Dr Florence O. Ojewola
Abstract
This study investigated the prevalence of child neglect among in-school adolescents in Owo, Ondo State, Nigeria. The population consisted of all adolescent students in Owo Local Government Area (LGA) of Ondo State. A sample of 400 respondents was selected from four secondary schools which were randomly selected using simple random sampling technique from the twelve secondary schools in the Local Government Area. The study was guided by one research question and two hypotheses, which were tested at 0.05 alpha level using t-test and ANOVA. The result indicated that there was high prevalence of child neglect among adolescents in Owo Local Government Area. The result also showed that there was no significant difference in child neglect experienced by adolescents on the bases of gender and age. Based on the findings of this study it was concluded that gender and age were not barriers to child neglect of adolescents in Owo LGA. It is therefore recommended, among others, that parents, teachers and the general public should be enlightened on the effect of child neglect on the overall wellbeing of the adolescents.