Father’s Involvement in the Mitigation of Child Sexual Abuse, in Mvita sub-county, Mombasa County
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.53819/81018102t3068Abstract
Child sexual abuse is a serious public health issue that violates their rights. This study sought to investigate the father’s involvement in the mitigation of child sexual abuse in Mvita Sub-County, Mombasa County. It was guided by the following specific objectives; to examine how fathers' income status influences the mitigation of child sexual abuse, to determine how fathers’ upbringing influences their involvement in the mitigation of child sexual abuse, to assess the extent to which father’s involvement in child upbringing mitigates child sexual abuse and to determine effective preventive strategies for supporting fathers’ involvement in mitigation of child sexual abuse in Mvita Sub -County, Mombasa County. The study was anchored by two theories: Attachment theory by John Bowlby (1958) and Ecological Systems Theory by Urie Bronfenbrenner (1979). A mixed-method research approach with a focus on convergent parallel mixed-method design was adopted. Both quantitative and qualitative data were gathered using semi-structured questionnaires and interview guides, respectively. The target population was 154,166 people while the sample size was 400 respondents. Quantitative data were analyzed using SPSS version 23 while qualitative data were analyzed using thematic content analysis and presented in narrations. The study findings indicated that the majority of the respondents strongly agreed that the father’s income status and involvement are directly linked to their ability to mitigate child sexual abuse. The study found that equal childcare and division of housework, the introduction of community protection programs, and sex education in schools could be effective preventive strategies for fathers in the mitigation of child sexual abuse. Based on the study findings, the researchers concluded that fathers’ involvement in child upbringing could help mitigate child sexual abuse in Mvita-Sub-County, Mombasa, Kenya.
Keywords: Father’s involvement, Mitigation, Child sexual abuse, Mvita Sub-County, Mombasa
References
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Lauren. (2020). Facts and stats of sexual abuse. Retrieved July 26, 2021, from https://laurenschildren.org/awareness/about-faqs/facts-and-stats/.
Belsky, J. (1999). The Interrelation of Parental and Spousal Behavior during Infancy in Traditional Nuclear Families: An Exploratory Analysis. Journal of Marriage and Family, 14 (4), 749-755.
Benoit, D. (2004). Infant-parent attachment: Definition, types, antecedents, measurement and outcome. Paediatrics Child Health, 9 (8), 541–545.
Bronfenbrenner, U. (1979). Toward an experimental ecology of human development. Am Psychol.; 32, 513–531. doi:10.1037/0003-066X.32.7.513.
Brown, S., Manning, W., & Stykes, B. (2016). Family Structure and Child Well-Being: Integrating Family Complexity. Journal of Marriage Family, 77 (1), 177-190.
Brunelli, S. A., Wasserman, G., Virginia , R., Alvarado, L., & Caraballo, L. (1995). Mothers' Reports of Paternal Support: Associations With Maternal Child-Rearing Attitudes. Merrill-Palmer Quarterly, 41 (2), 152-171.
Coohey, C. (2015). Neglectful mothers, their mothers, and partners: the significance of mutual aid. Child Abuse & Neglect, 19 (8), 885-895.
Dubowitz, H., Black, M., Kerr, M., Staee, H., & Harrington, D. (2010). Fathers and child neglect. Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine , 135-141.
Edmonds, A., & Thomas, K. (2019). An applied guide to research designs: Quantitative, Qualitative and mixed methods. Sage Publishing.
Fields, T. (2008). Maternal depression effects on infants and early. Preventive Medicine,, 27 (2), 200-203.
Githinji, P. (2015). Sexual abuse of children: a study of primary school pupils in Nakuru County, Kenya. Doctoral dissertation, Kenyatta University: Kenya.
Guterman, N., & Lee, Y. (2015). The Role of Fathers in Risk for Physical Child Abuse and Neglect: Possible Pathways and Unanswered Questions. Child Maltreatment, 1 (1), 136-149.
Harewood, T., Vallotton, C.D., &Brophy-Herb, H. (2017). More than just the breadwinner: The effects of fathers’ parenting stress on children’s language and cognitive development. From https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/icd.1984.
Jain, N. (2015). Father-Daughter Attachment Pattern and its Influence on Daughter’s Development. The International Journal of Indian Psychology, 2 (2),75-83.
Kamau-Kang’ethe, R., & Walioli, R. (2020). Prevalence of Sexual Abuse in Children Aged 5-8 Years in Nairobi City County, Kenya. International Journal of Research and Scientific Innovation, 7 (4), 36-43.
Karisa, A., & McKenzie, J. (2022). I Be Africa Man Original: Towards a Contextual Conceptualization of Father Involvement in the Education of Children with Disabilities in Kenya. Disabilities Review, 2(1), 28-40. From https://doi.org/10.3390/disabilities2010003.
Kenya National Bureau of Statistics . (2019). 2019 Kenya Population and Housing- Volume 1: Population by County and Sub-County. Nairobi, Kenya.
Kenya National Bureau of Statistics. (2012). Violence against Children in Kenya: Findings from a 2010 National Survey. Summary Report on the Prevalence of Sexual, Physical and Emotional Violence, Context of Sexual Violence, and Health and Behavioral Consequences of Violence Experienced in Childhood. Nairobi, Kenya.
Kenya National Bureau of Statistics. (2016). Economic Survey Kenya. Nairobi, Kenya,
Kilanowski, J. F. (2017). Breadth of the Socio-Ecological Model. Socio-Ecological Approaches for Improving Agricultural Safety and Health, 22 (4), 295-297.
Koenig-Visagie, L.H. & Van Eeden, J. (2013) Significant Others: A visual analysis of the representational gender in the Afrikaans corporate church. MA dissertation, Department of Visual Arts. University of Pretoria: South Africa.
Kothari, C. R. (2010). Research methodology: Methods & techniques. New Delhi, India: New age International Publishers.
Mbaya, V. (2019). The Effects of Child Sexual Abuse at Mpilo Central Hospital in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe. IOSR Journal Of Humanities And Social Science (IOSR-JHSS), 24 (1), 1-5.
McGregor, C., & l Devaney, C. (2020). A Framework to Inform Protective Support and Supportive Protection in Child Protection andWelfare Practice and Supervision. Social Science, 43 (9), 1-23.
Mun, E., & Brinton, C. (2015). Workplace Matters: The Use of Parental Leave Policy in Japan. Harvard University, Cambridge: United States of America.
Mwoma, T. (2015). Fathering in Kenya. In Fathers across Cultures: The Importance, Roles, and Diverse Practices of Dads. Santa Barbara: United States America.
Panter-Brick, C., Burgess, A., Eggerman , M., McAllister, F., Pruett, K., & Leckman, J.(2014). Practitioner review: Engaging fathers–recommendations for a game change in parenting interventions based on a systematic review of the global evidence. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 55 (11), 1187-1212.
Parent-Boursier, C., & Hébert, M. (2015). Security in Father-child Relationship and Behavior Problems in Sexually Abused Children. Journal of Family Violence, 30, 113-122.
Rowley, K., Doyle, J., Leah , J., Reilly, R., McCarthy, L., Marika, M., et al. (2015). Strengths and limitations of a tool for monitoring and evaluating First Peoples’ health promotion from an ecological perspective. BMC Public Health, 15 (2), 11-19.
Rwiza, R., & Kamau, M. (2020). Social Factors infleuncing sexual abuse among children living with disability in Embakasi, Nairobi County. Nairobi, Kenya: The Catholic University of Eastern Africa.
Sandhu, R. (2014). Father Attachment Predicts Adolescent Girls' Social and Emotional Development. Dissertations & Theses. 93.
Siu, G. E., Wight, D., Seeley, J., Namutebi, C., Sekiwunga, R., Zalwango, F., et al. (2018). Men’s Involvement in Parenting Programme to Reduce Child Maltreatment and Gender-Based Violence: Formative Evaluation in Uganda. The European Journal of Development Research, 29, 1017–1037.
Siu, G., Wight, D., Seeley, J., Namutebi, C., Sekiwunga, R., Zalwango, F., et al. (2017). Men’s Involvement in a Parenting Programme to Reduce Child Maltreatment and Gender-Based Violence: Formative Evaluation in Uganda. The European Journal of Development Research, 29 (1), 1017-1037.
Temmerman, M., Ogbe, E., Manguro, G., Khandwalla, I., Thiongo, M., Mandaliya, K., et al. (2019). The gender-based violence and recovery centre at Coast Provincial General Hospital, Mombasa, Kenya: An integrated care model for survivors of sexual violence. PLoS Med, 16 (8).
Vandenhoudt, H., Poulsen, M. N., Wyckoff, S. C., Obong’o, C. O., Ochura, J., Njika, G., Otwoma, N. J., & Miller, K. S. (2010). Cultural Adaptation of a U.S. Evidence-Based Parenting Intervention for Rural Western Kenya: From Parents Matter to Families Matter. AIDS Education and Prevention, 22(4), 273–285. From https://doi.org/10.1521/aeap.2010.22.4.273
Yogman, M., Garfield, C. F., & committee on psychosocial aspects of child and family health. (2016). Fathers' Roles in the Care and Development of Their Children: The Role of Pediatricians. Pediatrics, 138(1). From https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2016-1128.
Tomison, A. (2006, June 1). Child maltreatment and family structure . Retrieved August 16, 2021, from https://aifs.gov.au/cfca/publications/child-maltreatment-and-family-structure.
Lee, E. J. (2013, December 2). The Attachment system throughout the life course: Review and Criticisms of Attachment Theory. Retrieved August 29, 2021, from http:// www. Personalityresearch .org / papers/lee.html.
Children's Bureau. (2018, July 6). A father's Impact on child development . Retrieved from https://www.all4kids.org/news/blog/a-fathers-impact-on-child-development/.
Lauren. (2020). Facts and stats of sexual abuse. Retrieved July 26, 2021, from https://laurenschildren.org/awareness/about-faqs/facts-and-stats/.
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Published
2023-01-30
How to Cite
Mutuku, V. K., W. Shanyisa, and E. Macharia. “Father’s Involvement in the Mitigation of Child Sexual Abuse, in Mvita Sub-County, Mombasa County”. Journal of Sociology, Psychology & Religious Studies, vol. 5, no. 1, Jan. 2023, pp. 21-35, doi:10.53819/81018102t3068.
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