A Wound Inflicted by a Friend does not heal: Structure Equation Modelling (SEM) of Child Maltreatment, its Dimensions and their Demographic Parameters

International Journal of Humanities and Social Science
© 2018 by SSRG - IJHSS Journal
Volume 5 Issue 1
Year of Publication : 2018
Authors : Nisreen yacoub Mohammed and Yasser Abdelazim Abdelmawgoud Samak
pdf
How to Cite?

Nisreen yacoub Mohammed and Yasser Abdelazim Abdelmawgoud Samak, "A Wound Inflicted by a Friend does not heal: Structure Equation Modelling (SEM) of Child Maltreatment, its Dimensions and their Demographic Parameters," SSRG International Journal of Humanities and Social Science, vol. 5,  no. 1, pp. 9-22, 2018. Crossref, https://doi.org/10.14445/23942703/IJHSS-V5I1P103

Abstract:

PURPOSE: Socio-demographic factors such as gender, age, residence, parental marital status, parental education level, family monthly income and number of children in family under 18 play an important role in people’s day to day lives and especially in the maltreatment of children. The present study identifies these seven socio-demographic factors, which are hypothesized to influence maltreatment of children through three dimensions (1) What kind of abuse did you suffer from as a child? (2) Who abused you? (3) Who abused you more? METHODS: Exploratory Factor Analysis and Confirmatory Factor Analysis along with path diagrams are used to extract children’s maltreatment from the factors and Structural Equation Modeling is run to verify the above factor structure and evaluate the influence of predictors on child maltreatment. FINDINGS: The corresponding beta (β) coefficient in the regression equation shows that education and gender are statistically the predictors of child maltreatment at 5% level of significance and affect it through two dimensions (except Who abused you more?). CONCLUSION: Women are more likely to treat their children badly. People with better education are found to enact maltreatment of children. Other socio-demographic factors are not statistically significant in terms of impacting child maltreatment.

Keywords:

 child maltreatment, child abuse, education, gender, demographic factors, Egypt, Assiut.

References:

[1] WHO. (2016). Child Maltreatment: Key Facts, retrieved on October 19, 2017 from: http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs150/en/.
[2] Gilbert, N. (1997). Combatting Child Abuse: International Perspectives and Trends. New York: Oxford University Press.
[3] Pecora, P.J. Whittaker, J.K. Maluccio, A.N. Barth, R.P. DePanfilis, D. and Poltnick, R.D.(2009). The Child Welfare Challenge: Policy, Practice, and Research. New Jersey: Aldine Transaction.
[4] Jones, D.J. Runyan, D.K. Lewis, T. Litrownik, A.J. Black, M.M. Wiley, T. English, D.E. Proctor, L.J. Jones, B.L. and Nagin, D.S.(2010). Trajectories of Childhood Sexual Abuse and Early Adolescent HIV/AIDS Risk Behaviors: The Role of Other Maltreatment, Witnessed Violence, and Child Gender. Journal of Clinical Child & Adolescent Psychology, 39(5), 667-80.
[5] Ullman, S.E. and Filipas, H.H. (2005). Gender differences in social reactions to abuse disclosures, post-abuse coping, and PTSD of child sexual abuse survivors. Child Abuse & Neglect, 29(7), 767-82.
[6] Lansford, J.E.Dodge, K.A. and Pettit, G.S. (2002). A 12-Year Prospective Study of the Long-term Effects of Early Child Physical Maltreatment on Psychological, Behavioral, and Academic Problems in Adolescence. Journal of Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrics, 156(8), 824-30. 
[7] Gilbert, R. Widom, C.S. Browne, K. Fergusson, D. Webb, E. and Janson, S.(2008). Burden and consequences of child maltreatment in high-income countries. The Lancet, 373(9657), 68-81. 
[8] Mullen, P.E. Martin, J.L. Anderson, J.C. Romans, S.E. and Herbison, G.P. (1996). The long-term impact of the physical, emotional, and sexual abuse of children: a community study. Child abuse & neglect, 20(1), 7-21.
[9] Trickett, P.K. and Mc-Bride-Chang, C. (1995). The developmental impact of different forms of child abuse and neglect. Developmental Review, 15(3), 311-37.
[10] Browne, A. and Finkelhor, D. (1986). Impact of Child Sexual Abuse: A Review of the Research. Psychological Bulletin, 99(1), 66-77.
[11] Coffey, P. Leitenberg, H. Henning,K. Turner, T. and Bennett, R.T.(1996). Mediators of the long-term impact of child sexual abuse: perceived stigma, betrayal, powerlessness, and self-blame. Child abuse & neglect, 20(5), 447-55. 
[12] Conte, J.R. and Schuerman, J.R. (1987). Factors associated with an increased impact of child sexual abuse. Child abuse & neglect, 11(2), 201-11.
[13] Faller, K.C. (1989). Characteristics of a clinical sample of sexually abused children: How boy and girl victims differ. Child abuse & neglect, 13(2), 281-91. 
[14] Wellman. M.M. (1993). Child sexual abuse and gender differences: Attitudes and prevalence. Child abuse & neglect, 17(4), 539-47. 
[15] Sobsey, D., Randall, W. and Parrila, R.K. (1997). Gender differences in abused children with and without disabilities. Child abuse & neglect, 21(8), 707-20. 
[16] Ross, S.M. (1996). Risk of physical abuse to children of spouse abusing parents. Child abuse & neglect, 20(7), 589-98.
[17] Spataro, J. Mullen, P.E. Burgess, P.M. Wells, D.L. and Moss, S.A. (2004). Impact of child sexual abuse on mental health. British Journal of Psychiatry, 184(5), 416-21. 
[18] Garbarino, J. (1976). A Preliminary Study of Some Ecological Correlates of Child Abuse: The Impact of Socioeconomic Stress on Mother. Child Development, 47(1), 178-85.
[19] Burgess, R.L. and Conger, R.D. (1978).Family Interaction in Abusive, Neglectful, and Normal Families. Child Development, 49(4), 1163-73 
[20] Bousha, D.M. and Twentyman, C.T. (1984). Mother-child interactional style in abuse, neglect, and control groups: naturalistic observations in the home. Journal of abnormal psychology, 93(1), 106-14 
[21] Schindler, F. and Arkowitz, H. (1986). The assessment of mother-child interactions in physically abusive and nonabusive families. Journal of family violence, 1(3), 247-57 
[22] English, D.J. (1998). The Extent and Consequences of child maltreatment. The Future of Children, 8(1), 39-53 
[23] Dilillo, D. and Damashek, A. (2003). Parenting Characteristics of Women Reporting a History of Childhood Sexual Abuse. Child Maltreatment, 8(4), 319-33 
[24] Oates, R.K. Tebbutt, J, Swanston, H. and Lynch, D.L. (1998). Prior childhood sexual abuse in mothers of sexually abused children. Child Abuse & Neglect, 22(11), 1113-18
[25] Deblinger E. Stauffer, L. and Landsberg, C. (1994). The impact of a history of child sexual abuse on maternal response to allegations of sexual abuse concerning her child. Journal of Child Sexual Abuse, 3(3), 67-75
[26] Coohey, C. and Braun, N. (1997). Toward an integrated framework for understanding child physical abuse. Child abuse & neglect, 21(11), 1081-94
[27] Pears, K.C. and Capaldi, D.M. (2001). Intergenerational transmission of abuse: a two-generational prospective study of an at-risk sample. Child abuse & neglect, 25(11), 1439-61
[28] Jack, G. and Gill, O. (2010).The role of communities in safe guarding children and young people.Child Abuse Review,19(2), 82-96
[30] Oates, R.K., Davis, A.A. and Ryan, M.G. (1980). Predictive factors for child abuse. Journal of paediatrics and child health, 16(4), 239-43
[31] Garnefski, N. and Diekstra, R. (1997). Child Sexual Abuse and Emotional and Behavioral Problems in Adolescence: Gender Differences. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 36(3), 323-29
[32] Lamb, M.E., andGarretson, M.E. (2003). The effects of interviewer gender and child gender on the informativeness of alleged child sexual abuse victims in forensic interviews.Law and Human Behavior, 27(2), 157-71 [32] Pence, D.M. (2011). Trauma-Informed Forensic Child Maltreatment Investigations. Child Welfare, 90(6), 49-68 
[33] Gorey, K.M. and Leslie, D.R. (1997). The prevalence of child sexual abuse: Integrative review and adjustment for potential response and measurement biases. Child Abuse and Neglect, 21, 391-98
[34] Boggiano, A.K. and Barrett, M. (1991). Strategies to motivate helpless and mastery-oriented children: The effect of gender-based expectancies. Sex Roles, 25(9), 487-510 
[35] Paine, M.L. andHansen, D.J. (2002). Factors influencing children to self-disclose sexual abuse. Clinical Psychology Review, 22(2), 271-95
[36] Finkelhor, D. Hotaling, G. Lewis, I.A. and Smith, C. (1990). Sexual Abuse in a national survey of adult men and women: prevalence, characteristics, and risk factors. Child Abuse and Neglect, 14(1), 19-28 
[37] Lamb, S. and Edgar-Smith, S. (1994). Aspects of disclosure mediators of outcome of childhood sexual abuse. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 9, 307-26
[38] Gries, L. T., Goh, D. S., and Cavanaugh, J. (1996). Factors associated with disclosure during child sexual abuse assessment. Journal of Child Sexual Abuse, 5(3), 1-19.
[39] Goodman-Brown, T.B. (2003). Why children tell: A model of children’s disclosure of sexual abuse. Child abuse and neglect, 27(5), 525-540.
[40] Choo, E.K. Spiro, D. Newgard, C.D. Hall, M.K, and McConnell, K.J. (2010) Rural-urban disparities in child abuse management resources in the emergency department. Journal of Rural Health, 26(4), 361-65. 
[41] Menard, K.S. and Ruback, R.B. (2003). Prevalence and processing of child sexual abuse: A multi-data-set analysis of urban and rural counties. Law and Human Behavior, 27(4), 385-402.
[42] National Council for Childhood and Motherhood (NCCM) and UNICEF. (2015). Violence against Children in Egypt. A Quantitative Survey and Qualitative Study in Cairo, Alexandria and Assiut, NCCM and UNICEF Egypt, Cairo.