NCJ Number
163222
Journal
Child Abuse and Neglect Volume: 20 Issue: 6 Dated: (June 1996) Pages: 487-492
Date Published
1996
Length
6 pages
Annotation
This study used trainee paramedical staff as a community population to determine the prevalence of childhood sexual abuse in Malaysia.
Abstract
There has been increasing awareness that sexual abuse of children is a problem in Malaysia. Existing data are based on notification of cases. Population-based studies are required to plan services for sexually abused children. In this study, an anonymous, self-administered questionnaire was given to student nurses and trainee medical assistants at the Ipoh School of Nursing and Hospital Bahagia Medical Assistant Training School. Questionnaires were distributed directly to all students in a classroom setting and retrieved after a 30-minute interval. Information collected included questions on personal experiences of sexual abuse. Sexual abuse was defined as rape, sodomy, molestation, or exhibitionism that occurred to a child less than 18 years old. A total of 616 students participated in the study. Of the 6.8 percent of the students who acknowledged having been sexually abused in their childhoods, 2.1 percent were males, and 8.3 percent were females. Of those abused, 69 percent reported sexual abuse that involved physical contact, 9.5 percent of whom experienced sexual intercourse. The age at first abuse was less than 10 years old in 38.1 percent of the cases; 59.5 percent were repeatedly abused, and 33.3 percent had more than one abuser. Of the abusers, 71.4 percent were known to the respondent, 14.2 percent of whom were brothers, 24.5 percent relatives, and 24.5 percent a family friend. Further, 28.9 percent of all students knew of an individual who had been sexually abused as a child. Although this population may not be entirely reflective of the community, this study does provide an indication of the prevalence of sexual abuse in Malaysian children. The prevalence figures in this study are lower than those reported in industrialized countries, and this may reflect local sociocultural limitations in reporting abuse. 2 tables and 16 references