Physical child neglect, depression and substance abuse among adolescents in Buloba Christian High School

Abstract

Introduction Child maltreatment is notably the major risk factor for mental disorders among adolescents with neglect being the most common practice. However, little attention has been given to child neglect due it’s perceived less severity as compared to other forms of child maltreatment. Objective To examine the relationship between physical child neglect, depression and substance abuse among adolescents in Buloba Christian High school in Wakiso district Methods A cross sectional study was conducted among a random sample of 101 respondents in Buloba Christian high school in Wakiso district. Pretested questionnaires were used to collect quantitative data from 101 respondents. Data was collected through face-to-face interviews with respondents. Data will be entered using Epidata and analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Scientists (SPSS) version 16.0. Descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation and Co-efficient (r) were used to test the significant hypotheses. Results Majority of the respondents, 78.2% (79/101) were aged between 15-18 years and more than a half of the respondents were female. There was a significant relationship (r = .280*, p = .004) between Physical child neglect and depression among adolescents. A positive correlation (r = .245*, p = .013) between physical neglect and substance abuse was found among adolescents. Conclusion The study found association between Physical child neglect and mental disorders among adolescents. Psycho-educational and supportive psychosocial counseling programs should be embraced in schools as these programs have been effective in improving the adolescent mental health.