THE INFLUENCE OF PARENTAL SOCIO-ECONOMIC STATUS ON THE INCIDENCE OF CHILD ABUSE AND NEGLECT AMONG PRIMARY SCHOOL PUPILS

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 par ents’ 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 parent’s occupation significantly influences the incidence of child abuse and neglect.

The implications of the findings were discussed and appropriate suggestions and recommendations were made.

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).