Parental Attachment And Social Support As Predictors Of Perceived Child Abuse Among Parents In Ido Local Government Area Of Oyo State, Nigeria

Abstract

Child abuse has become a perennial problem which cuts across cultural, economic and social fabrics of the society. Many studies have examined different predictors of child abuse with different results. The aim of this study was to examine parental attachment and social support as predictors of perceived child abuse among parents in Ido Local Government Area in Oyo State, Nigeria. The study adopted cross-sectional survey design while convenience sampling technique was used to gather data from 291 participants using three research instruments: Child Abuse Scale, Parental Attachment Scale and Social Support Scale. Data collected were analyzed using t-test of independent samples and multiple regression while three hypotheses were tested and accepted at a p < 0.05 level of significance. The result revealed that social support significantly influenced perceived child abuse [t (279) = 2.11, p< .05). Also, parental attachment and social support jointly predicted perceived child abuse [R 2 =.04, F (2, 278) = 5.19, p<.05). Furthermore, parental attachment ( =.13, p <.05) independently predicted perceived child abuse among the study participants. However, social support did not independently predict perceived child abuse among parents in the study population. The study concluded that social support and parental attachment are strong predictors of perceived child abuse. The study recommended that parents should offer the necessary supports to their children while reducing their emotional attachment on them.