Domestic Abuse And Substance Abuse

According to the Diagnostic Statistic Manual 5 (DSM-5) substance use disorder is when the individual has a dependency on alcohol or drug, followed by penetrating craving and antisocial behavior to acquire the substance. The terms substance abuse and substance dependence refer to substance use disorder, which has been separated into three classifications as follows

Groves, B.M. (1999). Mental Health Services for Children Who Witness Domestic Violence. The Future of Children, 9(3), 122-132.

Studies have shown that children who grow up in families where there is substance misuse, mental illness or domestic violence are more vulnerable to significant harm (Kendall-Taylor and Mikulak 2009).Children’s vulnerability usually stems from the effects of substance misuse, domestic violence or mental illness on parenting ability. Substance misuse, domestic violence and mental illness can result in parent’s finding it difficult to organize their lives to meet both their personal needs and their children’s physical, emotional and social needs. Parents may also find it difficult to control their reactions and adverse mood fluctuations, thus, many children are often affected and some even for a life time .Naturally this can terrify children

Many children are victims of violence; this violence may be physical, or emotional, direct or indirect. In certain situations, the child’s experience

Family violence is a social problem, and it may affect individuals in the family differently. Many children with complex trauma histories suffer from different traumatic events. Which can be physical and sexual abuse, witnessing domestic and

As previously stated, children are greatly impacted by domestic violence. The article by Lewis et al. (2017) focuses on safeguarding children from domestic violence due to the negative impact that it has on their health. There is evidence of a correlation between domestic violence and a child being mistreated. The article discusses how health professionals feel they do not have enough training in domestic violence. They used a study called Researching Education to Strengthen Primary care on Domestic Violence and Safeguarding (RESPONDS) (Lewis et al., 2017). This study used a pre-test and a posttest to see if the participants gained knowledge from the training. The article explained that, “the training aimed to fill gaps in knowledge and practice

The Center for Disease Control reports about 3.4 million children being abused or neglected in the United States in 2012 and 1 in 4 children will experience some form on abuse, maltreatment or household dysfunction while growing up. (Campbell, 2015).Past research has shown a relationship between Adverse Childhood Experiences and substance abuse as an adult. Risk factors in the form abuse and neglect as child may cause a higher likelihood of substance abuse as an adult. Font and Jack (2015) also says that poor socioeconomic circumstances are associated with poor health conditions. Someone who scores with multiple adverse childhood experiences may report social and economic problems as an adult, such as financial hardship, homelessness and not making it through high school or an undergrad program (Font and Jack, 2015).

Violence in any form can have a lasting effect on a person. Children who witness violence are permanently scarred because of what they are seeing. Children who witness family or domestic violence are affected in ways similar to children who are physically abused. Children are often unable to establish nurturing bonds with either parent and are at a greater risk for abuse and neglect if he or she lives in a violent home. Statistics show that an estimated 3.3 million children are exposed to violence against their mothers or female caretakers by family members in their home each year (Ackerman & Pickering, 1989). When a spouse, woman or male is abused, and there are

The exposure to substance abuse can occur in the early stages of childhood, according to research at least 10% of newborns are exposed to the abuse (Gruber & Taylor, 2006). Research shows that there is correlation between substance abuse and both child neglect and maltreatment (Mendoza, 2013). Not only does substance abuse dull the parent’s ability to adequately care for their child, but it can lead to problems such as violence, neglect, and physical abuse in the family home (Crosson-Tower, 2013). According to Crosson-Tower (2013) 12% of the children live with a parent or guardian who abuses drugs or alcohol. The issue of dependency on drugs and alcohol has continued to increase in adults, adolescents, and even children (Crosson-Tower, 2013).

Everyday there are children being abused by someone who is supposed to protect them. An estimated 905,000 children were victims of child abuse or neglect in 2006(Child Welfare Information Gateway, 2008). In 1996, more than three million victims of suspected abuse were reported to child protective services agencies in the United States (Baker, 2002). The numbers have changed and still many cases of abuse go unreported. The number of incidences of child abuse rises when the family is under stress, such as being in our economy. The effects of physical abuse can last a lifetime and are measured by the physical, psychological, behavioral, or social outcomes. Normal physical abuse scenario involves a parent who loses control and lashes

Domestic Violence is one of the most occurring situations found in the United States. This form of violence, also known as spousal abuse, happens within a relationship that is intimate or within a marriage. This particular issue seems to be found to affect women more often than men in varying ways such as injury or even death. Some of the injuries found in domestic violence cases are the head, neck, chest, face, breast, and abdomen, which are the most frequently injured. Many people believe that domestic violence is something that pertains to physical damage, but it has more of a psychological affect. The emotional aspect of domestic violence seems to be overlooked because one’s idea may vary

When a child is physically beaten or sexually abused, the ideal set of eventsis that doctors treat the injuries, therapists counsel the child, social services works with the family, police arrest the offender, and attorneys prosecute the case. To promote this response, effective community interventioninvolves the formation of a child protection team that includes professionals from medicine, criminal justice, social work, and educationwhounderstandandappreciate the different roles, responsibilities, strengths,

In the year of 2010, more than 450 billion babies were born prematurely (Truong, Reifsnider, Mayorga, & Spitler, 2013). At least 35% of infant deaths each year are caused from preterm births, which also costs the U.S health care more than 26 billions of dollars in the year of 2005 alone (Malloy, 2013).Premature birth affects the growth of the child and leads to various complications. Babies born before 37 weeks are at an amplified risk for an assortment of medical complications, such as respiratory, cardiac, neurological, and gastrointestinal problems and infections. The exact cause of premature birth is still unknown till this day, but many researchers found factors that contribute to premature deaths. According to Truong, Reifsnider, Mayorga and Spitler (2013) physical abuse and substance abuse are two of the most significant factors that play a role in premature birth.

Domestic violence has grown to become a prevalent issue within households in the United States. Being such a great issue, we come to question the percentage of children affected and the impact it has on their social development and interaction with others. It is crucial for us to understand and recognize the long term effects that domestic violence can have on adolescents.

     The maltreatment and neglect of children and youth has increasingly come to be perceived as a social blight. As with most social problems, child abuse influences our school systems. Children that are being emotionally, physically and sexually abused often use school as a cop out. These children spend around thirty hours a week in a safe, enjoyable and carefree environment, however within these thirty hours teachers must be taking the time to make observations. Teachers have the ability to compare current behaviors with peers, norms and past behaviors of their students. Therefore, teachers are an important role in reporting cases of child abuse or maltreatment.