Symptoms And Causes Of Child Physical Abuse

There are a myriad of ways that the environment can influences behaviors and some children are subjected to childhood maltreatment. These youths may develop into adults with serious emotional problems or face various addictions. In an abusive environment, it may subject the abuse survivors struggle with many negative effects that include substance abuse, mental disorders, learning disabilities, impulsivity, promiscuity, anti-social behaviors, and various other complications.

This paper explores 11 published articles which report on results from research conducted on the links between child abuse and adult physical and mental health. The articles vary in their themes and ideas of child abuse in relations to trauma exposure, posttraumatic stress, juvenile offenses, and teen dating violence. Other articles suggest adult criminal behaviors, incarceration and parenting styles of those who were abused as children. This paper examines the relationship within one another of how child abuse affects those children in later years and stages of life.

In the immediate, as well as long-term aftermath of exposure to trauma, children are at risk of developing significant emotional and behavior difficulties (CWIG, 2012). The most damaging types of trauma include early physical and sexual abuse, neglect, emotional/psychological abuse, exposure to domestic violence and other forms of child maltreatment (Hoch, 2009). Research has shown that children that are exposed to these types of trauma will experience developmental delays including language and verbal processing. Also, they will have risk of poor physiological and psychosocial functioning, and will be vulnerable to emotional and behavioral dysregulation disorders, thus, leading to an increase risk of poor outcomes including substance abuse, suicidality, teen pregnancy and paternity, criminal activity, and revictimization (Hoch, 2009).

In 2011-2012 the National Survey of Children’s Health (NSCH) released staggering survey data on Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) reporting that approximately 35 million U.S. children had experienced at least one or more childhood traumas (Stevens, 2013). If this data is valid, so far none refuted, this would mean that a high percentage of children are at risk for chronic disease and mental illness (Stevens, 2013). A direct link between childhood trauma and the adult onset of chronic disease, mental illness, violence and being a victim of violence was revealed from the center of disease control and prevention (CDC)’s adverse childhood experiences study(ACE) (Stevens, 2013).

The safety and security of many children across the world are in danger due to physical abuse. Child abuse has been linked to an assortment of changes in the brain which result in psychological, behavioral, and academic problems. While it is unclear whether the population that had been maltreated as children is accurate, physical maltreatment in the first 5 years of life places a child at risk for a variety of psychological and behavioral problems during adolescence. The following three literature reviews attempts to prove and support the premise.

The United States has been fighting the war against child abuse since the first case of child abuse in 1874 that included a child being beaten and chained against her will (Meadows, 2014). Many people hear the words child abuse and think of physical abuse. While, many people are correct in thinking of physical abuse, an “Adverse Childhood Experience (ACE)” study done by the CDC shows that although physical abuse is the leading form of child abuse, emotional or psychological abuse is the second leading form of child abuse (2014). Although one would think sexual abuse along with physical abuse would be the prominent form of abuse, this is not the case. One of the major reasons emotional neglect is more prominent than sexual abuse is due to the fact that emotional abuse is not being overlooked as often as it used to. In fact, it is now being seen as the gateway to physical and sexual abuse (Garbarino, Guttman, & Seeley, 1988). The amounts of consequences that come from being abused as a child are countless as well as life changing, some of these life-changing effects were identified by the CDC as drug abuse, sexual transmitted diseases, suicidal thoughts, and difficulty learning (2014).

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.

Victimization comes in many different forms such as assault, child physical/sexual abuse, stalking, theft, rape, sexual harassment, and domestic/relationship violence. There are several negative outcomes that have been linked with childhood abuse and neglect such as neurobiological changes, emotional and psychiatric disorders, interpersonal issues and substance abuse problems (Min, Singer, Minnes, Kim, & Short, 2012). According to Reid and Sullivan (2009), children and adolescents are very vulnerable and are the most highly victimized individuals of the population and the kinds of victimization that they experience can come in many forms (Finkelhor et al., 2009). This victimization is known as poly-victimization (Finkelhor et al., 2009).

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.

Children exposed to child and domestic abuse can have very severe mental disorders. “Numerous studies have demonstrated that children exposed to domestic abuse and/or child abuse are more likely to experience a wide range of adverse psychosocial and behavioral outcomes’’(Carrie). Exposure to domestic abuse in childhood has been linked to a similar set of outcomes, including low self-esteem, social withdrawal, depression, and anxiety also aggression, violence, and delinquency. If a child witnesses punching, hitting, and screaming around a preschool age group can affect them through their whole life with horrific memories and/or flashbacks. It's important to realize that domestic abuse has different effects depending on the child. Problems were significantly higher for boys exposed to domestic abuse rather than girls. Other studies have shown boys to be at higher risk of externalizing problems in adolescence after being abused in childhood, but girls exposed to domestic abuse were at higher risk than boys for both externalizing and internalizing behaviors, including

Domestic violence can lead to several long-lasting effects for both adults and children. While growing up, children’s brains are very susceptible to remembering and reenacting what they have previously seen. In the case of domestic violence, children can suffer from adverse childhood experiences, ACEs, which have long-lasting effects such as having trouble with school work, personality problems, social development issues, and more cognitive struggles (UNICEF, 2006, p. 4). As discussed by Karen Kenney in her book “Domestic Violence” Emotional trauma can lead to elevated levels of stress which can cause a variety of health problems. This trauma can also cause depression which can lead to thoughts of suicide and cause PTSD or Post Traumatic Stress

Considering the large number of children who are victims of child abuse, it is important to investigate not only the immediate effects of abuse, but also the long-term effects on the child’s well-being. Exposure to childhood maltreatment is a non-specific risk factor associated with many short and long term negative outcomes ranging from externalizing and internalizing behaviors, dissociative symptoms and self-harm behaviors, and adaptability and coping skills (Jackson, Gabrielli, Fleming, Tunno, & Makanui, 2014). When a child grows up in a home environment characterized by hostile interpersonal relationships, physical maltreatment, or neglect he or she is at risk for long-term developmental concerns regarding physiological, social, emotional,

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.

Every year, child abuse and neglect affect more than one million children nation-wide (Currie and Tekin 1). Along with this, child abuse is the source of severe injury to more than 500,000 children and the death of over 1,500 children (Currie and Tekin 1). These outrageously large numbers reveal the extent to which child abuse and neglect impact society; however, they do not acknowledge the effect abuse can have on a child’s life and the repercussions that may occur in both the individual’s childhood and adulthood. While the effects most certainly include physical pain and possibly future disabilities, child abuse and neglect can also affects the child’s psychological welfare. Psychological effects are often more difficult to recognize,

Throughout the course of one’s lifetime, there are countless events that shape the personality, actions and mentality of that individual. Some of these events will affect the individual in a positive way allowing great life opportunities, while other events will unfortunately affect the individual in a negative way which can lead to disorders. Among the various events that can affect a person, one of the most common occurrences that some children witness early on in their lives that deeply affect their long-term mental health is being a witness to domestic violence. Research and observations that were studied revealed that there are multiple factors that can contribute to a child witnessing domestic violence. The more categories that the