NCJ Number
238102
Journal
Child Abuse & Neglect Volume: 36 Issue: 1 Dated: January 2012 Pages: 64-70
Date Published
January 2012
Length
7 pages
Annotation
This study investigated the frequency of physical and emotional abuse of children in the Republic of Cyprus by their primary school teachers.
Abstract
The study found that in a sample of school children in grades 4-6 in the Republic of Cyprus almost 53 percent reported neglect by their teacher, just over 33 percent reported emotional abuse from their teacher, and almost 10 percent reported physical abuse by their teacher. In addition, gender was found to play a significant role with boys being at greater risk for all forms of abuse than girls. The age of the students and the gender of the teacher did not play a significant role in the frequency of abuse. This study investigated the frequency of physical and emotional abuse of a sample of children (n=1,339) in grades 4-6 in the Republic of Cyprus. Data were obtained from the students' responses on a questionnaire dealing with physical abuse, emotional abuse, and neglect by their teachers. With a majority of the children in this sample indicating that they were victims of at least one of the three forms of abuse, the findings indicate that the problem of abuse in the school environment in the Republic of Cyprus is a little known topic that requires increased examination. Implications for future research are discussed. Tables and references