Consequences of Child Abuse

Consequences of Child Abuse

Introduction

Consequences of child maltreatment can be devastating. Researchers have found that the effects of child maltreatment can affect the child's life and also the family itself. They have also found that not only the physical effect of the abuse, but also the long term effect that will occur later on in life.

Child abuse is one of the most disturbing and controversial topics in the news today. The number of stories that cover the mistreatment of children seems to be growing by the day ranging from accusations of neglect to murder. Child abuse and neglect is something that is unacceptable and should not be tolerated.

Consequences of Child Abuse

The health and well being of a child is the primary responsibility of their parents. Raising a child is an incredible responsibility to have. Most parents want to provide the best for their children so that they grow up healthy. For these individuals parenting becomes their way of life. Proper child rearing is an intensive and frustrating process that some can not handle resulting in abuse and neglect that is alarmingly common. (www.childwelfare.gov)

Physically abused children were found to be less attentive in school and more inclined to have hostile attributes. They are also less likely to manage personal problems and stress. Abused and neglected children from poor social skills that will affect not only them, but the others around them.

Also, this will affect the child's self-esteem and performance in their world. Abused children can also lead to development delays and attention deficits. The psychological and behavioral effects of physical abuse are sometimes over looked. These are some psychological and behavioral symptoms of physical abuse. The child might be easily frightened or fearful of adults and parents. The child might be destructive to themselves and other people around them. Also, extreme behaviors from aggressiveness to withdrawn. A child could attain poor social relations and learning problems and problems with school. They could run away or have delinquent behavior. Physical aggression and antisocial behavior are among the most common outcomes of physical abuse. Some studies have shown that physically abused children show more aggression than maltreated children. Consequences of physical child abuse have included deficiencies in development of stable attachments to an adult caretaker or parent. Poorly attached children are in risk of diminished self-esteem and thus view themselves negatively. (National Research Council, 212)

Sexual abuse may affect each of the victims differently. Some of the victims were affected more than others. It depends on a wide range of factors, such as age of the victim, how much force was used and the duration of the molestation. Also, the type of abuse will affect the child. The identity of the offender will affect of the child, if the child knew or did not know the molester. The age of the abused also has an effect of how much the child remembers. One of the biggest factors is the personality of the child. This will have the biggest determination of the ...