Maltreatment of adolescent: An online survey to assess epidemiology and awareness of rural higher secondary school children at Kanpur Rural Region, Uttar Pradesh

Context: Adolescent maltreatment is a state of mental, physical, economic, and sexual abuse experienced by a person under the age of 18 and is a crime that prevails globally. Aims: The aim of this online study was to evaluate the level of awareness and epidemiology of young generation of rural region toward adolescent maltreatment at Kanpur rural region, which can be used as a guideline for planning future interventions. Settings and Design: The study was a descriptive cross-sectional online study. Subjects and Methods: The study was done on 545 rural secondary school adolescent in 1 month period, using a standardized self-administered questionnaire. Statistical Analysis Used: The collected data were analyzed using SPSS version 21 software and appropriate statistical tests and logistic regression analysis. Chi-square was applied, and P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: Among 545 adolescent (60%) were boys. The most common domains of adolescent maltreatment among female adolescent were neglect (29.5%), psychological (39%), physical (17.9%), and sexual (16.1%), and among male adolescent, these were neglect (36.8%), psychological (26.9%), physical (24.2%), and sexual (6.2%). Demographic variables included substance abuse of parents, father's education, parents living status, and having other jobs, which were significantly related variables to adolescent maltreatment and neglect (P < 0.05). Conclusions: Adolescent maltreatment and neglect challenges in India need to be considered carefully and widely, particularly among the underprivileged, disadvantaged, and socioeconomically backward populations of rural communities where adolescent protection systems are not fully established.