Abuse Case Studies

Depression and anxiety, for example, may make a person more likely to smoke, abuse alcohol or drugs, or overeat. High-risk behaviors, in turn, can lead to long-term physical health problems, such as sexually transmitted diseases, cancer, and obesity. Not all children who have been abused or neglected will experience long-term consequences, but they may have an increased susceptibility. The immediate physical effects of abuse or neglect can be relatively minor (bruises or cuts) or severe (broken bones, hemorrhage, or even death). In some cases, the physical effects are temporary; however, the pain and suffering they cause a child should not be discounted. Child abuse and neglect can have a multitude of long-term effects on physical health. NSCAW researchers found that, at some point during the 3 years following a maltreatment investigation, 28 percent of children had a chronic health condition (Administration for Children and Families, Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation [ACF/OPRE], 2007). Below are some outcomes other researchers have identified: Impaired brain development. Child abuse and neglect have been shown to cause important regions of the brain to fail to form or grow properly, resulting in impaired development. These alterations in brain maturation have long-term consequences for cognitive, language, and academic abilities and are connected with mental health disorders (Tarullo,

Traumatized children show outcomes of negative physical and mental health once entering adulthood. DeJong talks about the different types of stress. In this section of the article, the author describes the difference between positive stress, tolerable stress, and toxic stress. DeJong describes tolerable stress as having supportive relationships, whereas he describes toxic stress as having a lack of supportive relationships. The author states that experiencing toxic stress in early in childhood could lead to child traumatic stress. According to DeJong, “Child traumatic stress is the physical and emotional responses of a child to events that threaten the life or physical integrity of the child or of someone critically important to the child” (205). Traumatic stress occurs in response to a single traumatic event or reoccurring traumatic events. The author states traumatic stress could lead to toxic stress if it makes changes to the way the body reacts to it. As the article continues, the author begins to describe the effects of toxic stress in multiple body systems. DeJong describes the effects of toxic stress on the social/ behavioral system, the brain and neuroendocrine system, and the molecular and genetic levels. The tone of these sections of the article is very informal. The author did a great job of providing an explanation of the consequences of domestic violence exposure to children, as well as

The consequences of maltreatment can lead to psychological problems and physical problems. When a child has been abused this can make the child angry. Self-esteem is usually caused when someone is emotionally abused as the person may talk down to the child and make the child feel useless. When somebody is sexually abused, the consequence may be an STI or even unwanted pregnancy. Other consequences that can happen due to abuse is, diseases, stress, and illnesses. These can be due to Neglect, if the child is not looked after properly then the child could end up ill, this can also happen due to neglect if the home environment is not healthy.

The published articles in this literature review all prove evidence that child abuse can negatively affect those children in either their adolescences or adulthood, or even in both. None of the articles explore if those children abused later abuse their future children, however a study by Ehrensaft,

The article also points out that this cycle of abuse keeps going in some form or another. The article states, “when mothers experience physical abuse in childhood, they are more vulnerable to experiencing depressive symptoms shortly after the birth of their child, which is in turn associated with children’s development of their own difficulties with mood and affect regulation.” (2015). This serves to back up the idea of an unbreakable cycle of abuse done by the parents and so

According to Karin Lee from the National Institute of Mental Health, negative early life experiences can adversely affect a person’s physical and mental health in adulthood (2009). This states that if a person is abused in their childhood, it can affect their adult

The psychological theory and the sociological also have the “cycle of abuse”; children who were abused as children do not know any other way of parenting and so abuse their own children, which can result in depression and trauma, which can continue the cycle.

Those who experienced it may be prone to violent behavior, which could result in them ending up on the streets or in jail. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention includes in the informative article “Child Abuse and Neglect: Consequences” how “A National Institute of Justice study indicated that being abused or neglected as a child increased the likelihood of arrest as a juvenile by 59%. Abuse and neglect also increased the likelihood of adult criminal behavior by 28% and violent crime by 30%” (“Violence”). These statistics make it evident how a trauma can cause a person to make a turn for the worse. People who experience a trauma may inflict their pain and suffering onto others in a violent way in order to help themselves cope with the distress they endured as an adolescent. Behavior issues such as picking up negative habits can also be a consequence. The CDC also writes how those who did experience abuse result in the increase in their risk at partaking in activities such as alcohol consumption or drugs (“Violence”). As a result of abuse that is traumatic, many make choices as to what they think will aid in taking away the

Similarly, a longitudinal study found that physically abused children were at greater risk of being arrested as juveniles, being a teen parent, and less likely to graduate high school. Abuse in children also results in a negative effect on their ability to maintain healthy and intimate relationships later in life.

As stated above, the direct victim of domestic violence is not the only victim. Children who are exposed to domestic violence are at risk for social, psychological, physical, and academic difficulties according to Birdthistle (2001). The same article later talks about the increased chance of these child witnesses getting involved in violent situations themselves. One major psychological effect domestic violence can have on child witnesses is post-traumatic stress disorder. Long-term symptoms of PTSD in a child witness can include increased heart rate, increased or decreased cortisol levels, and continuous sleep disruptions. This trauma may also trigger hormonal and biological reactions during adolescence, including elevated cortisol levels, elevated androstenedione (natural steroid hormone in males), decreased levels of leutinizing hormone (stimulates ovulation in females), and decreased levels of testosterone (Birdthistle and Buka 2001 p.304). Other effects domestic abuse can have on children and adolescents include depression in adulthood, low self-esteem, and a higher risk of becoming an offender or victim of abuse. It is found that because children in the lower

Childhood trauma can have a significant impact on the behaviour of an individual. Previous research has shown how trauma causes behavioral problems and can also result in mental disorders in the person. Studies conducted by Gabriele et al. (2002) and Sara et al. (2013) show how incidences of physical, sexual, and emotional abuse are widespread in patients with bipolar disorder.

Anda, R.F., Felitti, V.J., Bremner, J.D., Walker, J.D., Whitfield, C., Perry, B.D., Dube, S.R. & Giles, W.H. (2006). The enduring effects of abuse and related adverse experiences in childhood: A convergence of evidence from neurobiology and epidemiology. European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience. 256: 174-186.

Residents at these two care homes have learning difficulties and physical disabilities. They were sent to the rooms against their will, as a form of punishment. The rooms were unfurnished with no heating and no toilet facilities. The rooms were known as the “quiet room” or the “garden room” residents were held in these bare rooms for hours or even overnight.

Childhood trauma is a powerful risk factor for developing depression in adulthood, particularly in reaction to additional stress. Epidemiological studies have provided strong evidence that adverse experience during childhood, such as abuse, neglect or loss, is associated with dramatic increases in the risk to develop depression (Heim, Miller, Mletzko, Nemerof, & Newport, 2008). However, trauma is not the only factor that can cause depression during the developmental stages of an individual. Genetic predisposition can also play a role in the development of depression and other mental health diagnoses. The more adverse experiences children are expose to through development the higher the chances are of developing lasting negatives effects. Researchers found that children with two or more adverse experiences were more than 2.5-times more likely to repeat a grade in school as well as be disengaged in school, compared to those without any traumatic experiences, and after adjusting for confounding factors such as race, income and health status

All these types of abuses have a huge effect on the children. These abuses leave long lasting scars whether it is neglect, physical, emotional or sexual. These scars damage a child 's sense of self, abilities to have healthy relationships, ability to function in the world. It gives them a lack of trust. They no longer feel they can trust those they love or think they know really well because of what was done to them. There will always be that fear in the back of their minds wondering if this person will do that to them. For those who have been verbally abused may feel worthless or damaged. After being told over and over again these harsh comments they start to belive they are true. Also