Collective value of Abiriwatia and protective informal social control of child neglect: Findings from a Nationally Representative Survey in Ghana

Abstract

Evidence of the protective role of informal social control by community members (family members, friends, and neighbours) in child neglect has received considerable attention. Likewise, the protective effects of informal social control interventions in neglect are theorised to be common and highly efficacious in communities that have sanctioned informal interventions through collective social values and norms. Yet, no research has examined this theoretical postulation within the field of community/neighbourhood research in child maltreatment. We tested the theory‐driven hypothesis by examining the interaction effects of protective informal social control of neglect and the collective value of Abiriwatia (a collective value based on lineage with norms on collective childcare duties) against the frequency of child neglect. Data consist of 616 caregivers' self‐report of child neglect in the past year, from the Ghana Families and Neighbourhood Study. Hypotheses were tested using random effects regression models with standard errors corrected for settlement/community clusters. Protective informal social control of child neglect was significantly associated with fewer neglect in the past year (B = −0.79, p < 0.05). The interaction between protective informal social control of child neglect and the collective value of Abiriwatia was negative (B = −0.07, p < 0.05). The findings suggest that strengthening the collective normative commitment to childcare would promote family members' intervention to protect against neglect situations, and their intervention can deter further acts of neglect. Community neglect prevention programmes should take advantage of the findings to strengthen community norms that sanction collective childcare duties. Community child protection committees of the Department of Social Welfare should develop social groups and informal associations to strengthen Abiriwatia in Ghana.

Protective Community Norms and Mental Health Risks for Severe Physical Abuse: Lessons From a Nationally Representative Study of Ghana

“…Further research is needed to better understand the mechanisms by which protective Abiriwatia values relate to very severe physical abuse, and the means by which the values may be taught and transmitted. Given the results found for Abiriwatia for both neglect (Abdullah et al, 2023, forthcoming) and very severe abuse, we suggest that community interventions to reduce child maltreatment be developed with reference to Abiriwatia childcare values. Prevalence of physical abuse is extremely high in Ghana.…”

“…Moreover, the informal social control component of collective efficacy at the community level also had a strong and significant negative relationship with very severe abuse. This requires further research as high levels of informal social control may be one mechanism by which Abiriwatia childcare values translate into informal child protection practice in communities (Abdullah et al, 2023). It is also interesting that, controlling for the number of children in the household, the number of people in the household had a significant negative relationship with very severe abuse.…”

“…This study begins to address the research gap by examining the Ghanaian community value of Abiriwatia at the community level in a nationally representative study of 1,100 Ghanaian female caregivers in 22 Ghanaian settlements. Abiriwatia is a lineage-based Ghanaian value that comprises norms mandating collective childcare; recent research shows it is negatively associated with severe neglect (Abdullah et al, 2023, forthcoming). At the individual level, the study examines whether a known parental mental health risk factor in Western countries (Hiraoka et al, 2016), borderline personality features, similarly puts children at risk for physical abuse in Ghana.…”

“…New research has found a negative relationship between female caregivers’ endorsed adherence to Abiriwatia and frequency of severe neglect (Abdullah et al, 2023), but we know of no research on the relationship between Abiriwatia and physical abuse. Moreover, Abdullah et al (2023) argue for an individual-level Abiriwatia mechanism; mothers have internalized Abiriwatia norms that (negatively) sanction neglect, resulting in less neglect. Our argument and approach to Abiriwatia are somewhat different.…”

Protective indigenous collective value of Ubuntu and child neglect: Implications for rural child protection practice

“…Also, the first empirical paper to test claims about the strengths of Ubuntu and collective practices in rural areas in Ghana. Abdullah and Emery (2023) argued that the architectural structure of rural communities, especially the dominance of family compound housing structures (Danso‐Wiredu & Poku, 2020), influences collective activities and facilitates community members' intervention to support families and remedy neglect (Abdullah et al, 2022). Such supportive activities may involve community arrangements to support families caring for orphan children (Mugumbate & Chereni, 2019) and community informal kinship care practices (Abdullah & Frederico et al, 2020).…”