Background Child sexual abuse (CSA) refers to the involvement of a child (< 18 years) in sexual activity that he or she does not fully comprehend, is unable to give informed consent to, or for which the child is not developmentally prepared and cannot give consent, or that violates the laws or social taboos of society. It is a serious public health problem affecting millions of people each year worldwide but the most neglected and least documented form of violence in Ethiopia among school girls. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the magnitude of child sexual abuse and its associated factors among female high school students in the Dire Dawa administration, Eastern Ethiopia. Methods An institutional-based cross-sectional study was conducted among female high school students in Dire Dawa administration between March 1 and 23/2021. We employed stratified and multistage sampling techniques to include 794 participants from selected high schools. A pretested self-administered questionnaire was used, and the data were analyzed using the SPSS software version 24. Results The proportion of students who reported at least one form of sexual abuse was 384 (48.9%) and approximately 19% of the students reported rape from the total respondents. Students who live alone 4.3 times (AOR 4.30; 95% CI 1.81–10.24), those who live with their friends five times (AOR 5.02; 95% CI 2.24–8.04), and those who live with their single parent three times (AOR 3.31; 95% CI 1.23–8.89) more likely to experience sexual abuse than those living with both parents. The odds of experiencing sexual abuse among students of rural residence were 3.2 times higher than their urban counterparts (AOR 3.2; 95% CI 2.02–4.51). Students who didn’t drink alcohol were 70% more protective than those who drank alcohol (AOR 0.70; 95% CI 0.28–0.97). Among rape survivors (64, 37.9%) developed unwanted pregnancies, 26.0% of them underwent an abortion, and (39, 26.0%) developed STI as an outcome of sexual abuse. Conclusion This study demonstrated that the magnitude of child sexual abuse among female students in Dire Dawa was high. Lack of discussion about sexual issues with parents, living without both parents, drinking alcohol, and being a rural residence had a significant association with child sexual abuse. Unwanted pregnancy, abortion, and STIs have been reported as reproductive health outcomes of rape. Therefore, policymakers should introduce and strengthen comprehensive sexual and reproductive health education both in school and out of school, in addition to formal education to reduce the magnitude of the problem. Parents should discuss all sexual and reproductive health issues with their children to reduce the magnitude and consequences of child sexual abuse.
Background: Child sexual abuse means any kind of sexual contact with a child under the age of 18 years. It is a common and serious public health problem affecting millions of people each year worldwide. It is the most neglected and least documented form of violence in Ethiopia among school girls. So, this study aimed to assess the magnitude and its associated factors among high school female students in Dire Dawa, Eastern Ethiopia.Methods: An institutional-based, cross-sectional study was conducted, March, 1-23/2021. A stratified multistage sampling technique was used for quantitative data and 794 participants from selected high schools were included. A pre-tested, self-administered questionnaire was used, and data were analyzed using SPSS software version 24. For qualitative data, sixteen in-depth interviews and five focus group discussion were conducted and analyzed thematically. Result: The magnitude of at least one form of sexual abuse were 384 (48.9%), of these, 150 (19.1%) were rape. Students who live alone 4.3 times (AOR=4.30;95 % CI: 1.81-10.24), those who lives with their friends 5 times (AOR=5.02: 95% CI: 2.24-11.24), and those who lives with their single parent 3 times (AOR=3.31: 95% CI: 1.23-8.89) more likely experience life time sexual abuse than those living with their both parents. The odds of experiencing life time sexual abuse among students of rural residence were 2 times higher than their urban counter part (AOR=2.1; 95% CI: 1.79-3.45). Students who don’t drink alcohol were 70% more protective than those who drink alcohol (AOR=0.70: 95% CI: 0.28-0.97).Conclusion: This study revealed that the magnitude of child sexual abuse among female students in Dire Dawa is high. Lack of discussion about sexual issue with parents, living without both parents, drinking alcohol, being rural residence had significant association with child sexual abuse. Unwanted pregnancy, abortion, and STIs were the most common reproductive consequences of sexual abuse. So, community-based comprehensive awareness creation on sexual and reproductive health issues, are recommended especially, at rural area.
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