Abstract Background Self-reported child abuse is highly prevalent in rural Bangladesh, but caregiver-reported rates have not yet been explored. Purpose To investigate caregiver’s self-reported child physical abuse (PA) practices and estimate the prevalence of gender-specific PA among children in rural Bangladesh. Methods A total of 1418 caregivers were randomly recruited from a population-based surveillance area in a northwestern district of Bangladesh. Data was collected from April 1 to May 31, 2017, using the ISPCAN Child Abuse Screening Tool-Parent (ICAST-P) to collect data. Past-year (PY) prevalence was calculated by categorizing all forms of PA into any versus no exposure in the past year. For lifetime prevalence, different forms of PA were categorized based on any versus no exposure either in the past year or at any point in time. Multiple logistic regression was employed to estimate the risk factors of physical abuse among children. Ethical approval was obtained from Bangladesh and Sweden. Results Moderate physical abuse (PA) was reported in 92% and 94% of cases in PY and LT, respectively, with severe forms reported in 15% and 18%. Male children were more likely to be subjected to hitting with objects, ear twisting, and beating ( P < .05), while females were more likely to experience burning ( P < .05). Risk factors for PA included male gender (OR = 1.36, 95% CI = 1.08–1.71), older age (OR = 1.06, 95% CI = 1.03–1.09) and developmental delays (OR = 3.02, 95% CI = 1.87–4.88), living with biological parents (OR = 3.82; 95% CI: 2.24–6.52), caregivers’ financial problems (OR = 2.70, CI = 1.72 to 4.23), childhood victimization of caregivers, male parents with lower education, low socioeconomic status, perceived poor health, and belief in corporal punishment. Conclusions PA is a common form of harsh parental disciplinary action in Bangladesh. Both boys and girls are victims of PA.
Haque et al. (Sat,) studied this question.