ABSTRACT

Childhood violence most often, goes unrecognized in Nigeria as little attention is given to it due to the prevalent cases of childhood diseases and severe acute malnutrition which are the predominant problems associated with childhood in the society. There have been recorded increase in depression, poor academic performance and social disorder among university students in the country. It is therefore necessary for public awareness be created on the existence of the various forms of childhood violence and its complications. The objective of this study was to assess the prevalence of violence in childhood, its complications in adulthood and service utilization amongst UNIBEN students. A total of 420 respondents participated in this study comprising of 262 (62.4%) females and 158 (37.6%) males and their mean age was (22.9) SD (2.7) 43.57% indicated that they have experienced at least one form of childhood violence. 395 (96.1%) respondents have experienced physical violence, 344 (83.7%) emotional violence, 269 (65.5%) sexual violence and 236 (57.4%) have experienced neglect. In conclusion, there is a high prevalence of childhood violence experienced by students and poor service utilization by UNIBEN students.