Parental Abuse of Children in Saudi Arabia: Nature, Prevalence and Effects

Abstract

Background The physical abuse of children is a worldwide problem, which has received much attention in developed countries but remains less well-attended in developing and third-world nations. Objective The current study sought to determine the nature, prevalence and effects of physical abuse of children by parents in Saudi Arabia. Participants and setting The participants included high school students in two Saudi cities together with parents of students from the same schools. Method A semi-structured questionnaire was administered to a random sample of 768 of students and, in addition, interviews were conducted with 20 parents. Analysis of responses involved demographic patterns, weighted means of Likert scores, chi square analysis, and correlation and regression analyses. Results Results indicated that 37% of adolescents had been subjected to some form of physical violence by parents. The most common form of violence reported was being struck with an object other than a stick. A small but significant number of students were subject to burning, punching, or whipping, in some cases on a daily basis, and some reported having been scarred or hospitalised as a result of their injuries. No significant gender difference was found for types of physical abuse. However, a correlation was found between lower levels of parental education with the frequency of certain types of violent behaviour. Conclusions The study indicates that a high level parental physical violence persists in Saudi Arabia, including regular extreme forms that have severe health consequences. Recommendations are made for future research.