Child Sexual Abuse and Implications for the Ecology of Human Development
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 5221984 |
|---|---|
| Authors | N Madu, S N Madu (University of the North , Private Bag X1106, Sovenga 0727, South Africa., corresponding author) |
| Year | 2003 |
| Volume | 14 |
| Issue | 4 |
| Pages | 253-262 |
| Publication date | 2003-07-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Journal of Human Ecology (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0970-9274 • E-ISSN: 2456-6608 |
| Publisher | Kamla Raj Enterprises (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1080/09709274.2003.11905621 |
| OpenAlex | W2185390373 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 16 |
This is an investigation into child sexual abuse, with the view of pointing out the its implications for the ecology of human development. Four hundred and sixty five female undergraduate students attending psychology courses at the University of the North, South Africa (mean age = 23.8 years, SD = 5.28), filled in a retrospective self-rating questionnaire in a classroom setting. The questionnaire is part of the Child Maltreatment Interview Schedule (Briere, 1993). It asked questions about childhood sexual forms of abuse experienced by the participants, victim-perpetrator relationships, whether participants perceive themselves as sexually abused during childhood or not, and their overall self-rating of childhood. Result shows a childhood sexual abuse prevalence rate 23.7%. 19.1% were kissed sexually, 14.1% were touched sexually, 9.5% were victims of oral/anal/vaginal intercourse. The highest number of perpetrators is found either among family/extended family members of victims (sexual kiss: 40.9%, sexual touch: 27.2%, oral/anal/vaginal intercourse: 42.5%) or among people entrusted with care of the participant as a child (sexual kiss: 20.4%, sexual touch: 40.7%, oral/anal/vaginal intercourse: 45%). Most of the perpetrators are people known to the victims (sexual kiss: 73.4%, sexual touch: 61.1%, oral/anal/vaginal intercourse: 77.5%). Many victims (83% of the victims) perceived themselves (possibly in line with their societal or traditional perceptions and attitudes towards child abuse) as not sexually abused during childhood; and most rated their childhood as either as “average” (41.3% of the victims) or as “very happy” (41.3% of the victims). The author discusses the above results from the ecological approach to human development, bringing out how child’s environment (the micro-, meso-, exo-, and macrosystems) can contribute adversely to the development of the individual. It is recommended that programmes against child sexual abuse should involve also children and their parents as providers.Key Words: Child Sexual AbuseHuman Development
Biology · Child sexual abuse · Environmental health · Poison control · Sexual abuse · Child Abuse and Trauma · Early Childhood Education and Development · Human Factors and Ergonomics · Medicine · Migration, Health and Trauma · Psychology · Ecology
Children and Families in the Social Environment
Understanding abusive families
Child Development and Personal Social Networks
High-Risk Neighborhoods and High-Risk Families
A review of the short-term effects of child sexual abuse
Power of discourse and discourse of power in making an issue of sexual abuse in South Africa
Children of migrant farm work families are at high risk for maltreatment
Childhood Sexual Abuse in a Sample of South African University Males
A Study of Childhood Sexual Abuse among South African University Women Students
Puerto Rican espiritismo and psychotherapy
Unraveling child abuse
Child abuse and neglect
Violence toward children in the United States
Demythologizing Child Abuse
The Meaning of Poverty in the World of Children
The Human Ecology of Child Maltreatment
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |