Magnitude of child sexual abuse and associated factors among high school female students in Adama, Eastern Ethiopia, 2022: An institution based cross-sectional study design: Magnitude of child sexual abuse and associated factors among high school female students in Adama, Eastern Ethiopia, 2022

Dereje Bayisssa Demissie; Kalkidan Jembere

doi:10.69614/ejrh.v18i01.928

Authors

Dr Saint Paul's Hospital Millennium Medical College https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1006-4318
Mrs Sante Medical College, Department of Reproductive Health, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.69614/ejrh.v18i01.928

Keywords:

Child; Sexual abuse; High school; Female students; Adama

Abstract

Background: Child sexual abuse was the most serious public health issue in Africa, including Ethiopia. Moreover, little has been explored about childhood sexual abuse in the context of high school students in Ethiopia in general and also in Adama town.
Objectives: The aim of this study was to assess the magnitude of sexual abuse and associated factors among high school female students in Adama, Eastern Ethiopia, 2022
Method: An institutional-based cross-sectional study design was used with 410 randomly selected female students. A pre-tested structured and self-administered questionnaire was used as a data collection instrument, and the collected and cleaned data was exported to SPSS 26 for further analysis. Hosmer and Lemeshow model fitness was checked. Both binary and multiple logistic regression analysis were used to identify independent predictors at (PV 0.05) with AOR and 95% CI.
Results: The mean age of the study respondents was 17.2 years old. This study determined that the magnitude of child sexual abuse among female high school students in Adama town was 32.9% (95% CI 27.9, 37.9) who had experienced child sexual abuse. The major reported types of sexual abuse revealed that 134 (99.7%) had verbal harassment, 122 (90%) had touching or body contact harassment, and 112 (83%) had vaginal intercourse harassment. This study identified that overlapping child sexual child abuse showed that 24.4% overlapped by at least two and 74% overlapped by all three types of harassment. This study identified factors that increase the odds of childhood sexual abuse, such as rural residence, family size, alcohol consumption, history of sexual intercourse, non-willful sexual intercourse, and not openly discussing sexual reproductive health issues with parents.
Conclusion and recommendation: The study found moderate child sexual abuse among female high school students in Adama town, with identified factors increasing the odds of childhood sexual abuse. Therefore, these significant findings for family and child-related risk factors indicate there is an urgent need to provide multi-component interventions that target the child, like alcohol drinking, early sexual debut, and parent-child open communication on sexual reproductive health issues. These are current public issues that need to be addressed.

Author Biography

Dr, Saint Paul's Hospital Millennium Medical College

Self-motivated researcher who has the ability to work in a collaborative environment and committed researcher with proven research design and analytical and scientific writing skills at the Ethiopian public health institute (EPHI), Ambo University, and St. Paul’s Hospital Millennium Medical College.
Dr. Dereje Bayissa Demissie (associate professor ), the project leader, is a PhD holder in health sciences and an experienced researcher. He studied BSc in Nursing, MSc in Maternity and Reproductive health Nursing, and Master of Art (MA) in project Management, Diploma on Scientific Writing II with designing a megaproject, which was offered by the Norwegian Institute of Public Health, OSLO Norway
He has at least fourteen years of teaching, research, and leadership experience in a public university, and I am a dedicated researcher with proven research design skills, analytical and scientific writing skills, and the ability to work in a collaborative environment. With over 64 primary articles, systematic reviews, and meta-analyses, as well as over 35 research articles on sexual and reproductive health and rights that have received 1124 citations, his research covers a wide range of public health issues.
His most significant affiliations, based on the number of papers published, are St. Paul's Hospital Millennium Medical College, Ambo University, the University of South Africa, and Addis Ababa University. Demissie has advised over 60 graduate students and two PhD fellows, demonstrating my commitment to nurturing the next generation of researchers. Dereje Bayissa Demissie is a distinguished academic and researcher with a robust background in public health, nursing, and emergency critical care, including neonatal. His career spans several prominent institutions in Ethiopia and South Africa, demonstrating a commitment to advancing healthcare practices and research in the region. With a strong foundation in both research and practical applications, continues to be a vital contributor to the field of public health, striving to improve health outcomes and healthcare delivery systems in his community and beyond.
His institutions honored him with the Unisa Principal's Award for Distinguished Alumni in Research in 2024 for his extensive research portfolio, which focused mostly on maternal and child health, and with the St. Paul Institute for Reproductive Health and Rights' Best Researcher in Sexual and Reproductive Health Award in 2021
Demissie aims to continue his research journey by pursuing a postdoctoral maternal or reproductive health fellowship

Magnitude of child sexual abuse and associated factors among high school female students in Adama, Eastern Ethiopia, 2022: An institution based cross-sectional study design