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Emery C, Abdullah A, Thapa S, Chan KL, Hiu-Kwan C, Lai AHY, Lau BHP, Wekerle C. Desistance from physical abuse in a national study of Nepal: Protective informal social control and self-compassion. CHILD ABUSE & NEGLECT 2023:106588. [PMID: 38044251 DOI: 10.1016/j.chiabu.2023.106588] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2023] [Revised: 10/17/2023] [Accepted: 11/28/2023] [Indexed: 12/05/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Research on the conditions under which perpetrators desist from child maltreatment has seen greater attention as part of the efforts to break the cycle of maltreatment. New theoretical insights suggest that informal actions (herein protective informal social control of child maltreatment) by network members which communicate warmth, empathy with victim distress, and promote the modeling of positive parenting practices are more likely to increase maltreatment desistance. Likewise, parents' desistance from maltreatment is theorized to impact on adolescents' (victim) cognition and self-compassion. OBJECTIVE This study examined the relationship among protective informal social control of child maltreatment (protective ISC_CM) by social networks, physical abuse desistance, and adolescent self-compassion. PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING A nationally representative sample of 1100 mothers and their adolescent children (aged 11-15) in Nepal was obtained. METHODS Questionnaires were administered to mothers and their adolescent children independently. Hypotheses were tested using regression models with standard errors corrected for clustering within wards. RESULTS More than 1 in 7 mothers reported perpetrating physical abuse in the past year, and 1 in every 5 adolescents reported being victims of physical abuse. Odds of abuse desistance increase by roughly 10 % for each act of protective ISC_CM reported by the mother. Also, odds of abuse desistance associated with higher adolescent self-compassion, and acts of protective ISC_CM associated with higher levels of adolescent self-compassion. CONCLUSION The findings suggest that interventions to boost desistance from maltreatment and break the cycle of abuse in Nepal, should focus on promoting protective informal social control actions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Clifton Emery
- Department of Social Work and Social Administration, The University of Hong Kong, HKU Centennial Campus, PokFuLam Road, Hong Kong.
| | - Alhassan Abdullah
- College of Education, Psychology and Social Work, Flinders University, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia.
| | - Srijana Thapa
- Department of Child Welfare Studies, Namseoul University, South Korea
| | - Ko Ling Chan
- Department of Applied Social Sciences, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong.
| | - Cheryl Hiu-Kwan
- Department of Social Work and Social Administration, The University of Hong Kong, HKU Centennial Campus, PokFuLam Road, Hong Kong.
| | - Angel Hor-Yan Lai
- Department of Applied Social Sciences, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong.
| | - Bobo Hi-Po Lau
- Department of Counselling and Psychology, Hong Kong Shue Yan University, Hong Kong.
| | - Christine Wekerle
- Department of Pediatrics, McMaster University, 1280 Main Street West, Hamilton, Ontario L8S4L8, Canada
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Emery CR, Abdullah A, Jordan LP. Protective Community Norms and Mental Health Risks for Severe Physical Abuse: Lessons From a Nationally Representative Study of Ghana. JOURNAL OF INTERPERSONAL VIOLENCE 2023; 38:8593-8618. [PMID: 36843448 DOI: 10.1177/08862605231156418] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
Although it has become axiomatic to quote an African proverb in discussions of child well-being, attempts to draw concrete and positive lessons from how African communities respond to and mitigate child maltreatment are comparatively few. This study tested the hypothesis that the collective value of Abiriwatia in Ghana, which supports legitimate norms of community obligations to care for children, could be protective against physical abuse. It also examined the claim that knowledge of the familial situation of community members, generated through Abiriwatia, may help them to act to mitigate the risk of caregiver's borderline personality disorder (BPD) features. We obtained a nationally representative sample of 1,100 female caregivers from 22 Ghanaian settlements and tested the hypotheses using multilevel models. Controlling for community-level physical abuse, living in a community with high levels of Abiriwatia childcare and community authority values is associated with lower levels of very severe physical abuse, and Abiriwatia childcare may mitigate risk from the caregiver's BPD features. Within Ghana, encouraging positive and protective aspects of traditional Ghanaian values and working to reinstate respect for these values may have positive outcomes for children. Interventions to reduce child maltreatment should be developed with reference to Abiriwatia childcare values.
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Nyandwi A, Munyanshongore C, Nyirazinyoye L, Ndola P, Perren-Klingler G. Correlates of emotional violence against children in Rwanda: Findings from a cross-sectional national survey. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0286788. [PMID: 37310951 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0286788] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2022] [Accepted: 05/06/2023] [Indexed: 06/15/2023] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION National data on children affected by violence are critical in preventing violence against children. Rwanda conducted its first cross-sectional national survey on violence against children in 2015. This study used data from the Rwanda Survey to describe the profile of children affected by emotional violence (EV) and to assess factors associated with it in Rwanda. METHODS A sample of 1,110 children (618 boys and 492 girls) aged 13-17 from the Rwanda Survey was analysed. Weighted descriptive statistics were applied to describe the prevalence of EV and the profile of children affected by it. In addition, factors associated with EV were investigated using logistic regression. RESULTS Male children were more likely to experience EV than female children. Nine percent (8.87%, 95% CI [6.95-11.25]) of male children versus five percent (5.17%, 95% CI [3.79-7.03]) of female children reported having experienced EV in their lifetime. Seven percent (6.77%, 95% CI [5.15-8.84]) of male children versus four percent of female children (3.97%, 95% CI [2.83-5.54]) reported having experienced EV in the last twelve months before the survey. Fathers and mothers were the top two perpetrators of EV against children. Seventeen percent of male children (17.09%, 95% CI [11.06-25.47]) and 12 percent of female children (11.89%, 95% CI [6.97,19.55]) reported EV by their fathers. Mothers were responsible for nineteen percent (19.25%, 95% CI [12.94-27.65]) of EV reported by male children and eleven percent (10.78%, 95% CI [5.77-19.25]) of EV reported by female children. Female children (OR = 0.48, 95% CI [0.31-0.76]) and children with some trust in people from their communities (OR = 0.47, 95% CI [0.23-0.93]) were less likely to report EV. Factors associated with risk for EV were not attending school (OR = 1.80, 95% CI [1.10-2.92]), living with father only (OR = 2.96, 95% CI [1.21-7.85]), not feeling close to biological parents (OR = 7.18, 95% CI [2.12-24.37]), living in a larger household (OR = 1.81, 95% CI [1.03-3.19]), not having a friend (OR = 2.08, 95% CI [1.02-4.11]), and not feeling safe in the community (OR = 2.56, 95% CI [1.03-6.38]). CONCLUSION EV against children was pervasive in Rwanda, with parents topping the list of its perpetrators. Children from unsupportive socioeconomic family environments, i.e., children without a close relationship with biological parents, children not attending school, children living with their fathers only, children from larger households of five people and more, children without a friend, and children who reported not feeling safe in their communities, were identified as groups of children vulnerable to emotional violence in Rwanda. A family-centred approach, focusing on positive parenting and protecting vulnerable children, is needed to reduce emotional violence against children and the risk factors associated with it in Rwanda.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Prata Ndola
- School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California, United States of America
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Abdullah A, Jordan LP, Emery CR. The protective effects of the collective cultural value of abiriwatia against child neglect: Results from a nationally representative survey. CHILD ABUSE & NEGLECT 2023; 138:106068. [PMID: 36764174 DOI: 10.1016/j.chiabu.2023.106068] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2022] [Revised: 01/10/2023] [Accepted: 01/27/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Over the past 20 years, there has been a growing commitment to strengthen community norms-to foster informal support for families and enhance community commitment to protect children from child abuse and neglect. The current study examined the relationship between child neglect and normative interpretations of the dominant cultural value of abiriwatia in Ghana. It was hypothesized that the norms of abiriwatia were associated with lower incidence of child neglect. METHODS We used a random, stratified four-stage cluster design to select a nationally representative sample of 1100 female caregivers in Ghana. Norms of the cultural value of abiriwatia were measured using a new 11-item Likert scale questionnaire developed by the authors, and child neglect was measured using the Conflict Tactics Scale. RESULTS Factor analysis of the abiriwatia scale retained three factors, community authority, collective childcare, and lineage, as the core norms of abiriwatia. We found that the abiriwatia norm of community authority was associated with fewer instances of child neglect. Norms of community responsibility for childcare were negatively associated with child neglect frequency (B = -0.31, p < .05). However, the relationship between the abiriwatia norm of lineage and child neglect was positive (B = 0.24, p < .05). CONCLUSION The protective associations among the norms of community authority and collective childcare and child neglect suggest that traditional practices that strengthen and enforce the collective norms of abiriwatia, including storytelling, family byelaws, community durbars (community meetings), taboos, and reciprocal farming activities (nnoboa) could be protective against neglect.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alhassan Abdullah
- College of Education, Psychology and Social Work, Flinders University, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia.
| | - Lucy P Jordan
- Department of Social Work and Social Administration, The University of Hong Kong, HKU Centennial Campus, PokFuLam Road, Hong Kong.
| | - Clifton R Emery
- Department of Social Work and Social Administration, The University of Hong Kong, HKU Centennial Campus, PokFuLam Road, Hong Kong.
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Abdullah A, Emery CR. Dose-Response Relationship Between Protective Family Informal Social Control and Chronic Child Neglect: Does Household Size Matter? JOURNAL OF INTERPERSONAL VIOLENCE 2023; 38:5404-5429. [PMID: 36154516 DOI: 10.1177/08862605221123280] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Larger households, involving more children, are theorized as potential risk factors for child maltreatment-resource dilution theory. But qualitative evidence shows that in collective societies, like Ghana, more adult family members may act against neglect, through protective informal social control, which helps to reduce the frequency of neglect. Family members intervention in neglect situations will be more consistent and sustained due to the sanctioned collective responsibility to care for children in the community. The purpose of this study is to test the hypothesis that having more adult family members in the household, who have the will and agency to intervene, will predict less chronic neglect. A three-stage probability proportional to size cluster sample of Ghana was collected from 1,100 primary caregiving mothers. One mother was interviewed in each household, and responses were limited to one focal child. When sample was restricted to those with chronic neglect (neglect > 1), 596 mothers remained in the data. The children have experienced 11 times neglect in the past year, and lived in households with average size of 6 members. Chronic neglect was measured using the Conflict Tactics Scale. Dose-response protective informal social control by family members was measured using the newly developed context-based scale for measuring protective informal social control of child neglect (ISC_CM2). Results from the random effects regressions models showed a negative relationship between dose-response protective informal social control and chronic neglect, and the interaction with household size was negative and significant. Ghanaian families should be sensitized to take advantage of the communal living practices, extended family systems and compound housing structures, as traditional mechanisms to promote collectivity and interventions in observed acts of neglect to protect children. The evidence contradicts the resource dilution theory's conceptualization of large household as risks factors of neglect.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alhassan Abdullah
- Department of Social Work and Social Administration, The University of Hong Kong, Pok Fu Lam Road, Hong Kong
| | - Clifton R Emery
- Department of Social Work and Social Administration, The University of Hong Kong, Pok Fu Lam Road, Hong Kong
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Abdullah A, Emery CR. Caregivers' perceptions of informal social control practices to reduce child neglect: A qualitative study in Ghana. CHILD ABUSE & NEGLECT 2022; 133:105848. [PMID: 36044791 DOI: 10.1016/j.chiabu.2022.105848] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2022] [Revised: 07/31/2022] [Accepted: 08/14/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Rational choice deterrence theory suggests that caregiving behavior, which includes abusive and neglectful behavior, can be influenced or manipulated via informal social control strategies enacted by neighbors, family members and friends in the social network. The literature identifies two forms of informal social control that have the potential to influence maltreating caregiver behavior, protective vs punitive, with the latter having more contrasting evidence related to its influence on maltreating caregiving practices. OBJECTIVE To examine the perceptions and meanings female caregivers associate with protective and punitive informal social control strategies that have been enacted against them. METHODS 17 female caregivers from Ghana, who self-reported their involvement in neglectful acts, were purposively selected to engage in river of life oral history narrative interviews. Narrative accounts from the caregivers were analyzed thematically using Taguette software package. RESULTS The findings showed that protective informal social control in child neglect are interpreted via values and norms of childcare that have been institutionalized in the community. Caregivers perceived protective informal social control to have impact on their level of respect/influence, authority in the family or community, and to elicit internal consequences: shame, guilty feelings and embarrassment. Punitive informal social control approaches were considered as misplaced interventions that had ulterior motives of satisfying the neighbors' hatred/dislike of the perpetrator and quest for revenge. CONCLUSION The findings suggest that the development of a fruitful theoretical framework to explain the effectiveness of informal social control should prioritize the social values and legitimate norms of the community. Implications for practice and theory development are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alhassan Abdullah
- Department of Social Work and Social Administration, The University of Hong Kong, HKU Centennial Campus, PokFuLam Road, Hong Kong.
| | - Clifton R Emery
- Department of Social Work and Social Administration, The University of Hong Kong, HKU Centennial Campus, PokFuLam Road, Hong Kong.
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Abdullah A, Jordan LP, Lu S, Emery CR. Collective value of Abiriwatia and protective informal social control of child neglect: Findings from a Nationally Representative Survey in Ghana. HEALTH & SOCIAL CARE IN THE COMMUNITY 2022; 30:e5745-e5754. [PMID: 36124633 DOI: 10.1111/hsc.14005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2022] [Revised: 07/10/2022] [Accepted: 08/20/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Evidence of the protective role of informal social control by community members (family members, friends, and neighbours) in child neglect has received considerable attention. Likewise, the protective effects of informal social control interventions in neglect are theorised to be common and highly efficacious in communities that have sanctioned informal interventions through collective social values and norms. Yet, no research has examined this theoretical postulation within the field of community/neighbourhood research in child maltreatment. We tested the theory-driven hypothesis by examining the interaction effects of protective informal social control of neglect and the collective value of Abiriwatia (a collective value based on lineage with norms on collective childcare duties) against the frequency of child neglect. Data consist of 616 caregivers' self-report of child neglect in the past year, from the Ghana Families and Neighbourhood Study. Hypotheses were tested using random effects regression models with standard errors corrected for settlement/community clusters. Protective informal social control of child neglect was significantly associated with fewer neglect in the past year (B = -0.79, p < 0.05). The interaction between protective informal social control of child neglect and the collective value of Abiriwatia was negative (B = -0.07, p < 0.05). The findings suggest that strengthening the collective normative commitment to childcare would promote family members' intervention to protect against neglect situations, and their intervention can deter further acts of neglect. Community neglect prevention programmes should take advantage of the findings to strengthen community norms that sanction collective childcare duties. Community child protection committees of the Department of Social Welfare should develop social groups and informal associations to strengthen Abiriwatia in Ghana.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alhassan Abdullah
- College of Education, Psychology and Social Work, Flinders University, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
- Department of Social Work and Social Administration, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong
| | - Lucy P Jordan
- Department of Social Work and Social Administration, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong
| | - Shuang Lu
- Department of Social Work and Social Administration, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong
| | - Clifton R Emery
- Department of Social Work and Social Administration, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong
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Clustering of Socioeconomic Data in Hong Kong for Planning Better Community Health Protection. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2021; 18:ijerph182312617. [PMID: 34886341 PMCID: PMC8656856 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph182312617] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2021] [Revised: 11/11/2021] [Accepted: 11/27/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
The concept of socioeconomic vulnerability has made a substantial contribution to the understanding and conceptualization of health risk. To assess the spatial distribution of multi-dimensional socioeconomic vulnerability in an urban context, a vulnerability assessment scheme was proposed to guide decision-making in disaster resilience and sustainable urban development to reduce health risk. A two-stage approach was applied in Hong Kong to identify subgroups among Tertiary Planning Units (TPU) (i.e., the local geographic areas) with similar characteristics. In stage 1, principal components analysis was used for dimension reduction and to de-noise the socioeconomic data for each TPU based on the variables selected, while in stage 2, Gaussian mixture modeling was used to partition all the TPUs into different subgroups based on the results of stage 1. This study summarized socioeconomic-vulnerability-related data into five principal components, including indigenous degree, family resilience, individual productivity, populous grassroots, and young-age. According to these five principal components, all TPUs were clustered into five subgroups/clusters. Socioeconomic vulnerability is a concept that could be used to help identify areas susceptible to health risk, and even identify susceptible groups in affluent areas. More attention should be paid to areas with high populous grassroots scores and low young-age score since they were associated with a higher mortality rate.
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Neupane D, Bhandari PM, Thapa K, Bhochhibhoya S, Rijal S, Pathak RP. Self-reported child abuse in the home: a cross-sectional survey of prevalence, perpetrator characteristics and correlates among public secondary school students in Kathmandu, Nepal. BMJ Open 2018; 8:e018922. [PMID: 29921678 PMCID: PMC6009519 DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2017-018922] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES To explore the prevalence, perpetrator characteristics and the correlates of child abuse in Kathmandu, Nepal. METHODS For this cross-sectional study, we translated the internationally validated questionnaire developed by the International Society for Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect, Child Abuse Screening Tool-Child Home into Nepali. We added questions on descriptive information about students and their family to the questionnaire. We recruited students from 20 schools selected randomly-2 from each of the 10 electoral constituencies of Kathmandu district. In each school, we administered the questionnaires to the students in a classroom selected randomly. To assess the correlates, we ran multilevel multivariable logistic regression models, stratified by schools. RESULTS Among the 962 students, 88.88% had experience of at least one form of abuse throughout their lifetime. Psychological abuse was the most prevalent form of abuse (previous year: 75.19%; lifetime: 76.15%) followed by physical abuse, exposure to violence, neglect and sexual abuse. Adults were the most common perpetrators of child abuse (37.55%). The correlates identified in this study mostly aligned with the global literature on correlates of abuse. Female students were more likely to report neglect (previous year: adjusted OR (AOR) 1.50, 95% CI 1.10 to 2.04; lifetime: AOR 1.49, 95% CI 1.10 to 2.02), but no gender difference was observed with other forms of abuse. Students living with a single parent had a greater likelihood of exposure to violence (previous year: AOR 2.55, 95% CI 1.31 to 4.94; lifetime: AOR 2.77, 95% CI 1.39 to 5.53), neglect (previous year: AOR 2.01, 95% CI 1.10 to 3.69; lifetime: AOR 2.08, 95% CI 1.14 to 3.81) and sexual abuse (previous year: AOR 3.03, 95% CI 1.45 to 6.37; lifetime: AOR 2.49, 95% CI 1.21 to 5.14). CONCLUSIONS Over 88% of students reported experiencing child abuse in the home in one or more forms throughout their lifetime. Delineating the reasons for the high burden and its implications are important topics for future research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dipika Neupane
- Maharajgunj Medical Campus, Institute of Medicine, Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, Nepal
| | - Parash Mani Bhandari
- Maharajgunj Medical Campus, Institute of Medicine, Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, Nepal
| | - Kiran Thapa
- Maharajgunj Medical Campus, Institute of Medicine, Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, Nepal
| | - Shristi Bhochhibhoya
- Maharajgunj Medical Campus, Institute of Medicine, Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, Nepal
| | - Shristi Rijal
- Maharajgunj Medical Campus, Institute of Medicine, Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, Nepal
| | - Ramjee Prasad Pathak
- Maharajgunj Medical Campus, Institute of Medicine, Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, Nepal
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