An exploratory study of the prevalence and correlates of student maltreatment by teachers in Cameroon

Abstract

Maltreatment of children takes place in many contexts and places around the world. Based on the model of Bullying, School Violence and Climate in Evolving Contexts, this study describes the prevalence and characteristics of maltreatment of students by their teachers in Cameroon. It examined the bivariate and multivariate correlations between victimization by educational staff with victimization by peers, school climate, and the students’ perpetration of violence against their own teachers. The sample consisted of 601 students in three schools. Of these, 62% were females, 63.3% were 13‒16 years old, and 28.8% 17‒20 years old. The study is based on self‐report questionnaires administered to the students. The findings show high levels of student maltreatment—physical, emotional, and sexual. Prevalence was higher among males. These reports were highly correlated with both victimization by peers and student perpetration against teachers. School climate perceptions were negatively associated with staff maltreatment. The discussion notes that the high prevalence of staff maltreatment in this study is similar to findings in developing countries and is higher than in other contexts. Implications and recommendations for policy changes, training, and intervention are presented.

Prevalence and predictors of staff victimization of students in Kosovo

“…This overall figure is lower than some countries (e.g. Cameroon; Benbenishty et al, 2022) and higher than others (e.g. Chile; López et al, 2020).…”

A Systematic Review of the Prevalence and Correlates of Emotional Violence by Teachers

“…The perpetration of violence against peers was linked to experiencing more emotional violence by teachers in several studies from various settings (Benbenishty et al, 2019;Khoury-Kassabri, 2009;Lucas-Molina et al, 2015;Martínez-Ferrer & Stattin, 2017;Moon & Alarid, 2015;Oriol et al, 2017.;Yang et al, 2019;Yen et al, 2015). Higher levels of victimization of teachers by students were related to more emotional (Twemlow et al, 2006;Yang et al, 2019) and overall violence (emotional, physical, and sexual) by teachers (Benbenishty et al, 2021;López et al, 2020). However, victimization by students was not related to teachers' selfreported use of emotional violence among Arab homeroom teachers in Israel (Khoury-Kassabri, 2012).…”

Integrating Policy into School Safety Theory and Research

“…Most comparative studies on school safety in psychology have focused on differences in victimization base rates and their emotional impact between students who live in different countries (Benbenishty & Astor, 2005). These studies rarely considered and compared the organization of schools, policies, programs, and safety services in these countries (Arënliu et al, 2022; Benbenishty et al, 2019, 2022). This is a significant limitation because these differences in organizational and policy context could explain differences found between student safety outcomes across many different countries.…”