PhD Theses

Permanent URI for this collection

http://192.168.13.253:4000/handle/123456789/3800

Browse

Browsing PhD Theses by Author "Ambakisye, Simion Kaminyoge"

Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    The effects of physical violence against mothers on primary school children’s behaviours in Tanzania
    (University of Dar es Salaam, 2017) Ambakisye, Simion Kaminyoge
    The purpose of this study was to investigate and examine how physical violence against mothers affects their children’s school behaviours. Four objectives guided the study, namely; to investigate the mothers’ experiences of physical violence by husbands; to explore the school children’s experiences from exposure to physical violence against mothers; to examine the effects of children’s exposure to physical violence against mothers on their school behaviours; and, to analyse and relate the children’s school attendance, concentration in the classroom, aggression and withdrawal behaviours from mothers exposed and not exposed to physical violence. For the qualitative part of the study comprising snowball and purposive sampling techniques were used to obtain a sample of 55 participants involving mothers, children, husbands, teachers and village leaders. For the quantitative part, a random sample of 312 school children was selected from five primary schools. The study employed semi-structured face to face interviews, focus group discussions and questionnaires. The findings showed that mothers experienced multiple forms of physical violence from husbands precipitated by gender relations embedded within cultural norms of the community under study. The physical and psychological effects on mothers due to physical assaults made them unable to concentrate on school children’s needs, support and supervision. Inadequate provision of needs and services from mothers exposed to physical violence resulted to children’s experiences of psychological distress. The study found that children’s psychological problems and inadequate physical needs led to negative school behaviours such as irregular school attendance, truancy, and withdrawal from peers and teachers, poor interaction with school peers as well as lack of concentration in the classroom. It is concluded that school children develop negative school behaviours when their mothers, the major child caregivers in the family, fail to provide adequate basic needs and services in the family. The study recommends that the government should establish the guidance and counselling services in primary schools to help children who come from problem families including violence between parents to eliminate its negative effects on children’s school behaviours. The counselling will enable school children develop coping strategies to concentrate on various school activities, relationship with peers and teachers, and regulations. The government should further create a formalized system to educate and counsel parents and communities about harmful cultural norms that precipitate violence on women in general. The local women and child protection organs in the community should also be established like the village and ward women and child welfare committees.