Abuse typically is broken down into four different types which include; physical, sexual, emotional or psychological, and neglect (Norman et al., 2012). During the 2012 fiscal year there were an estimated 686,000 abused and neglected children in the United States (Child Maltreatment, 2012). 686,000 includes children who were found by the state to have suffered from at least one form of abuse, and includes the children who died as a result of abuse (Child Maltreatment, 2012). There are many signs and symptoms that can be exhibited by children who suffer abuse, some signs and symptoms overlap, and some are unique to the type of abuse the child is suffering. Besides the experience of abuse and the imitate signs a child may display there are also long term effects of abuse that can last into adulthood. The purpose of this paper is to give an overview of the four types of abuse, the signs and symptoms, and the long term effects that an abused child can face throughout their life.
Physical Abuse
Physical abuse of a child is defined as the intentional use of excessive physical force that does or can result in injury, health risks, developmental issues, and possibly even death (Norman et al., 2012). In most cases, a child is abused by a parent or a caregiver, but sometimes the abuse can be inflicted by an older sibling (Crosson-Tower, 2008). Differences in culture can skew the line between tradition, discipline, and abuse (Crosson-Tower, 2008). Typically abuse is when a bruise or a mark is left and is visible for a prolonged amount of time, and when an investigation takes place culture is taken into account to an extent (Crosson-Tower, 2008). One of the most common indicators of physical abuse is bruises (Crosson-Tower, 2008)....
... middle of paper ...
... Long-Term Effects of Child Abuse. Journal Of Aggression, Maltreatment & Trauma, 11(4), 29-52. doi:10.1300/J146v11n0402
Child Maltreatment 2012. (2013). Retrieved from http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/cb/resource/child- maltreatment-2012
Crosson-Tower, C. (2008). Exploring Child Welfare a Practice Perspective (6th ed.). U.S.A: Pearson.
Norman, R. E., Byambaa, M., De, R., Butchart, A., Scott, J., & Vos, T. (2012). The Long-Term Health Consequences of Child Physical Abuse, Emotional Abuse, and Neglect: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Plos Medicine, 9(11), 1-31. doi:10.1371/journal.pmed.1001349
Silvern, L., & Griese, B. (2012). Multiple Types of Child Maltreatment, Posttraumatic Stress, Dissociative Symptoms, and Reactive Aggression among Adolescent Criminal Offenders. Journal Of Child & Adolescent Trauma, 5(2), 88-101. doi:10.1080/19361521.2012.671799
Physical abuse is the intentional infliction of physical injury to a child. Legal definition of child abuse can very from state to state, but it is widely accepted that any intentional injury to a child that results in a need to seek out medical attention are considered to be physical abuse. Forms of physical abuse can range from small cuts and bruises to more severe cases of broken ones and internal injuries. Nonetheless, there have been complications in defining the line between punishment and physical abuse. Many states explicitly note that “spanking when administered in an reasonable manner” does not constitute abuse. Thus, physical punishment remains subject to interpretation in the context of it's
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.
Every year more than 3 million reports of child abuse are made in the United States involving more than 6 million children. There can be no single factor identified as the cause of child abuse. However it appears to be influenced by the parents' histories, psychological resources, and economic status.
Child abuse is the physical, sexual, emotional mistreatment or neglect of a child. Child abuse is not only physical, but it is sexual, mental and emotional abuse. Child abuse is more than just bumps and bruises. It is also abuse that can not be seen. There are several cases of child abuse in the United States. Babbel (2011) reported twelve out of every 1,000 children up to age 18 in the United States were found to be victims of maltreatment in 2005. Susanne Babbel, Ph.D. (2011) found in 2006, approximately 905,000 children were abused that year. Babbel (2011) stated, 16% of those children were physically abused and the remaining 84% were sexually abused. Many cases are reported by teachers and caregivers, but some cases never get reported until it is too late and the child gets abused to death. Susan Babbel (2015) reported in her article that about 1,460 children died in 2005 from abuse and neglect. Physical abuse can be easily detected. If there are suspected marks or bruises on a child, then there is a good possibility the child may be neglected. On the other hand, sexual, mental and emotional abuse are not easy to recognize.
There are many forms of physical abuse, such as, slapping, hitting, strangling, beating, kicking and sexual abuse. In many cases objects being thrown at a child that can injure them. Many times, physical abuse goes undiscovered because children tend to hurt themselves all the time anyway. According to the book, Violence the Enduring Problem states, “Many child victims are fearful or incapable of reporting their victimization to an authority figure. And Despite the mandatory reporting laws in place in all states, evidence of abuse and neglect can often remain hidden except for extreme cases, such as when broken bones and concussions require medical care” (170). Also, physical abuse is often explained away by adults as accidents. But according to Childhelp.org states, “A report of child abuse is made every ten seconds. That in 2014, state agencies found an estimated 702,000 victims of physical child abuse” (Child Help). It is an epidemic that has plagued the United States for decades. Child abuse is an ever-growing social problem. Children that are physically abused have a high propensity to develop psychological disorders, such as, depression, anxiety, and PTSD. There is evidence about the mental health implications of physical abuse and environmental stressors that contribute to the ongoing
“Each year, Child Protective Services receives reports of child abuse and neglect involving six million children, and many go unreported” (New Directions). The article New Directions in Child Abuse and Neglect Research, explores the need for research of the long-term affects of child abuse and neglect, not only on the victims, but also on their families, future relationships, and other people out in the community. Current research has brought to life the long-term developmental and biological challenges that abuse victims deal with long after an event occurs. A problem that current researchers face when striving to learn more about the long-term affects of child abuse is a lack of funds. Money drives a lot of things in this world, and research is one of those things. The current funds for this type of research has been spread very thin over numerous organizations that deal with child abuse. In this article, New Directions in Child Abuse and Neglect Research, new ideas for spreading these funds have been talked about and plans have been devised.
There are many mental concerns associated with childhood abuse that can be major factors in the future of the child. Some children who have been abused go on to live balanced lives, whereas other struggle mentally in various aspects of life. A maltreated child has chances of showing symptoms of bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, the necessity for social dominance, depression, dissociative identity disorder, as well a suicidal thoughts. Now, even though not only abused children develop into these various mental challenges, there are at a heightened exposure to these mental diseases as a result of their childhood trauma.
Child maltreatment can affect any child, usually aged 0-18, and it occurs across socioeconomic, religious, ethnic or even educational backgrounds. Arguably, child abuse and neglect is a violation of basic human rights of a child resulting from social, familial, psychological and economic factors (Kiran, 2011). Familial factors include lack of support, poverty, single parenthood, and domestic violence among others, (McCoy and Keen, 2009). The common types of child maltreatment include physical abuse, emotional maltreatment, neglect, and sexual abuse among others. Abuse and neglect can lead to a variety of impacts on children and young people such as physical, behavioral as well as psychological consequences which will affect the development and growth of the child either positively or negatively based on the environment and agency. More so, emotional, cognitive and physical developmental impacts from child neglect in the early stages of childhood can be carried on into adulthood. Research findings reveal that the experience of maltreatment can cause major long-term consequences on all aspects of a child’s health, growth as well as intellectual development and mental wellbeing, and these effects can impair their functioning as adults. Commonly, the act of abuse/ or neglect toward a child affects the child’s physical, behavioral development and growth, which can be positive or negative, depending on the child’s environment and agency. Another way to understand how the act has affected the child is to look at the child for who they are, and interviewing and observing their behaviors of their everyday life.
The physical abuse of children covers a wide range of actions from what some might term ‘justifiable chastisement’ such as slapping or spanning to the sort of actions which most would agree constitute deliberate, sadistic cruelty against children.
We’ll start with child abuse victims and the affects and reasons of this abuse. There are four types of child abuse and I will list them in order from least to greatest, neglect, physical, sexual and emotional abuse. Neglect takes first with the NCVS having 54% reports of child neglect in 2007. Neglect is a very serious form of abuse it is the failure for a parent or guardian to provide for a child’s basic needs, including physical and educational needs. We grow and development drastically in the first twelve years of our life so when parental guidance and love is absent it affects a child’s developmental skills along with learning right from wrong. Many forms of neglect occur in larger households and with households with domestic violence. Many parents with multiple kids become too busy focusing on the older children they tend to forget the youngest one. So it’s common for a three year old to walk out of the front door and on to the street when no one is there to tell him or...
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
Physical abuse might be easy to detect as it usually leaves severe physical marks on a child’s body such as bruises, swelling, cuts, burns, fractures or broken bones, along with other less visible behavioral signs (fear of adults, not willing to go home, getting nervous and jumpy when hearing loud noises etc.). None of these should be neglected by teachers or other people around and must be reported and investigated in a timely manner. The hardest and most heart-breaking cases of physical abuse are those of infants, who are usually not exposed to too many people to see the signs. For that reason, many of these cases might end up in child’s death before they even have a chance for
Child Abuse is a devastating social problem that impacts every section of the population. Child Abuse pose serious threats to the health, well-being, and safety of our nation’s young people. Most abused children suffer greater emotional than physical damage. An abused child may become depressed, this is a serious problem. Since the last update of the series in the early 1990’s, a number of new issues have arisen and significant changes have occurred in the service delivery systems for children and families that are not reflected in the earlier manuals.
Most parents and other caregivers do not purposely to hurt their children, but abuse is clear by the consequence on the child, not the motivation of the parents or caregiver. Tens of thousands of children each year are troubled by physical, sexual, and emotional abusers or by caregivers who neglect them, making child abuse stories are becoming more common as it is shocking. The shocking thing is that there are more child abuse cases than ever. We all know that child abuse is clear that it’s as on purpose acts that result in physical or emotional that can harm the children. In this paper, I would like to explain the four different types of child abuse such as physical, emotional, neglect, and sexual abuse and how to prevent these abuses.
One of the most obvious and damaging results of child abuse is death; however, research illustrating the effects on a growing child who has been abused has demonstrated many other lifelong negative factors (Felitti, Anda, Nordenberg, Williamson, Spitz, Edwards, Koss, Marks, 1998). In consonance children who suffer from abuse can show signs of depression, social withdraw, and even violent behavior. As a child grows older, they may suffer from poor physical health, such as high blood pressure, obesity, stress, and psychological disorders and disabilities (Herronkohl, T., Hong, Klika, and Herronkohl, R., 2013). Child abuse and neglect have also been associated with depression, anger disorders, and post-traumatic