Determinants and Consequences of Physical Abuse among Secondary School Students in Rural Areas of Lahore

Abstract

This research work is an attempt to study the impact of physical abuse on the educational performance of adolescents. Researcher also highlighted risk factors associated with physical abuse among children. This study was quantitative in nature. Population of the study consisted of 400 students from seventh to tenth standard (class) of 10 public schools in rural areas of Lahore. Data were collected by administering a survey questionnaire. After removing records with missing data, 140 surveys were finally used for analysis. Percentages, t-test, and ANOVA were used to analyze collected data. The results of the study indicated that the main source of physical abuse for children is at school rather than at home. It was also found that there is no impact of physical abuse on the educational performance of a student as is generally believed to be the case in Pakistani society. Moreover, it was noticed that younger children at home tend to suffer higher levels of abuse. Gender seems to play no role in determining levels of abuse both at school and at home. Among other risk factors, nuclear family structure came out to be a significant risk factor compared to joint family. Furthermore, it was noticed that as the student moves along the higher-class level, abuse at home tends to decrease but this is not the same case for abuse at school. Study recommended that for creating a positive climate at school, concerning authorities may conduct mandatory training sessions for teachers and staff members. School administration may regularly monitor teacher-student interaction to ensure that students are safe within school premises.

Keywords: Education, Physical Abuse, Adolescent, Rural Areas