Childhood Abuse Affects Many People On The Daily Basis

A once bright and chatty child may become withdrawn and shy away from adult attention. The child maybe showing signs of aggressive behaviour and/or exhibiting signs of self harm. Abuse can affect a child from infancy through to adolescence and then into adulthood. It can set back a child's physical development, such as a tense mealtime can affect the child’s ability to eat.

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,

When a person is abusing a child, he/she does not think about the effects. When people are mistreating a child, they will be in the moment and not thinking of what they are doing. If an individual chronically abuses his/her child, he is not thinking about the effects the abuse has on his child. There are various long and short term effects of child abuse. Unfortunately, these short-term effects of child abuse are not the most frightening; most abused children do not have lasting physical effects. Other than some bruises and social withdrawal, short term effects are not clear. If asked about bruises, children will make up a lie to protect their abuser (Friedman). The effects of being abused as a child continue into adulthood and create the long term effects. The disturbing part is that abused children will most likely grow up to be troubled adolescents and adults who may even abuse their own children.

Being abused can also leave the child feeling worthless and with low self-esteem, this can then lead to the child feeling depressed which can possibly lead to self-harming.

“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).

Psychological or emotional abuse can also be emotional and mental. It affects adults in many ways. This type of abuse can be oral, through messages or through actions. For example, a previous partner could be jealous of a new relationship and try and separate the two people by creating lies. This problem can occur in both men and women. A person could be threatened and treated with little respect to make the other person seem more superior than the threatened person. Continuous put-downs and name calling can also be psychological abuse as the person could feel embarrassed and humiliated in front of others. All of these things can lead to a person feeling

The most obvious effect of child abuse is physical injury to the child. According to the Child Welfare Information Gateway, a division of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, physical injuries can be minor, such as bruises, or severe, such as broken bones or even death, but the pain and suffering leaves much deeper emotional scars. Sometimes, abuse can lead to lasting or recurring health problems, such as shaken baby syndrome

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 people who are abused when they are children but we don’t think about how this affects the abused when they are adults. Abuse comes in many forms; physical, verbal, and emotional. Abuse can scar a person mentally and emotionally for the rest of their life. People that have been abused often have to resort to therapy to deal with the demons of their past. How does this mentally affect people who were abused as children?

One study has shown that “experiencing childhood trauma and adversity..., is a risk factor for borderline personality disorder, depression, anxiety, and other psychiatric disorders”(Child Welfare Information Gateway). The most common type of mental abuse is neglect. About “75.3% of victims are neglected”(American SPCC). Abuse can also affect the child’s learning abilities. Abused children are more likely to repeat grades and eventually drop out of school.

Child abuse affects children now. For example Cdc.gov states that studies have discovered abused and neglected children to be at least 25% more likely to experience problems such as teen pregnancy, and low academic achievement. (2014) Cdc.gov adds that being abused or neglected increases their risk of quitting high school. (2014) As well as a National Institute of Justice study indicated

In her article "A survivor's story" Angela Goodwin-Slater (2013) claims that the effect of child abuse on her was mental illness, drug and alcohol abuse, low self-esteem and possible tendencies of being a child abuser.

It can be either physical, emotional and mentally. Many children go on living with the repercussions throughout their lifespan. The most common is depression. Depression is the inability of enjoying life’s pleasure and, really, just feeling low. There are different types of depression that an individual can develop. Many universities and institutions have conducted similar but different studies that have discovered quite impressive and helpful information. The research done uses brain scan to look at specific parts of the brain to determine the size of the region and amount of hormone inputted or outpoured. Studies have shown the reduction in volume size or complete connection routes that are just not working as they should be. Which can be associated to what causes depression in adults, who have previously been mistreated, neglected or abused in some way in their childhood. Fear, stress and anxiety levels all connect back to the brain and are linked to the causation of depression. Just as it was hypothesized, there are connections that associate child abuse and depression to be connected in ways that were unimaginable. Those who were abused as children have a probability to be diagnosed with depression. There is a strong and evident connection between depression and child

Physical effects may be stomachaches and/or headaches, bedwetting, and loss of ability to concentrate. Abuse can also effect children’s learning process. Domestic abuse on children can create long term effects too. Children who witness domestic violence may include acting out, withdrawal, or anxiousness. Most experts believe that children who are raised in abusive homes learn that violence is an effective way to resolve conflicts and problems.

Every year more than 3 million reports of child abuse are made in the United States involving more than 6 million children(Child Abuse Statistics & Facts). Child abuse doesn’t necessarily have to be physical, it can be mental, emotional, or sexual, it can even be neglect. Abuse doesn’t only effect the child being abused but it also affects the people witnessing the abuse. Child abuse can affect the child in many different ways. There can be many effects of abuse on the child (Kraizer). The worst way the child can be affected is suicide.