
economic mobility and instrument for transformation of society, a weapon for
acquiring skills, relevant knowledge and habit for surviving in the changing
world. It is important to note that the purpose of education is to guide human
beings to achieve the basic life goals, multiply and act positively in caring for
the environment and contributing to the society. According to Okpala (2010),
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education is more than schooling, it is the process of dispelling human
ignorance of the world as well as developing the inherent potentials for
perfection. A right for education has been created and recognized by some
jurisdictions. Since 1752, Article 2 of the first Protocol to the European
Convention on Human Rights, obliges all signatory parties to guarantee the
right to education. At the global level, the United Nations International
Convention on Economic, Social and cultural Rights of 1966 guarantees this
right under its Article 13 (Public Health Agency Canada, 2003).
Child abuse and neglect is not a new thing in Nigeria, and Nigeria
government has promulgated laws to curb the social vices, still it is at its highest
escalating point. There are socio-economic rights, the political rights, the private
and personal rights just to mention a few. The socio-economic rights as
published in Ambakogu (2004) includes, the right to survive (Article 5), the
right to health (Article 14) the right to education (Article 11), the right to be
protected from all forms of economic exploitation (Article 15) among others.
Sequel to the above, it is necessary that every Nigerian child is accorded a right
to good life, a right to education, a right to be protected from all forms of abuse
and neglect. In view of this, the researcher is inspired to investigate the
influence of socio-economic status or position on the incidence of child abuse
and neglect in Aguata Education Zone of Anambra state.
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Statement of the Problem
Children are the biological future of the human race and their healthy
growth and development should be of serious concern to everybody in society.
Child development is largely determined by the quality of care received by the
child. This explains why the United Nations (UN) Convention on the rights of
the child provided that children in the care of a parent, guardian, teacher or any
other person who has the care of children should protect them from all forms of
torture or inhuman treatment and especially physical or mental abuse or neglect.
Unfortunately, the rights of the child have not been protected by adult.
Studies have revealed that adults in many cases do not regard some of their
violent behaviours toward children as abusive, but perceived as corrective
measures in the best interest of the child. In this context, according to Ohia etal
(2002) and Okpala (2010) these abuse are resultant influence of socio-economic
status (low or high). Thus, the child may be battered, deprived, castigated or
even abandoned in extreme cases by parents, guardians or caregivers when he or
she misbehaves.
Regrettably, despite governmental regulations, decrees, enactments and
laws on childs right, child abuse and neglect still persist. Could socio-economic
status be responsible for abuse and neglect of children? What influence has
socio-economic status on the incidence of child abuse and neglect. In this
premise, the problem of this study therefore is to investigate the influence of
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socio-economic status on the incidence of child abuse and neglect in Aguata
Education Zone of Anambra State.
Purpose of the Study
The general purpose of this study is to investigate the influence of
parental socio-economic status on the incidence of child abuse and neglect
among primary school pupils in Aguata Education Zone of Anambra State.
Specifically, specifically, the study determined:
1. The influence of high socio-economic status SES of parents on child
abuse and neglect.
2. The influence of average SES of parent on child abuse and neglect.
3. The influence of low SES of parents on child abuse and neglect
4. The characteristics of child abuse and neglect in Aguata education zone
Significance of the Study
This study is important considering its theoretical basis. The study is
based on Abraham Maslows hierarchy of human needs which emphasized that
there exist needs arranged in a hierarchy of satisfaction levels. Any deprivation
of these needs to children is bound to affect their social, emotional, physical and
intellectual development. Also the social learning theory of Albert Bandura
(1977) emphasized the importance of observing and modeling the behaviours,
attitudes and emotional reactions of others.
The findings of the study will be useful to a number of people such as
parents, guardians, caregivers, teachers, law makers, researchers and
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psychologist in various ways. Specifically, parents, guardians and caregivers
will now be able to know the type of work to give to children and where to draw
the line while training them. It will be significant to parents as it will arm them
with knowledge about the dangers of child abuse and neglect and the impact of
socio-economic compulsions on the general well-being of their children.
The study will also be significant to teachers, Lawmakers, researchers,
psychologist and many more as they will find it useful in monitoring the forms
of child abuse and neglect. The curriculum planners will find it useful in that it
will help them see the need to include the teaching of childrens rights in the
curriculum while reviewing the curriculum. If the rights are included in the
curriculum children will be favoured and know when their rights have been
violated. The findings of the study will serve as reference materials to other
researchers, trained professionals like psychologists, early childhood experts to
monitor the influence of socio-economic status on the incidence of child abuse
and neglect. Finally, it will also supply relevant data that will help reduce the
incidence of child abuse and neglect in the society.
Scope of the Study
The scope of this study is delimited to Aguata Education Zone in
Anambra state which comprises three Local Government Areas, involving all
the parents in the zone. The content scope of this study will address the area of
income inequality, low education, poverty, and employment (engagement) in
Aguata Education Zone of Anambra state
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Research Questions
The following research questions will guide this study.
1. What is the influence of high socio-economic status (SES) of parents on
child abuse and neglect?
2. What is the influence of average socio-economic status of parents on
child abuse and neglect?
3. What is the influence of low socio-economic status of parents on child
abuse and neglect?
4. What are the characteristics of child abuse and neglect in Aguata
education zone?
Hypotheses
The following hypotheses were tested at 0.05 level of significant.
(1) The influence of parents high socio-economic status on child abuse and
neglect is not significant.
(2) The influence of average socio-economic status of parents on child abuse
and neglect is not significant.
(3) The influence of low socio-economic status of parents on child abuse and
neglect is not significant.
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CHAPTER TWO
REVIEW OF LITERATURE
This chapter deals with the review of related literature to this study. It is
organized under: Conceptual frame work, theoretical framework, empirical
studies and concluded with summary of the review of literature.
Conceptual Framework
Concept of Child
Concept of child abuse and neglect
Concept of socio-economic status (SES)
Concept of influence
Theoretical Framework
Abraham Maslows hierarchy of human needs
Social learning theory
Eriksons psychosocial theory
Review of Empirical Studies
Studies on child maltreatment
Studies on child sexual abuse
Studies on child neglect.
Summary of Literature Review
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Conceptual Framework
Concept of Child
A child can be seen as a person not more than 18 years of age.
According to Ebigbo (1988) defined a child as a human, a person made up of
mind, body and soul and should not be older than 16 years. However, the
convention on the rights of the child (1999), maintained that a child is every
human being below the age of 18 years.
Oxford dictionary defined child as a young human being who is not yet
an adult. As stated in Nigeria and the rights of child (1999) is any human being
below the age of 18 years. The various children and young persons enactments
define child as a person who has not attained the age of fourteen years and
young person as one who has attained the age of fourteen years but has not
attained the age of seventeen years.
Concept of Child Abuse and Neglect
There is no generally accepted definition of child abuse and neglect as a
result of differences in the perception of what generally is acceptable as abuse
and neglect or not. Agnew (1983) defined child abuse as the intentional,
unintentional or well intentional acts which endanger the physical health,
emotional, moral and educational welfare of children. Child abuse and neglect
can be seen as any act of omission or commission, physical or psychological
mistreatment of a child by its parents, guardians, caregiver or other adults that
may endanger the childs physical, psychological or emotional health and
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development. In this definition, wrongfully maltreating a child or selfishly
making an unfair use of a childs senses by adults responsible for the child
constitutes child abuse. Thus the adult may not be directly related to the child
but a person in whose care the child is left can be an abuser. This may include
the educators, healthcare workers, day care workers or other responsible adults
(Child Welfare Information Gateway, 2008).
According to the Department of Justice Canada, the term child abuse and
neglect refer to the violence, mistreatment or neglect refer to the violence,
mistreatment or neglect that a child or adolescent may experience while in the
care of someone they either trust or depend on, such as a parent, sibling, other
relatives, caregiver, and child abuse and neglect has devastating consequences
for victims. Child abusers inflict physical, sexual and emotional trauma on
defenseless children every day. The scars can be deep and long lasting. Okpala
(2010) highlighted the forms of child abuse, psychological, emotional abuse,
child neglect, child labour/exploitation, child trafficking, street children, child
marriage and female genital mutilation.
Form of Child Abuse and Neglect

Child abuse is more than bruises and broken bones. While physical abuse
might be the most visible sign, other types of abuse, such as emotional abuse,
sexual abuse or child neglect also leave deep long lasting scars. Some of the
abuses will be discussed below.
Child Labour
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In every society, children are required to do some work and such work
may differ depending on the society involved. This type of work is an important
part of a childs basic education and means of handling over necessary skills
from parents to children. This kind of work is beneficial to the childs physical
mental, spiritual, moral and social development provided it does not interfere
with schooling, recreation and rest (Ohia etal, 2002). Child labour in contrast is
work by children under conditions harmful to their health usually for long hours
and for very low wages. Such work is destructive and exploitative. Children are
not physically suited to long hours of strenuous and monotonous work. They are
usually unaware of dangers neither do they have enough knowledge of the
precautions they should be taking (Mbakogu, 2004).
Forms of child labour include: domestic servant, child beggars, street
hawking, commercial sexual exploitation of children, industrial and agricultural
child labour:
Physical abuse/Neglect
This can be referred to as physical aggression directed at a child by an
adult. It can involve excessive beating, striking, kicking, battering, burning,
bruising, shaking, corporal punishment etc (Okpala, 2010). Physical abuse
involves deliberately using force against a child in such a way that the child is
either injured or is at risk of being injured. Physical neglect is the denial of care,
nutrition and medical care. The most glaring form of this neglect is the various
incidents of abandoned babies. Also the problem of street children is a direct
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result of this type of neglect. Many unloved and unwanted children run away
from home and take to the streets exposing themselves to further abuse.
Sexual Abuse
Child sexual abuse is widely regarded as a cause of mental health
problem in adult life. Sexual abuse, is taking advantage of childs tender years
and innocence in order to subject the child to engage in sexual activities that
he/she does not fully understand and to which he/she cannot give any informed
consent (Ohia etal, 2002). Child sexual abuse does not always consist of
penetration, it may be purely verbal rather than physical. Sexual abuse can have
long term consequences. Many abusers have a history of being sexually abused
themselves. Some of the more frequently cited kinds of sexual abuse are:
(a) Incest: This a sexual relation which occur between two people in the
same family, such as father and daughter or mother and son, sister and
brother, daughter-in law and father-inlaw. Incest may include sexual
activity which falls short of intercourse. Incest is a particular difficult
subject for the child involved for reasons which include shame,
embarrassment and often a sense of guilt that they have consented or
encouraged it.
(b) Paedophilia: This refers to sexual attraction towards the very

young. A child may be either obliged or persuaded to have sex with an
older person to fulfill the latter sexual desire and is a form of sexual abuse
because of the immaturity of the child.
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(c) Rape: It is the forcing of sexual intercourse on an unwilling male or
female. Rape is particularly traumatic for a child with no prior experience
of intercourse; and it may be accompanied by additional physical as well
as psychological abuse. Sexual intercourse with a minor, however defined
ought to be treated as rape even if the child consents since the child is not
considered to be mature enough to make an informed judgment (Ohia et
al, 2002).
(d) Prostitution: This is the involvement of children in exchanging sex for
money or other favours and is often seen as sexual abuse. Most children
were forced into this, some do it out of desperation and others are too
young to make a mature voluntary choice.
(e) Sexual harassment: This may take many forms including repeated
teasing or embarrassment often, but not always by boys or men towards
girls or women.
Emotional Abuse/Neglect
This is difficult category to document since the effects of emotional abuse
tend to become apparent over time. It involves harming a childs sense of self
and can include acts (or omissions) that result in, or place a child at risk of,
serious behavioural, cognitive, emotional or mental, health problems (Kassan,
2005). Emotional abuse includes instances of verbal abuse like subjecting a
child to constant criticism and humiliation and never commending child for
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his/her efforts. Normally this results from having an unreasonable expectation
from a child. Also many parents fail to express love to the children, such
attitudes shatter a childs fragile ego and convey the message that the child is
unloved and unwanted. It may also lead to feelings of depression, guilt and fear.
The emotional well being of a child will ensure that he/she grows into a
balanced and well-adjusted adult (Ohia etal, 2002). Emotional or psychological
abuse include any form of rejection, ridicule, degradation, critism, humiliation,
isolation among others which erode the victims self esteem (National Exchange
Foundation Club, 2004).
Neglect
Neglect is a form of child abuse which means failing to provide for a
childs basic needs whether it be adequate food, clothing, hygiene, or
supervision. Child neglect is not always easy to spot. Sometimes a parent might
become physically or mentally unable to care for a child, such as with a serious
injury, untreated depression, or helplessness, apathy and low self esteem. Other
times, alcohol or drug abuse may seriously impair judgment and the ability to
keep a child safe (Wakipedia, no date). Older children might not show outward
signs of neglect, becoming used to presenting a competent face to the outside
world, and even taking on the role of the parent. But at the end of the day,
neglected children are not getting their physical and emotional needs met.
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Early Marriages
This is a form of child abuse where some parents give out their immature
girls hand in marriages. These cultural practices tend to negatively affect the
chances of the girl-child getting good education (Hodges, 2001). Nigerians have
witnessed successive government disparaging the various practices that
constitute abuse and neglect of children. However, this government have done
nothing to stop those traditional practices such as early sale of the girl-child for
marriage. Some studied report that female children are given away in marriage
before attaining puberty as a means of preventing the act premarital sex. Others
report that early marriages are strategies adopted by poor families to supplement
negligible incomes (Mbakogu, 2004).
All the same, it follows that such early marriages constitute the greatest
abuse to the girl-child for they lead to early pregnancies which these young ones
are ill-developed to carry higher mortality and death rates, and higher mother
complications or even death during child delivery (Mbakogu, 2004).
The Newest area of child abuse
While the internet has been a source of significant positive change, it has
also created new opportunities for the abuse and exploitation of children and
young people through the electronic dissemination of child pornography,
including accessing and distribution of child pornography and child luring on
the internet (Stanley, 2001). Prior to the internet, law enforcement was winning
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21
the war on child pornography, but the internet has made child pornography a
multi-billion dollar industry.
According to the assumption made based on Australian population
figures and U.S.A. research, over 50,000 children have been seen on the internet
worldwide, but only 5000 of them have been identified and rescued (Loo, Bala,
Clarke and Hornick, 1999). Millions of children are online either in their own
houses, in public libraries, in public cybercaf, at schools or at friends houses.
There are many potential dangers for children on the internet. Children can be
exposed to inappropriate materials which include sexuality or violence or they
may meet predators in chat rooms who are seeking a meeting. Stalking and
bullying can ever occur on the internet. Parents must talk to their children about
both the benefits and dangers of the internet. Also it is very important for
parents to track their childrens movement on the internet and in chat rooms.
The computer should be placed in an open/common area in the house where
children can be monitored while online.
Possible Causes of Child Abuse and Neglect
The concept of child abuse and neglect is relatively new to African
society, although children have been neglected, beaten, exploited and even
murdered by their parents, caregivers and other adults for hundreds of years, it
is only since the mid-twentieth century that legislation requiring reporting and
persecution of child abuse and neglect has been enacted (Child Welfare League
of America, 2001). The cause of child abuse and neglect can be outlined as
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poverty, lack of education or ignorance, drug abuse or substance, economic
engagement or employment by parents or caregivers.
According to the Child Welfare of America (2001) children whose
parents abuse drugs and alcohol are almost three times more likely to be abused
and four times more likely to be neglected by their children of parents who are
not substance abusers. Eight-five percent of states that report statistics for child
abuse and neglect cite parental substance abuse and poverty as the top two
issues related to child abuse and neglect. In another development, Ebigbo
(1988) asserted that a large number of children do not live with their own
parents but are hired out to others as servants to uplift the financial status of the
family. The parents of these children, as he observed are usually poor and
ignorant and they often entrust their children to persons who run lucrative
unofficial child labour exchanges and who by their activities may be linked to
slave dealers. He concluded that in such an arrangement, the client is not
directly accountable to the childs parents and therefore takes the child as his or
her property. Okeahialam (1994) revealed that street hawking and child begging
occur as a result of poverty. He added that it may also be inherently encouraged
by tradition. Supporting this view, Muazu (1994), noted that Moslem tradition
in Nigeria encourages begging as a way of life through Almajiri system. This
system, according to him is a process whereby parents send their children to
study away from their home environment to toughen them so that they can
endure hardship.
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Additionally, studies have shown that the most consistent findings in
substantiated child abuse cases is that the abusive parents often report having
been physically, sexually or emotionally abused or neglected as children
(National Clearinghouse on Child Abuse and Neglect Information, 2001).
Another factor that creates room for child abuse and neglect is the Socio-
economic compulsion involved by both parents. These days and by so doing
entrust the care of their children and wards in the hand of caregivers, nannies,
older adults, friends and relatives.
Possible Consequences of Child Abuse and Neglect

By its nature, child abuse and neglect is threatening and disruptive to
normal child development. In most of the cases consequences of child abuse are
life-long and can be devastating. Even children who witness violence in the
home display emotional and behavioural problems just as if they themselves
were physically abused. The very persons charged with the care and nurturing
of a child and to whom the child turns for food, love and safety can cause the
child pain and injury. The child then learns to distrust adults.
Additionally, children who are neglected and abused exhibit a wide array
of characteristics and behaviours. Most common among these are anger, acting
out, depression, anxiety, aggression, social withdrawal, low self-esteem, and
sleep difficulties. Mckenna, Bowlus, Day, and Wright (2003) maintained that
abuse and neglect can cause a child to dissociate and develop disorders such as
schizophrenia amnesia, and personality disorder. Personality disorder is a
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24
mental disorder that affects a persons ability to function in everyday activities
such as work, school, and interpersonal relationships. Mckenna et al (2003)
stressed that adults with a history of child abuse and neglect are more likely to
have:
Poor self-image (low self esteem) inability to trust or love

other; aggressive, disruptive and sometimes illegal
behaviour, passive, withdrawn or clingy behaviour; fear of
entering into new relationships or activities; flashback or
nightmare chronic head, face or pelvic pain; poor
physical health such as chronic lung disease; irritable bowel
syndrome; asthma or other respiratory problems; drug,
alcohol and solvent abuse and addiction; developmental
delay; a partner with a substance abuse their own children
(P. 105).
Possible strategies for solution of the identified problems.
Though there are challenges/problems associated with child abuse and
neglect, they are not insurmountable. There is a common saying that prevention
is better than cure. To prevent child abuse and neglect,
parents/guardians/caregivers should teach their children at a very young age
that abuse is wrong and they have a right to say no, no matter what their
relationship is to the abuser. Education on child abuse for both children and
adults is the key for prevention (Mckenna etal, 2003).
Sequel to the above, National Clearing House on Child Abuse and
Neglect information (2001) emphasized that prevention is categorized primary,
secondary, or tertiary. To them, primary prevention includes the general
distribution of information related to child abuse, including how to recognize
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and report abuse and what resources are available for the prevention,
intervention and treatment of child abuse. They also explain secondary
prevention to combine information with services and interventions targeted at
families identified as high risk for child abuse. While tertiary prevention is
directed to families where abuse has already occurred, with the goal of
decreasing the possibility of reoccurrence.
Health care-related prevention programs typically focus on encouraging
pregnant women to receive pre-natal care treatment and techniques, providing
home health visits for newborns, and assist parents of children with special
needs in obtaining support and services (National Institute of Neurological
Disorders and stroke, 2001). In the area of treatment, there are many treatment
options for traumatized children to minimize the effects of abuse. Therapists,
teachers, social workers and health care professionals may provide these
treatments. Treatment differs depending on what type of trauma a child has
suffered.
Concept of Socio-Economic Status (SES)
Socio-economic status or socio-economic position can be referred to as a
persons position in a society using criteria or indicator such as income level,
education level, occupation, or value of property owned by an individual.
According to Colhoun, Hemmyway and Paulter (1998) Socio-economic status is
often measured as a combination of education, income and occupation. It is
commonly conceptualized as the social standing or class of an individual or
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26
group of individuals, when viewed through a social class lens, privilege, power
and control.
Researches indicate that socio-economic status is a key factor that
influences quality of life of children, youth and families. Socio-economic status,
affects human functioning in many ways, including development across the life.
span, psychological and physical health (Newachek, Hung, Park, Brindis and
Irwin, 2003). According to Lynch, Smith, Kaplan and House (2000) Socio-
economic status can be categorized as follows: Individual Socio-economic
status, family socio-economic status and community socio-economic status.
Socio-economic factors can interact or accumulate. The effects of each can be
difficult to isolate, particularly as the mechanism by which socio-economic
factors influences incidence of child abuse and neglect and outcomes can be
common to multiple socio-economic factors.
Furthermore, an examination of SES as a gradient or continuous variable
reveals inequalities, poverty, health, employment in access to and distribution of
resources. Socio-economic status is categorized into the low SES medium and
high. Low level of socio-economic status has been found to be associated with,
higher rates of attempted suicide and cigarette smoking (Newacheck et al,
2003). It is also associated with higher levels of emotional and behavioural
difficulties, including anxiety, depression, attention deficit/hyperactivity
disorder, and conduct disorders (Spenser, Kohn and Wood 2002). It is also
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27
associated with high levels of aggression, hostility, perceived threat and
perceived discrimination (Chen and Paterson, 2006).
Influence and socio-economic status
Poverty Low education
Influenc
Income Inequality
Employment
Influence is the central competence that all socio-economic status have in

common.
Theoretical Framework
The theoretical frameworks that will be discussed are: The social learning
theory, Abraham Maslows hierarchy of human needs and Erikson psychosocial
theory.
The Social Learning Theory of Albert Bandura
The Social Learning Theory of Albert Bandura (1977), emphasizes the
importance of observing and modeling the behavours, attitudes and emotional
reactions of others. Albert Bandura is considered the leading proponent of this
theory. He states that most human behaviours are learned observationally
through modeling. From observing others, one forms an idea of how new
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28
behaviours are performed and on later occasions, this coded information serves
as a guide for action. Social learning theory explains human behaviour in terms
of continuous reciprocal interaction between cognitive, behavioural and
environmental influences. The theoretical standpoint is that people are more
likely to imitate the behavour of others if they particularity admire and identify
with them.
Children follow models for undesirable as well as desirable behaviours.
Children acquire the act of hawking, bullying and their moral standards by
observing and imitating models. Children do what they see other people do such
as their parents, older siblings, family friends, peer group, television characters
provided that what these people do does not lead to punishment. This theory
typically emphasized that children adopt the standard of behaviour and emotion
characteristics of people whom they admire and want to be like. Particularly,
parenting skills are learn by children through modeling and there is this
tendency that the abused will abuse children because it has been coded into
them through modeling.
Abraham Maslows Hierarchy of Human Needs
Abraham Maslows hierarchy of Human needs (1943). Abraham Maslow
theorized that for every human being there exist needs arranged in a hierarchy
or satisfaction levels. Psychological needs include the needs for food, water,
warmth, rest and sexual contact. Deprivation of psychological needs causes
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29
illness while pre-occupation with these needs if not satisfied, dominates
behaviour and the higher ones are pushed into the background.
Safety needs include the need for security, dependency, structure,
freedom from fear and long-term stability. Order and discipline are approaches
to the satisfaction of safety needs. There should be adequate protection for the
child both at home and school against any form of security or threatening
factors. Self-esteem needs emphasized that human beings normally experience
strong desire for reputation and prestige, for recognition and attention, and for
feeling of being important, useful and appreciated by the society. If this need is
satisfied in the life of a child, the effect is that of positive and salutary feeling of
self-confidence and high self-esteem. Failure to gratify this need brings about
feelings of inferiority, weakness and helplessness.
Concerning aesthetic needs, self actualization, human beings show strong
attractions towards beauty, decency and orderliness and people tend to aspire
toward rare heights and achieve distinction and eminence. It is ideal that the
child needs to be cared for, provided for so as to key in the need for beauty and
aspiration, failure to provide the children with aesthetic environment will
hamper their development and will bring about feeling of traumatic behaviour
and can thwart their self-esteem.
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Eri Eriksons Psychosocial Theory.
Erikson (1994), divided the child developmental stages of life into seven
life cycles, but this work will be concerned with the first five life crisis which
cover the childhood period of zero to eighteen years.
(i) 0 1 years. Trust Versus Mistrust. In the first year of life, children are
completely dependent on others. The basic attitude of trust or mistrust is formed
at this stage. Trust is formed when, at this stage, babies are given adequate care,
attention, warmth, love, physical needs, touch and affection. Mistrust will arise
by inadequate care, attention by parents, who do not meet babys basic needs,
feeling of mistrust may later lead to developing insecurity, suspicion or inability
to relate with others.
(ii) 1 3 years. Autonomy versus Shame or Doubt: Parents and caregivers
help to foster sense of autonomy by encouraging children to try new skills,
tasks and challenges like scrawling, toileting, touching, exploring with minimal
control etc. On the other hand, parents who highly restrict or over protect or
ridicule their children make them develop shame and doubt their ability and
competence to perform tasks.
(iii) 3 5 years: Initiative versus Guilt: Children learn to take initiative, face
complexity of planning, develop sense of judgment, engage in social interaction
and play. In this case, parents have to give children the freedom to play, to ask
questions, to use initiative and imagination to choose activities. On the contrary,
children feel guilt and lack initiative.
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(iv) 6 12 years. Industry versus Inferiority. In this stage children are
becoming aware of themselves. They work hard at being responsible, good,
doing it right, more reasonable, to share and cooperate, eager to learn,
accomplish more complex skills like reading, writing skills, telling time, form
moral values, recognize cultural and individual differences. Therefore, parents
should encourage children to achieve these. Otherwise, the children will feel
inferior or suffer from inferiority complex.
(v) Puberty Adolescence: Identity Versus Role confusion. This is the
period when the child form peer groups, identity with models, ready to plan for
the future, if he comes out with strong identity. While a person who fails to
achieve these suffers identity crisis, becomes confused and unable to take
decisions.
Review of Empirical Studies
The researcher reviewed some related works to the study which include:
studies on child maltreatment, sexual abuse, child neglect.
Enrique (1995), carried out a study to examine the psychosocial
characteristic of cases of child maltreatment labeled as not serious enough in
Valericia University, Spain. The sample for the study consisted of 283 parents.
The instrument used was questionnaire Means and Standard deviation were
used to analyze the data. The finding of her work showed that there were poor
personal and social adjustment of the children in the maltreatment groups.
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32
Madu and Pelizer (1998), conducted a study on sexual abuse among
university students in South Africa province. The aim of the study was to
determine sexual abuse among university students. The survey design was used,
while the sample size consisted of 300 psychology students in the university.
The result showed a significant number of high school students being abused.
The study also showed that 27% indicated (physical abuse), sexual abuse, 23%
indicated that they were kissed in a sexual way, 25% indicated that they were
touched in a sexual way, while the rest of 25% indicated that they had never
had sexual intercourse. Gisela and Carl (2008) conducted a study on child
sexual abuse among high school seniors in Lund University Sweden. The
sample for the study consisted of 4,339 (2324 girls and 2,015 boys). The
instrument used was questionnaire, Mean and Standard deviation were used to
analyze the data. The findings showed that 1505 girls (65%) and 457 boys
(23%) experience sexual abuse.
Agu (2005) carried out a study to examine child abuse by adults in
Owerri urban of Imo state. The design used was a survey design. The sample
for the study consisted of 616 primary school children in Owerri urban. The
instrument used was questionnaire. Percentage and chi-square were used to
analyze the data. The findings from the study showed that majority of children
in Owerri urban of Imo state suffered from physical abuse, emotional abuse,
and social abuse. The findings also indicated that majority of the children
suffered from abuse as a result of family monastery problems and weakness of
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33
those who practiced child abuse. The findings also indicated that majority of the
children suffered from abuse as a result of family monastery problems and
weakness of those who practiced child abuse.
Pesanayi (2012), investigated the impact of family characteristics and
family structure as risk factors for sexual abuse among urban secondary school
students in Zimbabwe. The study adopted a survey design as the operational
framework for data gathering. Data were collected from three secondary schools
in the Gweru district of Zimbabwe. The sample comprised 268 secondary
school students. Data were gathered by administering the Child Abuse
Screening Tool Childrens Version (ICAST-C). Of the 268 respondents who
completed the questionnaire, 151 reported having been sexually abused in one
or more ways before the age of 18 years, giving an overall prevalence rate of
56.3 %. Overall, the results show that the most important factors that were
found to be consistently associated with child sexual abuse were parental
absence, fathers absence, mother's education, parental domestic violence and
parental substance abuse. Risk of any child sexual abuse was not associated
with the existence of siblings, household size, parental occupation and fathers
education.
Ojo (2013), investigated the problem of street hawking among the
Nigerian children. Agege Local Government Area of Lagos State, Nigeria, was
purposely sampled and the respondents who participated in the study were
conveniently sampled from the study area. Simple percentages and chi-square
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34
were the methods of data analysis employed in the study. The study discovered
that the level of awareness of the dangers inherent in child hawking among the
affected children was low. The investigation of the study revealed that parents
levels of education, parents occupations and the sizes of the family were
significantly related to the problem of child hawkers in the study area.
Odu, Alokan and Arijesuyo (2011), carried out a study to examine the
relationship between family interaction and child abuse among public secondary
school students in South-west Nigeria. A descriptive research design of
exploratory type was adopted for the study. A total of 1,440 public secondary
school students in 36 schools from nine local government areas in south-
western states of Nigeria, were sampled for this study. Out of these students,
695 students were found to be abused and their responses formed the data that
were analyzed for the study. The researchers constructed a questionnaire titled
Child Abuse Questionnaire (CAQ) which was administered on the students
after validation. The instrument has construct validity co-efficient of 0.76 and a
reliability co-efficient of 0.83. The statistical technique that was used to analyse
the data collected was Pearson Product Moment Correlation. The result showed
that there was a significant relationship between family interaction and child
abuse among these secondary school students.
Elgbeleye and Olasupo1 (2011) investigated the relationship between
parental socio-economic status and child labour practices in Ile-Ife, Nigeria. The
study employed survey method to gather data from 200 parents which
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35
constituted the study population. Pearson Product Moment Correlation and t-test
statistics were used for the data analyses. The outcome of the study showed that
a significant relationship exist between parental socio-economic status and child
labour. The study also found out that parent of low income status showed
significant high tendencies toward child labour practices than their high income
counterparts.
Ogundele and Ojo, (2007) carried out a study to examined four socio-
demographic factors associated with child abuse among parents in Ibadan
metropolis which include: economic status, large family size, parents
upbringing and single parenthood. The descriptive survey research design was
used. A simple random sampling technique was used to select two thousand and
sixty three subjects from the five metropolitan local government areas in Ibadan
viz: Ibadan North, Ibadan North East, Ibadan North West, Ibadan South East,
Ibadan South West. Chi-square was used to test the four hypotheses set at 0.05
alpha levels. The findings of the study established that factors examined
contributed significantly to the incidence of child abuse among parents in
various degrees.
Summary of Literature Review
The review has explored various works and researches on child abuse
and neglect, and the socio-economic impact on child abuse in Nigeria and the
world generally. The literature review revealed the prevalence of a variety of
child abuse which includes: physical child abuse, emotional, sexual and child
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36
neglect, with reference to socio-economic influence. The socio-economic status
(SES) which have influence on the incidence of child abuse, abuse and neglect
looked at are: Income inequality, low education, poverty and employment.
The conceptual framework was done under the following sub-headings:
Concept of child abuse and neglect, concept of socio-economic status and
concept of influence. The forms of child abuse and neglect, the causes, possible
consequences and possible solutions to the problems were also reviewed. Under
theoretical framework, Abraham Maslows theory of needs, Albert Banduras
social learning theory and Eriksons psychosocial theory were considered to be
appropriate to the study.
From literatures reviewed, it was observed that parents and the society at
large are under obligation to provide their children with proper education, care
and to protect them from maltreatment in any form. However, in Nigeria and
Aguata education zone in particular, empirical evidence on child abuse and
neglect were quite few. Also no study known to the researcher has been carried
out on influence of socio-economic status on the incidence of child abuse and
neglect in Aguata education zone of Anambra state. It is against this
background that the researcher is motivated to undertake this study to ascertain
or examine the influence of socio-economic status on the incidence of child
abuse and neglect in Aguata Education Zone of Anambra State.
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CHAPTER THREE
RESEARCH METHOD
In this chapter, the researcher presented the design of the study, area of
the study, population, sample and sampling technique, instrument for data
collection, validation of the instrument, reliability of the instrument, method of
data collection and method of data analysis.
Design of the Study
The study adopted ex-post facto research design. It determined the
influence of socio-economic status on incidence of child abuse and neglect.
According to Kerlinger (1979), ex-post facto research is a systematic empirical
inquiry in which the scientist does not have direct control on independent
variables because they are inherently not manipulable. This design was
appropriate because, the researcher did not manipulate independent variables.
Instead, the effects of the independent variables on dependent variable will be
determined. Since the pupils have already been assigned to the various levels of
socioeconomic status by nature, this design was most suitable for the study.
Area of the Study
The study was carried out in Aguata education zone of Anambra state.
Aguata Education Zone consists of Orumba South Local Government Area,
Orumba North Local Government area and Aguata Local Government Area.
The strategic roles of the area as both for business, all sorts of trading activities,
farming, and civil service makes it vulnerable to child abuse practices. Located
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38
within this are Federal Polytechnic Oko, Federal College of Education Umuze
and other private and public establishments. These have attracted people from
many works of lives who are resident in the area and have created a perpetual
pattern of movement in and out of the area on a daily basis.
Population of the Study
The target population of the study were all primary six pupils in the
public schools in Orumba South Local Government Area, Orumba North Local
Government area and Aguata Local Government Area numbering 12,361
(SUBEB office, Aguata Anambra state, 2011). The chosen population is
considered appropriate because some of the pupils can read and write and they
are aware of what happens in their homes.
Sample and Sampling Techniques
The sample of the study comprised 618 primary six pupils in public
schools in Aguata education zone. This simple was obtained by simple random
technique to get 5% of the entire population. The sample was considered
appropriate because of the recommendation made by Eze (2005) that in
research involving few thousands, at least 5% of the population was used as the
sample size.
Instrument for data Collection
The instrument for data collection was a structured research
questionnaire designed by the researcher titled influence of socio-Economic
status on the incidence of child-abuse and neglect (ISESICAN). The
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39
instrument consists of two parts (parts A and B). Part A deals with demographic
information of the respondents while information on part B contains clusters A,
B, C and D providing answers to four research questions.
Cluster A is concerned with child abuse and neglect and contains 10
items (1 10). Cluster B is concerned extent to which parents education
influence child abuse and neglect and contains 10 items (11 20). Cluster C
is concerned with the extent to which parents occupation influence the
incidence of child abuse and neglect and contains 10 items (21 30). And
Cluster D contains items 20 30 with respect to the extent to which parents
does income influence the incidence of child abuse and neglect. Cluster D
contains 10 items (31 40).
The instrument will be rated on a four point rating scale of very High
Extent (VHE) = 4 points, High Extent (HE) = 3 points, Low Extent (LE) = 2
points, Not Applicable (NA) = 1 point.
Validation of the Instrument
To ascertain the validity of the instrument, the researcher gave the
instrument to three experts, one in Childhood Education, one in guidance and
counseling and one in Measurement and Evaluation, all in the Faculty of
Education, University of Nigeria, Nsukka. They were asked to validate the
items in the questionnaires for suitability, appropriateness and adequacy. The
suggestions and advices of the validators were used to make the final version of
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40
the instrument (see appendix A) for final version and appendix B for validated
version of the instrument.
Reliability of the Instrument
To determine the reliability of the instrument, the questionnaire was
administered on a sample of 20 primary school pupils who were randomly
drawn from different school that was not part of the study. Cronbach Alpha was
used to determine the internal consistency of the instrument. The reliability
coefficient of cluster A, B, C and D were; 0.78, 0.86, 0.77 and 0.86
respectively. The overall reliability of the instrument was 0.83 (see Appendix
C).
Method of Data Collection
The six hundred and eighteen (618) copies of the validated questionnaire
were administered directly to the respondents by the researcher with the help of
three trained assistants, who were in charge of distribution and collection of the
questionnaires after completion.
Method of Data Analysis
The researcher used mean ( ) scores and standard deviation in answering
the three research questions for the study. Any item with the mean of 0.5 1.49
will be considered as not applicable, 1.5 2.4 will be low extent, 2.5 3.4 will
be high extent and 3.5 4.0 will be very high extent. Analysis of variance
(ANOVA) was used to test the three null hypotheses at 0.05 level of
significance.
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CHAPTER FOUR
RESULTS
This chapter is concerned with the presentation of results from data analysis.
The results are presented in tables according to the research questions and
hypotheses that guided the study.
Research Question 1:
To what extent does Parents income influence the incidence of child abuse and
neglect in Aguata Education Zone?
In order to answer this research question, the responses of pupils on incidence
of child abuse and neglect were grouped according the various income level as
indicated in the questionnaire. Based on the categorization, the analysis
interpretation below were done.
Table 1: Mean and Standard deviation of the extent of influence of Parents
income on the incidence of child abuse and neglect

Income N X
SD
N50,000 and below 200 2.97 0.16
51,000 - N100,000 258 2.32 0.31
Above N100,000 160 2.27 0.43
Total 618 252 0.44
Table 1 shows that the mean response of pupils whose Parents income was
N50,000 and below in relation to the incidence of child abuse and neglect was
2.97 with a standard deviation of 0.16. Also, the mean response of pupils whose
Parents income was N51,000 - N100,000 in relation to the incidence of child
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42
abuse and neglect was 2.32 with a standard deviation of 0.31. While the mean
response of pupils whose Parents income are above N100,000 in relation to the
incidence of child abuse and neglect was 2.27 with a standard deviation of 0.43.
Based on the criteria means set in method of data analysis, result in Table 1
indicate that, pupils whose Parents income was N50,000 and below
experienced the incidence of child abuse and neglect is to a high extent. The
result also indicated that pupils whose Parents income were between N51,000 -
N100,000, and above N100,000 experienced the incidence of child abuse and
neglect based on influence of Parents income was 2.52 with a standard
deviation of 0.44. This is indicative that Parents income influences the
incidence of child abuse and neglect to a high extent in Aguata Education Zone.
Hypothesis 1
H01: There is no significant difference in the mean response of pupils on the
extent to which Parents level of income influence the incidence of child abuse
and neglect in Aguata Education Zone.
Table 2: One-way analysis of various (ANOVA) of extent to which Parents
level of income influence the incidence of child abuse and neglect in Aguata
Education Zone.
Variable SS DF MS F Sig
Between Groups 61.701 2 30.851 314.14 0.00
Within Groups 60.397 615 0.098
Total 122.098 617
= 0.05
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The result in Table 2 shows that an F-ratio of 314.14 with associated
probability value of 0.00 was obtained. This probability value of 0.00 was
compared with 0.05 and it was found to be significant because 0.00 was less
than 0.05. The null hypothesis was therefore rejected and inference drawn that,
there is a significant difference in the mean response of pupils on the extent to
which Parents level of income influence the incidence of child abuse and
neglect in Aguata Education Zone.
To what extent does Parents level of education influence the incidence of
child abuse and neglect as grouped according the various Parents level of
education as indicated in the questionnaire? Based on the grouping, the analysis
and interpretation below were done.
Table 3: Mean and Standard deviation of the extent of the influence of
Parents level of education on the incidence of child abuse and neglect

Education N X
SD
No formal education 68 2.88 0.50
Primary education 100 2.85 0.26
Secondary education 150 2.56 0.39
Tertiary education 300 2.31 0.37
Total 618 2.52 0.45
Table 3 shows that the mean response of pupils whose parents had no
formal education in relation to the incidence of child abuse and neglect was 2.88
with a standard deviation of 0.50. Also, the mean response of pupils whose
.
44
parents had primary education in relation to the incidence of child abuse and
neglect was 2.85 with a standard deviation of 0.26. Table 3 equally shows that
the mean response of pupils whose parents had secondary education in relation
to the incidence of child abuse and neglect was 2.56 with a standard deviation
of 0.39. The means response of pupils whose parents has tertiary education in
relation to the incidence of child abuse and neglect was 2.31 with a standard
deviation of 0.37. Base on the criteria set in method of data analysis, result in
Table 3 indicated that, the incidence of child abuse and neglect is to a high
extent for pupils whose parents; had no formal education, primary and
secondary levels of education, and low extent for parents with tertiary level of
education. The overall means of the incidence of child abuse and neglect based
on influence Parents level of education was 2.52 with a standard deviation of
0.45. This was indicative that Parents level of education influences the in
Hypothesis 2
H02: There is no significant difference in the mean response of pupils on
the extent to which Parents level of education influence the incidence of child
abuse and neglect in Aguata Education Zone.
.
45
Table 4: One-way analysis of variation (ANOVA) of extent Parents level of

education influence the incidence of child abuse and neglect.
Between Groups 33.719 3 11.240 78.087 0.00
Within Groups 88.378 614 0.144
Total 122.098 617
= 0.05
which Parents level of education influence in the incidence of child abuse and
To what extent does Parents occupation influence the incidence of child
abuse and neglect in Aguata Education Zone?
In order to answer this research question, the responses of pupils on
incidence of child abuse and neglect were grouped according to the various
Parents occupation as indicated in the questionnaire. Based on the grouping,
the analysis and interpretation below were done.
.
46
Table 5: Mean and Standard deviation of the influence of Parents occupation

on the incidence of child abuse and neglect

Occupation N X
SD
Trading 218 2.70 0.43
Public servant 240 2.08 0.42
Artisan 120 2.35 0.40
Others 40 2.22 0.40
Total 618 2.34 0.45
Table 5 shows that the mean response of pupils whose Parents
occupation is trading in relation to the incidence of child abuse and neglect is
2.70 with a standard deviation of 0.43. Also, the mean response of pupils whose
Parents occupation is public servant in relation to the incidence of child abuse
and neglect is 2.08 with a standard deviation of 0.42. Table 5 equally shows that
the mean response of pupils whose Parents occupation is artisan in relation to
the incidence of child abuse and neglect is 2.35 with a standard deviation of
0.40. The mean response of pupils whose Parents occupation was classified as
others in relation to the incidence of child abuse and neglect is 2.22 with a
standard deviation of 0.40. Based on the criteria set in method of data analysis,
results in Table 5 indicated that, the incidence of child abuse and neglect is to a
high extent for pupils whose Parents occupation is trading, and low extent for
pupils whose Parents occupation were public servant, artisan and those
classified as others. The overall mean of the incidence of child abuse and
neglect based on influence of Parents occupation influences the incidence of
child abuse and neglect to a low extent in Aguata Education Zone.
.
47
Hypothesis 3
H03: There is no significant difference in the mean response of pupils on the
extent to which Parents occupation influence the incidence of child abuse and
Between Groups 14.628 3 4.876 27.858 0.00
Within Groups 107.469 614 0.175
Total 122.098 617
= 0.05
which Parents occupation influence the incidence of child abuse and neglect in
Aguata Education Zone.
Summary of Findings
Parents income influences the incidence of child abuse and neglect to a
high extent in Aguata Education Zone
Parents level of education influences the incidence of child abuse and
neglect to a high extent in Aguata Education Zone
Parents occupation influences the incidence of child abuse and neglect to a
low extent in Aguata Education Zone.
.
48
There is a significant difference in the mean response of pupils on the
extent to which Parents level of income influence the incidence of child
abuse and neglect in Aguata Education Zone
extent to which Parents level of education influence the incidence of child
abuse and neglect in Aguata Education Zone
extent of which Parents occupation influence the incidence of child abuse
and neglect in Aguata Education Zone.
.
49
CHAPTER FIVE
DISCUSSION, CONCLUSION, IMPLICATIONS,
RECOMMENDATIONS AND SUMMARY
This chapter deals with the discussion of findings of this study,
conclusions, educational implication and suggestions for further study.
Discussion of Major Findings
One of the findings of this study was that Parents income influences the
The incident of child abuse and neglect was to a high extent for pupils whose
Parents income was N50,000 and below. It was to a low extent for pupils
whose Parents income was N51,000 and above. The finding further shows that
there was a significant difference in the mean response of pupils on the extent to
which Parents level of income influence the incidence of child abuse and
Consequently, the findings of this was in consonance with that of
Elgbeleye and Olasupol (2011) who found out that parents of low income status
showed significant high tendencies toward child labour practices (which is a
form of child abuse) than their high income counterparts. The finding of this
study is also in line with that of Ogundele and Ojo, (2007) who examined four
socio-demographic factors associated with child abuse among parents in Ibadan
metropolis .the findings of the study established that factors such as economic
status contributed significantly to the incidence of child abuse among parents in
.
50
various degrees. The finding of this study is also in agreed with that of Agu
(2005) who carried out a study to examine child abuse by adults in Owerri
urban of Imo State and found out that majority of the children suffered from
abuse as a result of family monetary problems.
Another finding of the study was that Parents level of education
influences the incidence of child abuse and neglect to a high extent in Aguata
Education Zone. Specifically, the findings of the study show that the incidence
of child abuse and neglect was to a high extent for pupils whose parents do not
have formal education. It was also to a high extent for pupils whose parents
have primary and secondary levels of education, and low extent for pupils
whose parents have tertiary level of education. The finding further shows that
which Parents level of education influence the incidence of child abuse and
neglect in Aguata Education Zone. The finding of this study is also in line with
that of Ojo (2013) who investigated the problem of street hawking as a form of
abuse among the Nigerian children. Ojo discovered that the level of awareness
of the dangers inherent in child hawking among the affected children was low.
The investigation of the study revealed that Parents levels of education Parents
occupations and the sizes of the family were significantly related to the problem
of child hawkers. Chen and Patergon (2006) maintain that low socio-economic
status and its correlates, such as lower education, poverty, and poor health
ultimately affect Nigerian children.
.
51
Lastly, it was revealed from the finding of the study that Parents
occupation influences the incidence of child abuse and neglect to a low extent in
Aguata Education Zone. Specifically the findings of the study show that the
incidence of child abuse and neglect was to a high extent for pupils whose
Parents occupation is trading, and low extent for parents whose occupation
shows that there is a significant difference in the mean response of pupils on the
extent to which Parents occupation influence the incidence of child abuse and
neglect in Aguata Education Zone. This finding is in agreement with the
assertion of (Child Welfare League of America, 2001) who outlined the causes
of child abuse and neglect includes poverty, lack of education or ignorance
among others.
Educational Implications
The results of the study discussed and interpreted above have far-reaching
implications for educational practice as summarized below.
In view of the fact that Parents level of income significantly influences
the incidence of child abuse and neglect, it implies that pupils parent with low
income are more likely not to meet up with the educational needs of their wards.
This in turn may create opportunity for pupils abuse and neglect. Teachers can
strive to cultivate a kind of relationship with their pupils. This can be achieved
by addressing pupils personal needs and inviting pupils to discuss with them
even on things unrelated to abuse and neglect they may have suffered. Doing so,
will no doubt create a friendly climate and motivate pupils to study better which
.
52
in the end will lead to better performance. Parents can also be advice to avoid
acts that will result in child abuse and neglect.
The knowledge of the fact that Parents level of education significantly
influences the incidence of child abuse and neglect calls for a great need to
sensitize the parents. In this regard, parents may be given some form of
orientation about what constitute child abuse and neglect .this may help them
protect their children against any form of child abuse and neglect.
Finally, Parents occupation significantly influences the incidence of
child abuse and neglect. Pupils parents whose occupations are classified as
less valued earn low wages whereas those whose parents occupations are
prestigious earn high wages. For pupils whose parents earn low wages, school
fees and other needs may be afforded. As such they sometime stay at home,
tend to grow being impulsive and as adolescents, may engage more in
misconduct, and in drug use among other deviant behaviours. However, when
children are reared under a better condition, (parent with prestigious
occupations and high wages) they are emotionally secure, independent and are
willing to learn. Teachers should identify those categories of pupils in
classroom and provide interventions that will assist those who are of low valued
occupation background.
.
53
Recommendation
Based on the findings and educational implications of the study
highlighted above, the following recommendations were made:-
1. Classroom teachers and school councilors should advice pupils
parents/guidance to avoid acts that will result in child abuse and neglects
irrespective of their income status.
2. Parents without formal education as well as those with primary and
secondary education should be given some form of orientation about what
constitute child abuse and neglect. This may help them protect their
children against any form of child abuse and neglect.
3. School councilors and teachers should identify pupils in the classroom
whose parent is of low valued occupation and whose school fees and other
needs may be afforded by their parents. Such categories of pupils should be
provided with interventions that will assist them.
Limitation of the study
The study was conducted in the Aguata Education Zone and only 618
pupils were used as subject of the study. The use of a larger sample could have
yielded more valid and reliable result but was not possible due to the difficulty
in accessing some schools.
.
54
Some of the respondents may have ticked all the responses in order to
make impressions and not necessarily reflecting their true or real choices and
this may have influenced the result in a way.
Suggestions for Further Study
Based on the findings and limitations of this study, the following have
been suggested for further research:
1. A similar study should be carried out in other locations outside the Aguata
education zone. The study should be carried out using the senior secondary
school students as target population.
2. An investigation into the incidence of child abuse and neglect on students
study habits should be carried out.
Summary of the Study
This study was designed to investigate the influence of parental socio-
economic status on the incidence of child abuse and neglect. The study was
conducted in Aguata Education Zone of Anambra State comprising Orumba
South, Orumba North and Aguata Local Government Areas. The population of
the study was 12,361 primary six pupils out which 618 pupils were drawn as
subjects for the study. Three research questions and three null hypotheses were
formulated to guide the study. A comprehensive literature review was carried
out to expose the researcher to what has already been done in the area of the
.
55
study. The literature review was based on the following subheadings:- Concept
of child, concept of child abuse, concept of child neglect, concept of socio-
economic status, theoretical framework, review of empirical studies and
summary of literature review.
The design adopted for the study was Ex-post facto research design. A
questionnaire was used as instrument for the study. It was validated and trial
tested to ensure its reliability. The questionnaire was distributed to 618 students
and collected. Mean, standard deviation and analysis of variance were used in
answering research questions and testing hypotheses respectively.
The result of the study revealed that Parents level of income significantly
influence the incidence of child abuse and neglect. It was also revealed that
Parents level of education significantly influences the incidence of child abuse
and neglect. Furthermore it was discovered that Parents occupations
significantly influence the incidence of child abuse and neglect.
These results were discussed in relation to previous findings of similar
studies and the educational implications of the findings were highlighted. Also,
recommendations were made and the limitations of the study and suggestions
for further studies were also discussed.
.
56
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61
APPENDIX A
INSTRUMENT FOR VALIDATION
Department of Educational Foundations,

University of Nigeria, Nsukka
Enugu State.
26th September 2011.
Dear Sir/Madam,
REQUEST FOR VALIDATION OF RESEARCH INSTRUMENT
I am Okpukpara Ijeoma, a Post-graduate student of childhood Education.

I am currently carrying out a research work entitled influence of socio-
economic status on the incidence of Child Abuse and Neglect in Aguata
Education zone Anambra state (ISESICANAEZAS). I humbly request for your
assistance in correcting and validating my instrument to be used in data
collection for the study.
Thanks for your kind cooperation.
Yours faithfully,
Okpukpara, Ijeoma P.
PG/MED/08/49696.
.
62
RESEARCH QUESTIONNAIRE ON INFLUENCE OF PARENTAL

SOCIO-ECONOMIC STATUS ON THE INCIDENCE OF CHILD
ABUSE AND NEGLECT AMONG PRIMARY SCHOOL CHILDREN IN
AGUATA EDUCATION ZONE OF ANAMBRA STATE.
SECTION A: DEMOGRAPHIC DATA

Instrument: Please supply the information required below by ticking () on
the correct option/item as it applies to you.
Name of school
Class of School...
Sex: Male Female
Fathers occupation: Trading Public servant Artisan
Others .
Mothers occupation: Trading Public servant Artisan
Others
Size of the family: 2-4 2-5 2-6 7 and above
Parents marital status: Married Divorced Widowed
Fathers education: No formal education Primary education
Secondary education Tertiary education
Mothers Education: No formal education Primary education
Secondary education Tertiary education
.
63
SECTION B: THE QUESTIONNAIRE ITEMS
KEY: VHE= Very High Extent, HE = High Extent, LE = Low Extent,

NA = Not Available
Please tick () as appropriate.

Cluster A: Incidence of child abuse and neglect VHE HE LE NA
1 I am always sent home for some time during

academic session because my school fees is
often pay late
2 My parents or guardians do not treat me when I
am sick
3 My parents abandon me and do not take care of
me.
4 My parents overlabour me with house work or
other business activities
5 The way my parents or guardians talk to me
make me emotionally distress
6 My parents or guardians make feel inferior
7 My parents or guardians engage me in
mischievous act
8 I fend for myself because my parents are poor
9 I go to school with hunger all days
10 The family I live with beat me until injury occur.
Cluster B: Extent to which education
influence child abuse and neglect
11 My parents do not help me in doing my school
assignment because they are not educated.
12 Sometimes our neighbours help me in doing my
school assignment and touch parts of my body.
13 My father and mother never go through or check
my school work, thus make me not to be much
serious with my studies.
14 Sometimes my parents help me in doing my
assignments.
.
64
15 My parents provide all educational materials for

me
16 When I perform poorly in my school works they
scold and flog me.
17 My parents are too busy that they do not check
my academic work at home
18 Since my parents do not inspect my school work
at home so I do not perform wonderfully well at
school.
19 My parents do not care about my education at
all.
20 My parents reward me with gifts when I perform
excellently in school.
Cluster C: Extent to which parents
occupation influence child abuse and neglect.
21 I am often sent to stay in the shop or to hawk
things because my parents are poor
22 My parents do not have well paid job so I live
with richer family who pay me.
23 Due to the nature of work of my parents, I am
left in the hands of house help/nanny who does
not take good care of me as my mummy does.
24 My parents do not come home till late at night
25 When I come back from school I stay with my
parents in their place of work till closing hours.
26 I am not well taken care of because of the nature
of my parents job.
27 My parents keep me in their office to learn after
school
28 My parents work for government and are always
complaining of not paid
29 My parents can read and write as such they are
aware of law against child abuse and neglect
30 My parent education help them to treat me nicely
.
65
Custer C; parents income and child abuse and neglect

31 My parents pay my school fees as soon as the
school resumes
32 My parents buy all the recommended textbooks for
me
33 My parents pay the specialist employed to teach me
at home
34 My parents give me money to take care of my
others needs in school
35 My parents have a family doctor that takes care of
our health problems
36 My parents sponsor me to exhibitions/museum
which is related to my class subjects
37 My parents are rich and their income is high
38 My parents pay the cook employed to that prepare
our food
39 My parents pay the maid employed to take care of
domestic chores
40 My parents employ a driver that drives them to

work
.
66
APPENDIX B
CLUSTER A
Reliability
Scale: ALL VARIABLES

Case Processing Summary
N %
Cases Valid 30 100.0
a
Excluded 0 .0
Total 30 100.0
a. Listwise deletion based on all
variables in the procedure.
Reliability Statistics
Cronbachs
Alpha No of Items
.784 10
CLUSTER B
Reliability
Scale: All VARIABLES

N %
a
Excluded 0 .0
Total 30 100.0
Cronbachs
Alpha No of Items
.862 10
.
67
CLUSTER C
Reliability

N %
Excludeda 0 .0
Total 30 100.0
b. Listwise deletion based on all
Cronbachs
Alpha No of Items
.773 10
CLUSTER D
Reliability
Scale: All VARIABLES

N %
Excludeda 0 .0
Total 30 100.0
b. Listwise deletion based on all
Cronbachs
Alpha No of Items
.831 10
.
68
OVERALL
Reliability

N %
a
Excluded 0 .0
Total 30 100.0
Cronbachs
Alpha No of Items
.834 40
.
69
Oneway analysis of variance of the influence of socio-economic status on

the incidence child abuse and neglect.
Research question 1: Influence of Parents income on child abuse and neglect.
Descriptives
Child abuse and neglect
95% Confidence
Interval for Mean
Std. Std. Lower Upper Minimu Maxim
Deviat Error Bound Bound m um
N Mean ion
N50,000 and below 200 2.9748 .16262 .01150 2.9522 2.9975 2.73 3.37
N51,000-N100,000 258 2.3171 .31399 .01955 2.2786 2.3556 1.37 2.87
Above N100,000 160 2.2738 .43290 .03422 2.2062 2.3413 1.47 3.40
Total 618 2.5187 .44485 .01789 2.4836 2.5539 1.37 3.40
ANOVA
Sum of Df Mean F Sign.
Squares Square
Between Groups 61.701 2 30.851 314.142 .000
Within Groups 60.397 615 .098
Total 122.098 617
.
70
Research question 2: Influence of Parents education on child abuse and neglect
Descriptives
Child abuse and neglect.
95% Confidence
Interval for Mean
Std. Std. Lower Upper Mini Maximu
Deviation Error Bound Bound mum m
N Mean
No formal education 68 2.8767 .50276 .06097 2.7550 2.9984 1.53 3.37
Primary education 100 2.8524 .26310 .02631 2.8002 2.9046 1.90 3.17
Secondary education 150 2.5600 .38696 .03160 2.4979 2.6225 1.47 2.97
Tertiary education 300 2.3057 .37603 .02171 2.2630 2.3484 1.37 3.40
Total 618 2.5187 .44485 .01789 2.4836 2.5539 1.37 3.40
ANOVA
Squares Square
Between Groups 33.719 3 11.240 78.087 .000
Total 122.098 617
Research question 3: Influence of Parents occupation on child abuse and neglect.
Descriptives
95% Confidence
Interval for Mean
Std. Std. Lower Upper Mini Maximu
Deviation Error Bound Bound mum m
N Mean
Trading 218 2.7037 .42720 .02893 2.6467 2.7607 1.53 3.37
Public servant 240 2.0838 .42342 .02733 2.4299 2.5376 1.47 3.40
Artisan 120 2.3516 .39808 .03634 2.2797 2.4236 1.47 2.87
Others 40 2.2218 .39745 .06284 2.0947 2.3489 1.37 2.77
Total 618 2.3403 .44485 .01789 2.4836 2.5539 1.37 3.40
ANOVA
Squares Square
Between Groups 14.628 3 4.876 27.858 .000
Total 122.098 617
.
71
APPENDIX C

Influence of Parental Socio-Economic Status On The Incidence of Child Abuse and Neglect Among Primary School Pupils in Aguata Education Zone of Anambra State

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Influence of Parental Socio-Economic Status On The Incidence of Child Abuse and Neglect Among Primary School Pupils in Aguata Education Zone of Anambra State

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1

INFLUENCE OF PARENTAL SOCIO-ECONOMIC

Digitally Signed by:: Content managers Name

INFLUENCE OF PARENTAL SOCIO-ECONOMIC STATUS ON THE

PROJECT SUBMITTED TO THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATIONAL

SUPERVISOR: PROF (MRS) J. O. CHUKWU

THIS THESIS HAS BEEN APPROVED FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF

This is to certify that OKPUKPARA IJEOMA P. a postgraduate student in the

Department of Educational Foundations with registration number

PG/MED/08/49696 has satisfactory completed the requirement for the award of

the degree of Master of Education (M.ED) in Childhood Education. The work

any other diploma or degree of this or any other university.

The work is dedicated to all Nigerian children.

The researcher is immensely grateful to God Almighty for good health,

The researchers appreciation goes to her supervisor, Prof (Mrs.) J.O.

tolerance, kindness, ever-preparedness to help and wealthy experiences that

were used for this study.

researcher appreciates the love and prayers of her children Chukwuemerie

Okpukpara and Mmesoma Okpukpara throughout the period of this work.

Eri Eriksons Psychosocial Theory 30

Suggestions for Further Study 54

income on the incidence of child abuse and neglect - - - 43

2. One-way analysis of various (ANOVA) of extent to which Parents level

Background of the Study

Procreation is a phenomenon that ensures the survival and continuity of a

is a crucial task that is significant in determining the quality of citizens that

make up a particular society. It is disappointing to note that juvenile cases and

either battered, abandoned, or abused in any other form. They were

consequently toughened and eventually become liabilities to the community

assumed a worrisome and alarming proportion (Semenitani, 1998).

Children are regarded as precious gifts from God. It is rather outrageous

has been recognized as a major problem in child upbringing in the society.

There is no commonly accepted definition of child abuse and neglect.

as a situation in which a child is suffering serious physical

separate phenomenons. He defines child abuse as inflicting serious physical,

physiological and sexual injury on children through non accidental means,

or emotional condition of children through improper care. Crystal (1995)

sexual, emotional or through neglect. National Child Rights Implementation

Committee (NCRIC,1995) defines child abuse and neglect as any form of

cruelty to a childs physical, moral or mental well-being. According to the

violence, maltreatment or neglect that a child or adolescent may experience

siblings, other relatives caregivers or guardians.

neglect and exposure to domestic violence. Physical abuse involves deliberately

includes excessive beating, slapping, sticking, kicking, battering, burning,

bruising, corporal punishment among others (Wikipedia, no date).

when a child is used for sexual purposes by an adult or adolescent. It involves

always consist of penetration. Okpala (2010) sees sexual abuse as a form of

child abuse in which an adult or older adolescent or caregiver abuses a child

intercourse, incest, rape or sodomy, attempted penetration, oral sex, fondling

touching, or kissing a childs genitals, making a child fondle the adults

undress, spying on a child in the bathroom or bedroom, exhibitionism

showing sex organs to a child, forced observation of sexual acts, showing

pornographic materials, group sex including a child. Exploitation sexual

exploitation such as enticing children to pornographic sites or materials on the

children to pornographic movies or magazines, child prostitution or using a

child in the production of pornography, such as film or magazine.

Neglect includes the situation in which children have suffered harm, or

their safety or physical, psychological or emotional development has been

endangered as a result of the caregivers failure to provide for or protect them

involves repeated incidents. Neglect includes failing to provide a child with

abuse. This is a difficult category to document since the effects of emotional

serious behavioral, cognitive, emotional or mental health problems (Kassan

maltreatment; inadequate nurturance/affection; and exposure to non-intimate