Child Abuse: The Turbin Family

“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).

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.

There are many things that cause parents to abuse their children and there are also many affects that abuse has on the child being abused. You cannot pinpoint one cause for child abuse, because parents abuse their children for many different reasons. One reason for the abuse is that the parents were abused as children. So, this is the only way they know to discipline their children. Another reason is that the parents are teenagers and not ready for children One more reason for the abuse is alcohol and substance abuse. The affect that abuse has on children is not only physical but the abuse affects children on many different levels. When children are abused they are 53% more likely to commit criminal acts as an adolescent and 40% more likely to commit a crime as an adult. Also the children have maladaptive, anti-social and

According to Hussey et al (2006), it is estimated that one million children are victims of abuse and neglect on a yearly basis. Of those one million children, 1500 will die due to abuse or neglect. It is also estimated that 50% of adolescents have experienced or witnessed a traumatic event (De Arellano and Danielson 2008). One particular consequence of extreme abuse and neglect is the development of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Symptoms of PTSD include persistent and recurrent invasive thoughts focused around the traumatic event, avoidance of symbolic representations related to the traumatic event, increased arousal including difficulties sleeping, irritability, concentration challenges, hypervigilance, increased

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

Children who are frequently abused may act as if danger is always present in their life. Research has come up with the statistics that children exposed to abuse are at a more of a risk for emotional and behavioral problems in the future if left unaddressed or ignored. Abused children are robbed of the ability to regulate their emotions, and when they become adults they will continue to struggle with their feelings, leading to an anxiety problem or depression.

Continuous mental health problems are a common factor of child abuse in adults. Mental health problems related to past history of child assaults and it generally includes Post-traumatic disorder, personality disorders, dissociative disorders, depression, anxiety disorders and psychosis. I will explain post-traumatic stress disorder here as it is the most common case after experienced child sexual abuse.

Although all therapists are aware of the childhood emotional abuse issue, it is possible that only few therapists understand the scope of the issue. Emotional maltreatment is harder to detect than other forms of abuse because it is more subtle. When Child Protective Services (CPS) conduct family assessments, it is the hardest form of abuse to prove because parents are very open about the topic and emotional abuse does not leave any physical evidence behind. However, it certainly influences a child's self-esteem, promotes the feeling of guilt, insecurity, and creates the inability to form stable relationships during adulthood. Although some behavioral disorders are related to emotional abuse, it is not possible to predict it correctly

Psychological trauma in children is defined as the mental result of one or more external situations which causes temporary helplessness beyond a person’s ordinary coping skills (Ogawa, 2004). One of the most disturbing and devastating trauma in society is the abuse and neglect of children. Many abused children suffer from emotional and behavioural difficulties, which often require psychotherapy (James & Mennen, 2001).

Core purpose is to highlight the main aspects of the on-going topic which hugely effected the children’s behavior. Although, the visible signs of emotional abuse in children can be difficult to identify, the hidden scars of this type of abuse outcomes in numerous behavioral ways including insecurity, poor self-esteem, destructive behavior, angry acts, poor development of basic skills, alcohol or drug abuse, attempting suicide, difficulty in forming relationships and unstable job histories.

Living in an abusive environment has a vast array of effects on children. More severe physical and sexual abuse towards a child could cause physical harm such as fractures and internal injuries (Lane, Bair-Merritt, & Dubowitz, 2011). These injuries would probably cause the child to experience severe pain and potentially cause permanent disability, disfigurement or death if not treated. It has been indicated that childhood abuse affects mental health and can increase susceptibility to depression, anxiety related disorders, ADHD and suicidal ideation. These issues could affect children throughout their lives and some may not surface until various stages of life (Comijs et al., 2013; Hart, & Rubia, 2012; Norman et al., 2012; Sugaya et al., 2012). This is not an exhaustive list of the potential mental or physical health affects of childhood

“The world is a dangerous place not because of those who do evil, but because of those who look on and do nothing.”-Albert Einstein. Child abuse was common among the workhouse to scare the children into working hard or to discipline them. Now parents abuse their children because they were abused as kids or to release anger, and discipline the child. Child abuse is the neglecting or beating of a minor (-18), abuse of a child is also can be verbal abuse, in which you put them down and make them pity themselves.

When the average human population deliberates about child abuse and neglect we naturally focus on the effects of their childhood development. Recent studies have shown that abused and neglected children are not only affected short term but long term as well. “A developing scientific consensus indicated that the origins of adult disease are often found among developmental and biological disruptions occurring during the early years of life”(Widom, Czaja, Bently, and Johnson, 2012 p. 1). Child abuse and neglect can range from bruises, burns, and welts, to even poor hygiene, and inappropriate dress. Abuse also causes developmental and psychological effects like anxiety, depression, and dissociation. All of the physical and psychological effects

In other instances, the parent can confiscate the child’s belongings or force the children to strip down naked and be photographed as a form of punishment. Considering the types of abuse that these children experience, there are psychological effects that can affect their life as they get older. The effects of household abuse can extend outside the home and affect the child in their performance in society. “Children Exposed to Domestic Violence” states that children exposed to family violence can experience difficulties in paying attention and staying on task (Geffner 39). Abused children are prone to externalizing problems which causes children to act out. Externalizing problems include temper tantrums, impulsivity, hyperactivity, aggression, conflict, cruelty and bullying. Another issue that abused children develop are internalizing problems. Internalizing problems are issues such as headaches, sleep disturbances, anxiety, fear of separation, social withdraw and depression. This overall causes the children to be less engaged in tasks and in normal behaviors.

When children are physically abused, they will suffer from fear, anxiety, and isolation. Physical punishment might be by kicking, punching, or by causing some harmful scars by torturing in a bad way. Some people think that it is good to use violence and ignorance with kids to make them able and strong enough to force their obstacles throughout their lives. Abusing is nothing but a waking kids, and making them awake for what they might face in the future. According to Straus (1980)” Child abuse typically refers to acting committed by parents on their children, which other members of the society view as inappropriate and harmful. If the child is being abused, he will be scared and afraid if the abuser is one of his parents. So, Violence against children is from serious social phenomena. Punishing and neglecting has a huge impact for kids because this could affect them with their whole life, and it would also cause some unwanted behaviors Any child who has been badly abused will suffer from lack of empathy that will grow up with him. Parents should find out the best ways to encourage their kids and take care of them, such as provision of health and psychological care for the