Childhood Maltreatment and Educational Outcomes: Evidence from South Africa

Abstract

Many South African children experience maltreatment, but we know little about the effects on long-term child development. Using the only representative dataset that includes a module on childhood maltreatment for a metropolitan city in South Africa, we explore the association between different measures of childhood maltreatment and two educational outcomes (numeracy test scores and dropout). Our study provides an estimate of the association between childhood maltreatment and educational outcomes in a developing country where maltreatment is high. We control for potential confounders using a range of statistical techniques and add several robustness checks to evaluate the strength of our findings. Our results indicate that children who are maltreated suffer large adverse consequences in terms of their numeracy test scores and probability of dropout and that the estimated effects of maltreatment are larger and more consistent for the most severe type of maltreatment.

Emotional abuse of girls in Swaziland: prevalence, perpetrators, risk and protective factors and health outcomes

“…Research in sub–Saharan Africa has consistently shown the impact of violence on educational attainment [68,69] as well as the protective effect of secondary education on harsh parenting in adulthood [70] and exposure to intimate partner violence [71]. A case could thus be made that secondary schooling – provided the school setting is safe and protective as indicated in the Safe Spaces Intervention – is another important child abuse prevention intervention.…”

Exposure to violence, teacher support, and school delay amongst adolescents in South Africa

“…For instance, 64% of all adolescents aged 15 to 18 in South Africa currently experience two or more forms of violence in their lifetime, while 35.4% experience five or more forms of violence (Leoschut & Kafaar, ). Further, socio‐economic disadvantage, educational exclusion, and exposure to violence all pose a risk to educational progress (Herrero Romero, Hall, Cluver, Meinck, & Hinde, unpublished data; Pieterse, ; Sherr et al ., ). For instance, results from a recent cross‐sectional analysis of 4,747 youths aged 14–22 showed that repeated exposure to physical abuse at home was associated with school dropout and lower maths academic achievement (Pieterse, ).…”

“…Further, socio‐economic disadvantage, educational exclusion, and exposure to violence all pose a risk to educational progress (Herrero Romero, Hall, Cluver, Meinck, & Hinde, unpublished data; Pieterse, ; Sherr et al ., ). For instance, results from a recent cross‐sectional analysis of 4,747 youths aged 14–22 showed that repeated exposure to physical abuse at home was associated with school dropout and lower maths academic achievement (Pieterse, ). To date, however, only one study has investigated the relationship between exposure to multiple types of violence and educational outcomes.…”

The Social Networks of Adolescent Victims of Domestic Violence and Bullying

“…Any and all forms of violence can result in trauma to the extent that physical, emotional and social damages are found in the people involved. Some authors claim that victims of domestic violence are more prone to depression, anxiety and drug use (Yi et al, 2013); difficulties in relating emotionally with other people (Yi et al, 2013), and low school performance (Pieterse, 2015;Yi et al, 2013). A study by Taillieu, Brownridge, Sareen and Afifi (2016) assessed the impacts of psychological violence on the mental health of 34,653 American adults.…”