Abuse and Child Development
This paper will investigate the abuse of children and some of the ways which young children are affected developmentally. I will try and present an overview of the major types of abuse but my big focus and most of my research has been to cover sexual abuse and its effect on development in young children and how it can affect brain development.
Child abuse is defined as the mistreatment of children or minors, resulting in a variety of harmful and damaging results with regard to the well being and safety of the victim. Child abuse can range in the details and circumstances in which the offence takes place; child abuse can take place in a direct physical fashion, which includes attack and physical assault
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But sometimes a severe isolated incident can affect a child as badly as on-going abuse. The impact of abuse is of course the initial pain and suffering and medical problems caused by the physical injury. The longer the abuse goes on, the more serious the impact. Chronic abuse can result in physical disabilities, brain damage, hearing loss and eye damage. ( www.healthyplace.com 2008, p. 1)
There are significant signs of psychological trauma due to any kind of abuse. Children experience feelings of low self esteem and depression. Many exhibit behavioral problems including aggression towards other children. Other emotional problems include hostility, fear, humiliation and the inability to express feelings. The social impacts of physical abuse include inability to form relationships, poor social skills, poor cognitive language skills, distrust of others, over-compliance with authority figures, and tendency to solve interpersonal problems with aggression. (2008, p. 1). Verbal and physical abuse has a cumulative impact on children’s socialization. Abused children are caught in damaged relationships and are not socialized in positive, supportive way (Craig & Dunn, Ex.: 2010, p. 196). They learn defiance, manipulation and other problem behaviors that are used to escape any maltreatment. In turn they will learn to exploit, degrade and terrorize.
Some other effects of being physically abused are problems controlling their emotions; they are less competent
What is child abuse? We have all been asked this particular question at least once in our lifetime. Proctor (2015) mentions that child abuse is a form of neglect/violence toward any child by a family member or even a stranger. An example of this
“There are situations of where the child shuts down and stays in his own world. Studies have shown a link between child abuse and delayed intellectual development. The child loses his ability to adapt to his or her environment leading to poor cognitive development. The child produces feelings of guilt, violation, loss of control and lowered self-esteem sometimes with suicidal tendencies. Common problems include emotional and behavioral problems, poor performance in school, and possible further abuse (Husted).
A person who is physically abused reacts in society differently then others. The way a person interact socially molds the way society accepts and works with them. Teisl and Cicchetti (2008) study showed that children who are maltreated are more aggressive and disruptive them those who are not maltreated. People develop the basis how is it appropriate to act in society at a young age. When trauma takes place, like physical abuse, it disrupts the process. Some research done on students in high school has shown that the abuse had lower effectiveness. This may mean that the students are able to develop effective coping skills or that the full effects have not yet emerged (Kamsner & McCabe, 2000). It was made known
Abuse is an experience that sticks with children forever; with high emotions and fears clogging their mind they have no room to think about other important factors such as schoolwork. Brain development is especially important in the younger years, and when a child is abused this interrupts the development for this student. This brain development trauma leads into the classroom in different areas of a child’s life such as cognitive functioning, interpersonal skills with others, and their overall academic performance (Finkelhor, 2008). One cannot simply expect a child who was an abused to not have any form of cognitive problems.
The purpose of this research is to examine the relationship between a child who witnesses abuse in his/her home and the child’s development, physically, emotionally, and socially. Young children exposed to abusive environments are at risk of higher levels of emotional stress, which can impair their physical and social development.
What is Child Abuse? Child abuse is the deliberate and willful injury of a child by an adult or guardian; hitting, beating, slamming against an object, or maybe even killing (According to the writer of The Free Dictionary.com). It involves active, hostile, aggressive treatment. The key word in the definition of child abuse is deliberate. Why would anyone physically harm a child? The physical destruction of a child is the extreme reaction of parents to the stress of having children. Moreover, not only is this against the law and wrong, but it has a long-term negative effect on a childś life. Did you know every ten seconds someone is getting abused? Child abuse has been happening
It is general knowledge that being abused as a child will leave lasting impressions on them even into their adult life. The severity of the abuse does change how much of an impression was made, but, nonetheless, abuse leaves nothing but negative results. It will affect how children handle issues and communicate with others. It will likely worsen their grades in school and, if the child’s relationship with their parents is still bad, they will continue into a downward spiral later on in life. People who have experienced abuse as children will experience thoughts of inadequacy and/or superiority, depression, anxiety, PTSD, and even personality disorders. Depending on the type of abuse, some children might develop paranoia, OCD, psychosis,
Abuse and neglect during childhood can have an impact on an abuse victim’s health and psychology, because a victim’s brain does not properly develop during childhood. Abuse during childhood has been attributed to psychological and behavioral disorders as well as physical ailments. These disorders can stem or bloom in adolescently or adulthood.
Social effects of child physical abuse largely influence the life of the child. Gluck highlights the fact that child abuse victims have a more difficult time forming appropriate and long-term friendships. This is due in part to the effect on the child that causes them to struggle trusting others in basic terms. It is also noted that children who have suffered more long-term abuse often have difficulty with basic social skills and struggle to communicate like their non-abused counterparts. Interestingly, Gluck notes that children that have been abused often use aggression for solving issues in their personal lives. In fact, these social effects transfer into the child’s adult life as well. Victims of child abuse are also noted to be more likely to be a part of drug and alcohol use and addiction, and are also more likely to physically abuse their own
This paper provides a summary of the short and long-term effects causes by child abuse. The focus is primarily on the four most common forms of abuse and the long-term effect that are experienced in adolescence through adulthood. These four forms of abuse are physical, sexual, and emotional and
Abused children live in constant fear of physical harm from a person who is supposed to care for and protect them. They may feel guilt at loving the abuser or blame themselves for causing the violence.Victims of child abuse may feel that they are bad and deserve the abuse. They usually have poor self-esteem. In addition to physical injuries that may be the result of abuse, child victims may develop eating disorders or sleep disturbances, including nightmares. They may develop speech disorders or developmental lags in their motor skills. Many child victims demonstrate some form of self-destructive behavior. They may develop physical illness such as asthma, ulcers, allergies, or recurring headaches. Also, they often experience irrational and persistent fears or hatreds and demonstrate either passive or aggressive behavioral
According to the article, What is child abuse and neglect? Recognizing the signs” Child abuse is defined as “Any recent act or failure to act on the part of a parent or caretaker which results in death, serious physical or emotional harm, sexual abuse or exploitation;
As children, we are all disciplined, but some children receive more than just discipline; some are maltreated, abused, and are neglected. The need for child abuse prevention is noted as young victims do not necessarily cope well with their abuse and most never get over their assault. As part of the community, we should be seeking ways and looking into methods that can assist in the psychological well-being in children of abuse. This would mean that we must know when and at which stage of their life did these instances occur and whether it causes the start of a criminal lifestyle.
What is Child Abuse? Child abuse is the deliberate and willful injury of a child by an adult or guardian; hitting, beating, slamming against an object, or maybe even killing (According to the writer of The Free Dictionary.com). It involves active, hostile, aggressive treatment. The key word in the definition of child abuse is deliberate. Why would anyone physically harm a child? The physical destruction of a child is the extreme reaction of parents to the stress of having children. Moreover, not only is this against the law and wrong, but it has a long-term negative effect on a childś life. Did you know every ten seconds someone is getting abused? Child abuse has been happening all over
Child abuse and neglect affects children physically, psychologically and also alters their physical development. Physical abuse include: minor injuries major injuries and brain damage which may lead to a death of the child (Beitchman et al, 1992). A child experiencing abuse and neglect may also experience intellectual effects which range from learning problems difficulty in concentration and even severe brain damage in addition to the above effects, a child may also develop peer to peer issues. They often become violent and thus socializing becomes difficult for them. Neglected children also suffer from malnutrition.