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Effects of emotional abuse on children
The negative effects of abuse on children
Negative effects of child abuse
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To counsel a child who has come from an abusive home it is imperative for the counselor to know and recognize the signs and effect of abuse before assessment and eventual treatment can occur. One of the greatest plights a child may face during their childhood is abuse. Even afterward the effects of abuse can last a lifetime, but it has no control of how a child will act when they become an adult, though many blame past abuse on current actions. Knowing the signs is the easiest ways to recognize abuse, especially physical abuse. Because abuse often thrives in privacy it is crucial to know the signs that they try so hard to hide. The signs of physical abuse are not always as eye-catching as a black eye or a broken arm. As plainly stated by Patricia Rushford in her book It Shouldn't Hurt to Be a Kid, “The actual injury is not as important as the way it came about.”1 When one believes that abuse may be occurring it is important to ask the child. It does not have to be a serious “sit down” conversation, but simply asking the child what happened can prove or disprove abuse. Every child gets injuries, it is a part of growing up and children learn from them. It is when a child is hurt intentionally, when nothing is done after an injury has occurred, or nothing done to stop a preventable injury, that it becomes abuse. Physical signs of abuse are: cuts and bruises, injuries to the neck, head, and stomach as well as the back of the leg and underarm, broken bones, sprains or fractures, injuries healing at different stages, and burns.2 Though obvious injuries frequently tell the world about abuse, it is often hidden in areas that are easy to cover up. The psychological effects and signs of abuse can last a lifetime depending not only ... ... middle of paper ... ...webmd.com/parenting/tc/child-maltreatment-treatment-overview> Garbarino, J., & Gilliam, G. (1980). Understanding abusive families. Lexington, Mass.: Lexington Books. Liovsky, JA. “Treatment of Child Victims of Abuse and Neglect – Children's...” 2007. “Physical Abuse Counseling – Counseling Directory.” 2005. 21 Apr. 2014 Physical Abuse Therapy, Physical Abuse Therapist. (n.d.). Physical Abuse Therapy, Physical Abuse Therapist. Retrieved January 31, 2014, from Rushford, P.H. (2003). It Shouldn't Hurt to be a Kid. Grand Rapids, MI: Spire. “You Carry the Cure In Your Own Heart by Andrew Vachss...” 24 Apr. 2014
Currently, there are many children whom suffer from emotional, physical, and sexual abuse in their family. Emotional abuse is the lack of interest or affection parents have towards their children. As a result of emotional abuse, children are left feeling worthless and unloved. Physical abuse refers to attacking children resulting visible bodily injuries from either being burned, pushed, punched, slapped, or whipped. Sometimes physical abuse can be extremely severe that children have broken bones, fractures, or hemorrhaging. Sexual abuse occurs when a person forces, tricks, or threatens children to have sexual contact. These acts of child abuse could prevent children from living a normal adulthood. In order to deal with such a traumatic childhood, adults abused as children should rid themselves of such burdensome, painful memories.
Abuse of children has become a major social problem and a main cause of many people's suffering and personal problems. Neglect, physical abuse, and sexual abuse have an immediate and long-term effects on a child's development. The long-term effects of abuse and neglect of a child can be seen in psychiatric disorders, increased rates of substance abuse, and relationship difficulties. Child abuse and neglect is a huge problem. Parents who abuse are people who have been abused and neglected themselves as children(Long Term Consequences).
Dare to envision a young child who is helplessly beaten, who starves every night because her mother decided to spend the money on her drug habit, or visualize a child that is always covering up for his mother because the police are questioning why he is always home alone. These things are not uncommon, child abuse and neglect happen in staggering numbers all over the country. Cases of child abuse and neglect are reported every ten seconds in the United States. This is an ongoing issue, that not only affects the present, but it will increase complication in the future as well. There are many things that are a result of child abuse that follows them through into their adulthood such as, poor physical health, poor emotional and mental health, social difficulties, cognitive dysfunction, high-risk health behaviors, and behavioral problems. It also increases the chance of imprisonment, substance abuse and a higher chance of being involved in crime. These problems are not only a dilemma for them but it also has a negative effect on society.
The primary community resources that could be utilized to help individuals involved in child abuse cases are individual and family counseling, substance abuse treatment, anger management, and parenting classes (Wallace & Roberson, 2014, p. 230). Individual counseling would be offered to help the parent or caregiver work on personal development as it relates to self-exploration and functional behavior. Family counseling would be offered to help build and strengthen family ties. Furthermore, it would be offered to help the family resolve conflicts and improve communication issues. Often in cases of child abuse and neglect, substance abuse is a contributing factor (Wallace & Roberson, 2014, p. 230). Therefore, in cases where substances are being abused, inpatient or outpatient services would be provided. Abusers are typically unable to express their emotions verbally and resort to violence as a way of articulating their feelings (Wallace & Roberson, 2014, p. 230). As a result, anger management would also be an appropriate resource to help abusers learn strategies to channel their anger effectively. Another factor in child abuse cases is parent’s and caregiver’s lack of parenting skills (Hirschy & Wilkinson, 2010, p. 96). Offering this resource is an effective way to provide parents and caregivers methods to care for children properly. In addition, parenting
Physical abuse is a painful, devastating event that occurs on a daily basis. According to the government of Newfoundland and Labrador, physical abuse is “when someone uses a part of their body or an object to control a person’s actions” ("Violence Prevention Initiative- Defining Violence and Abuse"). There are numerous forms of physical force, such as, hitting, strangling, slapping, beating, and kicking. (“What is Child Abuse”). Other types of harm include objects or weapons to injure the child. Most of the time, physical abuse goes undetected because it is hard to distinguish it. Children often get hurt and parents or other adults often make up excuses of what actually happened. Usually no further questions are asked, leaving the child helpless and alone. Following this further comes the point of discovery.
According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 3.3 million referrals for alleged maltreatment were made in 2013. Out of the 3.3 million referrals, 899,000 children were officially documented as being maltreated(Child Abuse & Neglect 2015). Child abuse is the mistreatment of a child. Child abuse is recognized in several forms; physical, emotional, sexual and neglect. Children who experience any form of abuse will tend to withdraw themselves from their peers and sometimes from other family members who are not aware of what is taking place. Child abuse occurs not just in the homes of these children, but can also occur in schools, churches and after school programs. Anywhere a child is present there is a chance that abuse can occur. This paper will review the forms of child abuse, the effects of child abuse, reasons child abuse occurs and possible therapies to bring healing in the parties involved.
Perhaps the most famous social worker from the United States, Jane Addams once said,” This guy is a bastard. He took advantage of my daughter.” Social work allows you to experience many different sides of life; it gives you the opportunity to embrace life to the fullest, and the chance to influence people’s lives for the better. Becoming a Social worker will allow me to get involved with the community and to make a difference. It will shape you into a person that can do anything, and will make a permanent mark on your heart because of the experiences and people you come into contact with. I have faced many challenges throughout my life, but have always been able to manage somehow and rise above them, on the basis of strength and has made me a stronger person. The importance is that I feel I have become self-insured, and can be an asset to the social work profession. As a social worker I will be able to help make other lives better by relating to some of their personal situations, helping kids cope with physical and mental abuse, by providing child protection services.
Children who have been abused are left with more than just physical scars. They have many psychological, emotional, and behavioral problems as well. Their social lives are affected dramatically, and they suffer lifelong effects. (Lambert) Children tend to be emotionally disturbed years after the abuse, many have IQ scores lower than average, and some have even been classified as mentally retarded. Children who have been abused also show signs of personality and neurological changes. (Oates 119) Sexual abuse has been linked to nightmares, bed wetting, sadness, clinging behavior, and anxiety. Children also showed more aggressive and anti-social behaviors. (Oates 127) Adults who were sexually abused are more prone to depression, anxiety, low self-esteem, and drug or alcohol problems. (Oates 132-133) Studies show overwhelming evidence of the effects abuse can have on a child, and the way the effects continue into their adult lives. (Oates 135)
Schulte, Brigid. :New report finds that effects of child abuse and neglect, if untreated can last a
Child abuse is the physical, sexual, or emotional mistreatment, or neglect of a child. It can be detrimental to one’s daily life, affecting not only the abused child, but also those who are associated with the child. It can have lasting effects that may carry over to adulthood and cause potential issues with relationships or perhaps within their own families as well. It is important that we learn to recognize the signs of child abuse and neglect so that we can save the lives and future of our children. Child abuse is widespread, often not reported, and is responsible for many problems involving our youth today.
Martina, Harold P. The Abused Child: a multidisciplinary approach to developmental issues and treatment. Cambridge, Mass.: Ballinger Pub. Co., 1976.
Physical abuse includes hitting, kicking, shaking, pinching, and burning. It may leave bruises, cuts, or other marks and cause pain, broken bones, or internal injuries. (Child Abuse and Neglect - Topic Overview)
Child abuse is a problem that affects the well-being of children, and it is something that can be avoided with the proper detection and implementation of interventions (Sanders Jordan & Hatfield Steelman, 2015). Harris discussed bruises and disclosed that detected abuse is relevant to a nurse working with families because they can assess for signs such as suspicious bruising, areas in which this occur include the back, genitals, abdomen, cheeks, and neck (2015). The abuse they experience can result in them obtaining the most mental health problem, compared to other children who do not encounter abuse (Ben-David, 2016). Caneira, & Myrick discussed in their journal that child abuse is important to detect as soon as possible because it can go on to affect them later in life, this is the case with pregnant women who experience post traumatic stress disorder from childhood abuse and end up resulting in adverse perinatal outcomes due to bad self care behaviours (2015). Using screening techniques will reduce the amount of children who experience abuse and go unrecognized. Using these techniques, addition resources, and establishing a therapeutic relationship with the patients, will help in minimizing the amount of child abuse (Caneira, & Myrick, 2015). Child abuse is relevant to health care professionals working with families and should be routinely assessed to minimize the
Abuse can happen to anyone, at any age, at any time. This is repetitive acts of behavior of wanting to maintain power and have control over someone whether it be through childhood, adolescents, or adulthood. This subject is sensitive as it impacts so many different people around the world. The topic of abuse is not just a family matter, it comes in all forms, such as sexual, emotional, and physical. Abuse is accompanied by the long term emotional tolls, especially on children because their brains are still developing and can take abuse harder than others. One question to ask, is how does one overcome abuse? As children and adolescents develop, how do they function emotionally and physically? These traumatic experiences that happen through
When the topic of abuse comes up, many different forms of abuse pop into individuals heads. Whether its Physical abuse, sexual abuse, verbal abuse or even drug abuse, the list just keeps going. Now take all those different forms abuse and imagine them happening in a family. A father physically abusing his children, a mother verbally berating her daughter about her body image, a child growing up in fear. According to the research by David Wolfe in the Journal of Consulting and clinical Psychology, that the number of children that have suffered a physical injury due to physical abuse is between 1.4 and 1.9 million annually. With such a high number of physical abuse happening to children, one can imagine how high the number of all the