Socio- Psychological factors associated with child sexual abuse: A study of Lusaka Central Prison Child sexual abuse convicts
Authors:   The University of Zambia, Tembo Zowe , Nabuzoka Dabbie ,   The University of Zambia, Ravi Paul ,   The University of Zambia
Published: September 2021

Objectives and Study Design: with the view of examining the socio-psychological factors associated with child sexual abuse among child sexual abuse convicts, a study was conducted in Lusaka, the capital city of Zambia at Lusaka Central Prison also commonly known as Chimbokaila prison between January 2015 - July 2017. The scientific objectives of this study were to identify the background characteristics of convicts who are in jail for child sexual offenses; to establish the psychological factors associated with child sexual abuse among convicts; to explore the social correlates associated with child sexual abuse among convicts; to explore the social correlates associated with child sexual abuse among convicts and to establish the relationship between experiences of convicts in prison and behavioural intensions with regards to child sexual re-offending. 30 male child sexual abuse convicts were assessed for personality disorders and were interviewed to realize some of the social factors that may be associated with child sexual abuse. Results: Results of the DSMI IV criteria checklist showed that 24 respondents did not have a personality disorder while 6 respondents had a personality disorder. From the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality inventory 4 (MMPI- IV) showed that 10 participants had a personality disorder, while 20 participants did not have a personality disorder. Results obtained from social correlates associated with child sexual abuse were: misleading physical appearances and substance misuse. With regards to marital status, there was no statistical relationship between child sexual abuse and marital status. It was also found that there is no statistical relationship between child sexual abuse and alcohol consumption. It was also found that the respondents who took alcohol before imprisonment were more than those that did not. Most child sexual perpetrators were not sexually abused as children, those who were sexually abused as children were very few Percent and frequency distribution of respondents by age group was; age group 25-30 recorded 3 the highest frequency of 36.7%, followed by age group of 20-25 with 23.3%. Percent and frequency distribution of the respondents by marital status; of the total respondents 40 percent (n=12) were single and 46.7 percent (n=14) were married, divorced participants and others had an equal share of percentage at 6.7 percent (n=2). Conclusions: Put together the results suggest that the majority of participants did not have a personality disorder, in regards to Psychological factors that may be associated with child sexual abuse. Whereas a lot of common themes (most participants abused alcohol before imprisonment, were physically abused and not sexually abused in their childhood) were realized for social factors that may be associated with child sexual abuse, However for background characteristics it was found that most child sexual abusers were within their mid-twenties and most of them were single with a primary level of education as the highest level of education obtained by most participants.