Child Endangerment: The Consequences And Effects Of Child Abuse

Child abuse encompasses far more than merely beating or hitting a child. Other, more silent—and even more widespread—forms of abuse exist. Emotional abuse, sexual abuse, neglect, and child endangerment are all other forms of abuse that are much more difficult to detect because they seldom lead to visible imprints on a child the way physical abuse can. And the problem is far more pervasive than one might imaging: the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) reports that about five children die as a result of abuse every day. The impact child abuse can have on victims is both extensive and profound. Effects can vary from health issues to developmental and emotional impairments. With heightened awareness of the nature, the implications, and

Effects can vary from health issues to developmental and emotional impairments. According to the Centers for Control and Prevention (CDC), survivors of child maltreatment suffer from health effects their entire lives, facing an estimated $32,648 in medical expenses as children and roughly $10,530 as adults. Reaffirming these assertions is the Child Welfare Information Gateway, a service of the U.S. Children’s Bureau, which reports that people who were abused as children generally experience poorer physical health throughout their lives compared to their non-abused counterparts; they are at higher risk of having arthritis, bronchitis, high blood pressure, and ulcers, among other things. A Duke University study also found that those who were victims of violence as children tend to age more rapidly and are predicted to live shorter lives than those who were not. In addition to the health complications, child abuse victims are also at an elevated risk of developing problematic behaviors. They are more likely to evolve as violent or antisocial, become juvenile delinquents or drug users, or assume risky sexual behaviors. The Child Welfare Information Gateway indicates that victims, compared to non-victims, are 11 times more likely to be jailed for criminal behavior as a juvenile, 2.7 times more likely to be jailed for violent and criminal behavior as an adult, and 3.1 times more likely to be jailed for

However, various risk factors have been linked to higher likelihoods of corporal punishment and child abuse. A study conducted by a team of researchers found, for example, that parents who had observed violence between their parents were more likely to hit their children. This was found to support another study that found that children who witnessed violence between their parents or caregivers were more likely to perceive violent behavior as appropriate or, even worse, learn it. Other findings in the aforementioned study included that parents were more likely to hit or beat their child if they: believed they were difficult to control; thought themselves to have poor coping skills or poor impulse control; are nonworking mothers; believed that hitting a child as a means to discipline was acceptable. Black et al. described physically abusive or neglectful parents as people with low self esteem, with an external locus of control (i.e., who believe that events are determined by chance or outside forces beyond one’s personal control), poor impulse control, depression, anxiety, and antisocial