Child maltreatment perpetration in Sarawak: predictors from the perpetrators’ perspective

ABSTRACT

Child maltreatment, which encompasses harmful behaviour such as physical, sexual, psychological, and neglect, remains a global concern. In global efforts to prevent violence against women and girls, a strategic shift has emerged to actively engage men as key stakeholders. There is a growing recognition that men must be placed at the centre of these efforts. This study aimed to determine the predictors of child maltreatment perpetration in Sarawak based on retrospective recall of men’s childhood adversities, men’s gender roles, men’s attitudes, and men’s attachment styles. This cross-sectional study was conducted in Sarawak, Malaysia, from August 2022 to January 2023. The research used multistage cluster sampling to recruit 800 married men. The study findings showed 33.6% of the men admitted to having perpetrated one or more different forms of maltreatment on their children. Neglectful behaviours were the most prevalent with 27.3%, followed by physical and psychological perpetration. Through hierarchical logistic regression, men’s childhood adversities were a critical predictor (AOR = 1.0, 95% CI: .1.0, 1.1, p < .001). Men with avoidant attachment styles were less likely to admit to perpetration (AOR = 0.5, 95% CI:0.3, 0,8, p = .002). In conclusion, this study emphasises the need for prevention activities like childhood adversities screening among men to improve their well-being and help them heal from past trauma.

KEYWORDS:

• Child maltreatment
• childhood adversities
• avoidant attachment
• Sarawak

Acknowledgments

We thank UNIMAS for its support during the conduct of this study. We also appreciate the support and help of the Dean of the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, UNIMAS. The authors are also thankful to the heads of villages and the villagers who participated in this study.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Authors’ contributions

S.R.R. contributed to the development of the conceptual framework and led the data collection, analysis, and manuscript writing. M.M.R. developed the conceptual design, data analysis, and manuscript review.

Additional information

Funding

The author(s) reported there is no funding associated with the work featured in this article.

Notes on contributors

Siti Romahani Rahman

Siti Romahani Rahman is a medical doctor with a Master’s degree in Public Health and is currently in pursuit of a Doctorate in Public Health at UNIMAS. Her research area is mainly in Public Health, focusing on domestic violence. She led the development of the conceptual framework, data collection, analysis, and manuscript composition.

Md Mizanur Rahman

Md Mizanur Rahman is a Professor at the Department of Community Medicine and Public Health UNIMAS. Holding a Master of Philosophy in Preventive and Social Medicine alongside a Doctor of Philosophy in Statistics, Mizanur’s scholarly pursuits are mainly in the domain of public health and preventive medicine. He contributed to the conceptual design, and data analysis, and provided valuable insights into manuscript review.