Child Abuse and Socio-Emotional Adjustments of in-School Adolescents in Cross River State, Nigeria

The main purpose of this study was to examine child abuse and socio-emotional adjustments of in-school adolescents in Cross River State, Nigeria. To achieve the purpose of this study two null hypotheses were generated to direct the study. Literature review was done according to the variables under study. Correlational research design was adopted for the study. A sample of six hundred and seven (607) respondents was randomly selected for the study. The selection was done through the stratified random sampling technique. The questionnaire was the main instrument used for data collection. The instrument was subjected to face validation by one expert from Educational Psychology and two experts in measurement and evaluation in the University of Calabar. The reliability estimate of the instrument was established through the Cronbach alpha reliability method. Regression analysis was the statistical analysis technique adopted to test the hypotheses under study. All hypotheses were subjected to testing at .05 level of significance The results of the analysis revealed that, physical abuse and emotional abuse significantly contribute to socio-emotional adjustment of in-school adolescents in Cross River State, Nigeria. Based on the findings of the study it was recommended among others that Government should develop and implement programmes to prevent and intervene in cases of physical abuse and emotional abuse among adolescents.