title: Child sexual abuse among adolescents in southeast Nigeria: A concealed public health behavioral issue.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Child sexual abuse among adolescents is an often overlooked issue in pediatrics, yet it is a major cause of low self esteem and stigmatization in adolescents. The objective of this study was to determine the socioeconomic determinant and pattern of child sexual abuse among adolescent attending secondary schools in South East Nigeria.
  
  
  METHODS
  This was a cross-sectional study that was carried out among children in three secondary schools in Enugu and Ebonyi states of Nigeria. Five hundred and six adolescents who met inclusion criteria were consecutively recruited into our prospective study between June and October, 2014.
  
  
  RESULTS
  One hundred and ninety nine (40 %) of the respondents had been abused and the commonest form of abuse was to look at pornographic pictures, drawings, films, videotapes or magazine 93(18.4%). Fifty eight (11.5%) adolescents stated that they were abused once with age at first exposure being 7-12 years 57 (11.4%). When grouped together, family members and relatives are perpetrators of child sexual abuse. There was significant difference in sex abuse between males and females (p=0.014) while there were no significant difference for age (p=0.157) and social class (p=0.233).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Overall prevalence and one time prevalence rates of sexual abuse among adolescents in south east Nigeria was 40% and 11.5% respectively with male perpetrators. There is no link between socioeconomic class, age and child sexual abuse among adolescents.
authors.affiliation: Manyike Pius C, College of Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Federal Teaching Hospital Abakiliki, Nigeria.
authors.forename: Manyike Pius
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: C
authors.affiliation: Chinawa Josephat M, College of Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, University of Nigeria/University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital (UNTH), Ituku- Ozalla, Enugu State, Nigeria.
authors.forename: Chinawa Josephat
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: M
authors.affiliation: Aniwada Elias, Department Of Community Medicine, University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital (UNTH), Ituku- Ozalla, Enugu State, Nigeria.
authors.forename: Aniwada
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Elias
authors.affiliation: Odutola Odetunde I, College of Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, University of Nigeria/University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital (UNTH), Ituku- Ozalla, Enugu State, Nigeria.
authors.forename: Odutola Odetunde
authors.initials: OO
authors.lastname: I
authors.affiliation: Chinawa T. Awoere, Department Of Community Medicine, University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital (UNTH), Ituku- Ozalla, Enugu State, Nigeria.
authors.forename: Chinawa T
authors.initials: CT
authors.lastname: Awoere
keywords: Adolescents; Child sexual abuse; Nigeria