Physical And Emotional Abuse Effects On Child Development

Effects of Physical and Emotional Abuse on a Child’s Development

What are the effects of physical and emotional abuse on a child’s development? Child abuse can be traumatizing for the victim. “In 2005, an estimated 3.3 million reports of alleged abuse and neglect involving approximately 6 million children were made to local child protective services across the country” (Child Physical Abuse, 2015). The effects of physical and emotional abuse on a child’s development have been documented to have a significantly affect a child’s physical, emotional and social abilities.

Abuse has a disturbing everlasting effect on a person. Abuse can be noiseless or flamboyant but the effects are the same and never forgotten. Two common forms of abuse on

Over 170 children have been physically abused under the age of five years old. Glaser reveals in his article, “more than 86% of the population children have been physically injured, receiving soft tissue injuries, and then the remaining were considered to be at serious risk of injury or failure to thrive”. Parents do not realize that the outcome of physical abuse is significant. Some of the outcomes of physical abuse can lead to lack of physical growth, peer pressure, and fears or depression. Most of these studies, prevent children from growing up and being independent. Children who live with parents who are physically abused are at a disadvantage. Rather than developing at an early age, physical abuse could show harmful parenting skills.

Another very hurtful form of child abuse is emotional abuse. The definition of emotional abuse is, “The infliction of coercive, demeaning, or overly distant behavior by a parent or other caretaker that interferes with a child’s normal social or psychological development” (Mosby’s Medical Dictionary, 2009). Damages from emotional abuse rarely appear on the outside of the child, rather they develop on the inside of a

In the article, “New Ways to Protect Kids”, written by Rebecca A. Clay, presents several psychological opinions on understanding abuse and establishing ways to protect and prevent abuse on children. Psychologist, George W. Holden, PhD, states that 676,000 children each year suffer from abuse and many cases are still not reported. Holden said “One of the major new insights in the last 15 years is the concept of polyvictimization – that is, children being multiply victimized” Clay, 2014, para