Family Settings, Sexual Abuse Experience, and Health Outcomes among Young People in Lagos State, Nigeria

Sexual abuse has increased in Nigeria. In certain circumstances, relatives molest children. However, a stable marriage shields children against sexual abuse. It remains uncertain whether a stable marriage protects children from child sexual abuse when other relatives or domestic workers join the family. Using Dahrendorf’s conflict theory, we argue that relatives or domestic workers living with the family increase the risk of child sexual abuse. We also claim that sexual abuse worsens victim’s health.We employed a cross-sectional survey of 419 young people (16–24 years) across eight selected local governments in Lagos State through simple random and cluster sampling techniques. We analyzed the data using descriptive statistics, Chi-Square, and Logistic Regression. The study showed that living with parents compared to guardians reduced the odds of improper touch (OR: 0.23), and fingering (OR: 0.19). Also, having relatives live with the family compared to those who are not, reduced the odds of improper touch (OR: 0.22), but more likely to experience fingering (OR: 38.17). However, in a stable marriage, when other relatives live with the family young people are more likely to experience improper touch (OR: 3.46), fondling (OR: 18.53), and fingering (OR: 32.52). Child sexual abuse increases the odds of negative health outcomes like withdrawal from groups (OR: 3.10), pregnancy (OR: 6.99), hatred for the opposite sex (OR: 2.24), and suicidal thoughts (OR: 7.19), among others. Families with temporary or long-term relatives should be vigilant. Also, society formulates and implements policy frameworks to reduce child sexual abuse in the familiar cycles.