Childhood sexual abuse among girls and determinants of sexual risk behaviours in adult life in sub-Saharan Africa
| Pages | 67-75 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/JACPR-04-2014-0121 |
| Published date | 13 April 2015 |
| Date | 13 April 2015 |
| Author | Ismail Yahaya,Antonio Ponce De Leon,Olalekan A. Uthman,Joaquim J. F. Soares,Gloria Macassa |
| Subject Matter | Health & social care,Criminology & forensic psychology,Aggression, conflict & peace |
Childhood sexual abuse among girls and
determinants of sexual risk behaviours in
adult life in sub-Saharan Africa
Ismail Yahaya, Antonio Ponce De Leon, Olalekan A. Uthman, Joaquim J.F. Soares and
Gloria Macassa
Ismail Yahaya is a Research
Fellow, based at Department of
Public Health Sciences, Mid
Sweden University, Sundsvall,
Sweden and Centre for
Evidence-Based Global Health,
Nigeria.
Antonio Ponce De Leon is an
Associate Professor, based at
Division of Social Medicine,
Department of Public Health
Sciences, Karolinska Institutet,
Stockholm, Sweden.
Olalekan A. Uthman is an
Assistant professor, based at
Centre for Applied Health
Research and Delivery
(WCAHRD), Division of Health
Sciences, Warwick Medical
School, The University of
Warwick, Coventry, UK.
Joaquim J.F. Soares is a
Professor,based at Department
of Public Health Sciences, Mid
Sweden University, Sundsvall,
Sweden and Division of Social
Medicine, Department of Public
Health Sciences, Karolinska
Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
Gloria Macassa is an Associate
Professor,based at Department
of Public Health Sciences, Mid
Sweden University, Sundsvall,
Sweden; Division of Social
Medicine, Department of Public
Health Sciences, Karolinska
Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
and Department of
Occupational and Public Health
Sciences, University of Gavle,
Gavle, Sweden.
Abstract
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between child sexual abuse and
sexual risk behaviours as well as its potential mediators.
Design/methodology/approach – This cross-sectional study used data from a cross-sectional study
from 12,800 women between 15 and 49 years of age included in the 2008 Nigerian Demographic
and Health Survey. Structural equation modelling (SEM) was applied to assess the association between
childhood sexual abuse (CSA) and sexual risk behaviours.
Findings – The authors found that CSA was directly associated with sexual risk behaviours. In addition, the
association between CSA and sexual risk behaviour was also partially mediated by alcohol and cigarette
use.
Research limitations/implications – The results show that being abused in childhood is important for the
subsequent development of sexual risk behaviours in adulthood and the association is mediated byalcohol
and cigarette use.
Practical implications – The results may be helpful for policy makers and health care planners in designing
cultural sensitive public health intervention that will reduce the burden of CSA, its long-term effects
(sexual risk behaviours) and intervening mediators that increase the risks.
Social implications – These findings suggest that to reduce sexual risks, interventions to address sexual
abuse needs to include other social problems (smoking, alcohol) that victims result to when faced with
trauma.
Originality/value – The current study is the only one so far in sub-Saharan Africa to have explored the
relation between CSA and sexual risk behaviours using SEM.
Keywords Alcohol, Structural equation modelling, Sub-Saharan Africa, Smoking, Childhood sexual abuse,
Sexual risk behaviours
Paper type Research paper
Background
Childhood sexual abuse (CSA) of girls is a public health problem and an issue of great concern
in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). The World Health Organisation (WHO) Global School-based
Student Survey conducted in SSA estimates the prevalence of CSA to be between 9 and
33 per cent (Brown et al., 2009). CSA is predominantly more common among the female sex
than their male counterparts and the perpetrators of this crime are usually men of an older age
group (Lalor,2004). There has been well-documented negative sequelae of CSA, which ranges
from drug abuse, physical abuse, mental health problems, difficulties with sexual relationships
and engaging in sexual risk behaviours (Browne and Finkelhor, 1986; Dinwiddie et al., 2000;
Fergusson et al., 1996, 1997; Peltzer et al., 2013; Senn et al., 2008). A growing number of
studies indicate that those who were sexually abused in childhood often engage in behaviours
DOI 10.1108/JACPR-04-2014-0121 VOL. 7 NO. 2 2015, pp. 67-75, CEmerald Group PublishingLimited, ISSN 1759-6599
j
JOURNAL OF AGGRESSION, CONFLICT AND PEACE RESEARCH
j
PAGE 67
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