Attitude towards Child Abuse: Identified Predictors in Some Health Care Centre in Lagos State

Abstract

When most people imagine a child molester, they envision an ugly man in a trench coat coaxing children with biscuit. They don't picture the family member, the neighbor next door, the friendly parishioner, or a trusted co-worker. They don't think of mom or dad. Efforts to understand the etiology of abuse have led researchers to examine the personal history of parents who abuse their children. Hence this study considered the attitude of parents towards child abuse with the aim of identifying the predicting variables. Parents from five health centres in Lagos State were selected as participants in the study using 120 participants comprising sixty (60) males and (60) females. Attitude towards child abuse was measured with a twenty five item questionnaire developed by the researchers based on the list of items published as tip-off of child abuse and neglect by the American Humane Association and the Nigeria culture. It was found that masculine gender and participants aged 40 an above are important variables in predicting attitude of parents towards child abuse. Findings from this study provide a guide for more focused prevention, investigation and treatment efforts of abused children.

Keywords: Attitude towards child abuse, parents