Exposure to violence predicts poor educational outcomes in young children in South Africa and Malawi

Abstract

BackgroundViolence during childhood may affect short and long-term educational factors. There is scant literature on younger children from resource poor settings.MethodsThis study assessed child violence experiences (harsh punishment and exposure to domestic or community violence) and school enrolment, progress and attendance in children attending community-based organisations in South Africa and Malawi (n=989) at baseline and at 15 months' follow-up, examining differential experience of HIV positive, HIV affected and HIV unaffected children.ResultsViolence exposure was high: 45.4% experienced some form of psychological violence, 47.8% physical violence, 46.7% domestic violence and 41.8% community violence. Primary school enrolment was 96%. Violence was not associated with school enrolment at baseline but, controlling for baseline, children exposed to psychological violence for discipline were more than ten times less likely to be enrolled at follow-up (OR 0.09; 95% CI 0.01 to 0.57). Harsh discipline was associated with poor school progress. For children HIV positive a detrimental effect of harsh physical discipline was found on school performance (OR 0.10; 95% CI 0.02 to 0.61).ConclusionViolence experiences were associated with a number of educational outcomes, which may have long-term consequences. Community-based organisations may be well placed to address such violence, with a particular emphasis on the challenges faced by children who are HIV positive.

The effects of caregiver and household HIV on child development: a community‐based longitudinal study of young children

“…The role of different types of violence in predicting child outcomes in this sample has been explored in detail (Sherr et al ; Skeen et al ). In these analyses, the additional effect of poor caregiver mental health and its relationship with HIV was further explored.…”

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and exposure to violence all pose a risk to educational progress (Herrero Romero, Hall, Cluver, Meinck, & Hinde, unpublished data; Pieterse, ; Sherr et al ., ).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, ).…”

Experiences of violence among adolescent girls and young women in Nairobi’s informal settlements prior to scale-up of the DREAMS Partnership: Prevalence, severity and predictors

“…Kabiru and colleagues found that adolescent girls aged 11-15 years who had experienced violence had lower expectations of achieving their aspirations compared to those who had not experienced violence [5]. A study conducted in Malawi and South Africa showed that exposure to violence has an impact on school enrolment and performance [7].…”