The prevalence and perception of child abuse in Jamaica

ABSTRACT

In Jamaica, reporting of child abuse is not mandatory and reported cases are typically extreme. This study was designed to determine the true prevalence, nature and perception of all forms of abuse, including events unlikely to be reported. A representative sample of 156 mothers from three Child Welfare Clinics (two public and one private) were chosen. Information was obtained by a culture specific questionnaire, requesting women to report their own experiences when under 12-years of age. Apart from demographic information, specific questions were asked to elicit events of minor and major physical abuse, emotional abuse, and neglect (physical and emotional). The questionnaire was administered by 3 interviewers with an interobserver reliability of 95 percent. Data were processed by SPSS, using Chi-squared-Mantel Haenszel and Fisher's exact test. Seventy-one point four percent (71.4 per cent) of women experienced some form of abuse with physical, emotional and sexual abuse occurring in 53 percent, 33 percent and 10 percent, respectively. Forty-seven percent (47 per cent) experienced neglect, 38 percent physical and 19 percent emotional. There was a strong association between major and minor physical abuse (p trend < 0.001). Multiple forms of abuse were common with 18 percent, 20 percent, 4 percent experiencing two, three, and four forms of abuse, respectively. No significant differences occurred in prevalence of abuse by age or site, though there were striking demographic differences among mothers. Of women identified as being abused, perception was low, ranging from 26 percent for physical abuse to 58 percent emotional abuse (p < 0.0001). In this population, child abuse in all forms was prevalent, pervasive and persistent over time. Low levels of perception suggest cultural acceptance of abuse, particularly physical abuse, the majority of which was minor. However, minor abuse predicted more severe events. Relatively low levels of emotional neglect suggest a caring population that may be amenable to intervention through education with regard to the effects of abuse and alternative methods of discipline (AU)