Child Abuse: Some Wounds do not Heal Child abuse happens everyday, the outside world unknowingly keeps going not realizing what is happening to children all around. Children are emotionally and physically abused; some abuse children physiologically because people are unlikely to intervene, others abuse children physically even having the risk of being caught. Abusers force and threaten their victims to lie about what is really happening to them, how they are mistreated and hurt in awful ways. Abuse can be deadly either suicide or the abuse itself. Children who are victims of abuse are underage and parents/guardians have all of the control of where they stay. Some children result in running away, others think they are responsible for the abuse …show more content…
Children can be abused mentally just by being called names or being put down constantly. People often resort to mental abuse because other people are less likely to intervene. Along with physical abuse, children who are emotionally abused have a greater chance of having depression and being suicidal. Emotional/ Psychological abuse would be continuous patterns of disrespect and making accusations that are not true. Psychological abuse can lead to the feeling of being emotionally unsafe, insecurities, powerless, and …show more content…
Flashbacks can happen from any triggering motion, smell, or event that has to do with the abuser or the abuse itself, as if they were experiencing it all over again.Children that are sexually assaulted may have sleeping disorders, having trouble sleeping, because of the abuse that may have occurred in their own beds. For an adult who was abused as a child, the likeliness to be abusive to their own children/spouse is greater. Trust is an issue for some as adults, abusers often bribe and convince the victim to never tell anything about what happened to them because nobody will ever believe their stories. Some of the victims will go to alcohol and other drugs to try and get away from their emotions. Others will form eating disorders and attempt to control their own body because they weren’t able to when they were being abused. Self injury is also an issue for victims, coping with the emotions by cutting or/and burning themselves to relieve the pain it had
Scott wrote a talk titled “Healing the Tragic Scars of Abuse.” He begins by discussing the effects of unresolved abuse– feelings of fear, depression, guilt, lack of trust in others, and self-hatred are among the listed emotions. Elder Scott also taught that abuse is the result of a person unrighteously using their agency, and that the Lord has provided a way to heal.
Currently, there are many children whom suffer from emotional, physical, and sexual abuse in their family. Emotional abuse is the lack of interest or affection parents have towards their children. As a result of emotional abuse, children are left feeling worthless and unloved. Physical abuse refers to attacking children resulting visible bodily injuries from either being burned, pushed, punched, slapped, or whipped. Sometimes physical abuse can be extremely severe that children have broken bones, fractures, or hemorrhaging. Sexual abuse occurs when a person forces, tricks, or threatens children to have sexual contact. These acts of child abuse could prevent children from living a normal adulthood. In order to deal with such a traumatic childhood, adults abused as children should rid themselves of such burdensome, painful memories.
Symptoms of child abuse are when child or children are scared to tell about their abuse. Child or children can be confused or ashamed of what the abuser did to them in a private area. Also the child can be afraid to tell anyone because abuser can be their parent or parents, family friend, and or other relative in the family, such as brother, sister uncle, aunt, cousin, grandmother or grandfather. Here some signs of child abuse: Change in behaviors-anger, hostility, attempts to run away, attempt at suicide, doesn’t want to go home, depression, act out in public or school, lack of friends, and
Child abuse, while having many different forms and levels of severity, can be basically defined as the maltreatment of a child by a parent or other adult. When one thinks of child abuse, usually the first thing that comes to mind is physical harm, but the issue is actually much more complex. The abuse of a child can also be manifested in verbal and emotional forms, as well as in sexual molestation. All forms of child abuse generally result in similar emotional disorders and behavioral issues, but the major consequences of sexual abuse, such as mental or emotional scarring, promiscuity, and the tendency of former victims to become sexual abusers, cause it to be the most severely damaging form of child abuse.
According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 3.3 million referrals for alleged maltreatment were made in 2013. Out of the 3.3 million referrals, 899,000 children were officially documented as being maltreated(Child Abuse & Neglect 2015). Child abuse is the mistreatment of a child. Child abuse is recognized in several forms; physical, emotional, sexual and neglect. Children who experience any form of abuse will tend to withdraw themselves from their peers and sometimes from other family members who are not aware of what is taking place. Child abuse occurs not just in the homes of these children, but can also occur in schools, churches and after school programs. Anywhere a child is present there is a chance that abuse can occur. This paper will review the forms of child abuse, the effects of child abuse, reasons child abuse occurs and possible therapies to bring healing in the parties involved.
Children who have been abused are left with more than just physical scars. They have many psychological, emotional, and behavioral problems as well. Their social lives are affected dramatically, and they suffer lifelong effects. (Lambert) Children tend to be emotionally disturbed years after the abuse, many have IQ scores lower than average, and some have even been classified as mentally retarded. Children who have been abused also show signs of personality and neurological changes. (Oates 119) Sexual abuse has been linked to nightmares, bed wetting, sadness, clinging behavior, and anxiety. Children also showed more aggressive and anti-social behaviors. (Oates 127) Adults who were sexually abused are more prone to depression, anxiety, low self-esteem, and drug or alcohol problems. (Oates 132-133) Studies show overwhelming evidence of the effects abuse can have on a child, and the way the effects continue into their adult lives. (Oates 135)
Child Abuse is an extremely significant conflict around the world; it is the physical maltreatment or sexual molestation of a child. There are 4 main types of victimization against children. Those containing physical, emotional, sexual abuse and neglect. Physical abuse is when a parent or guardian wounds their child in the form of injuring them or in any other manner causing them agony. Emotional abuse also recognized as mental abuse is when they mentally upset a child’s feelings that may generate trauma. Sexual abuse can probably be characterized as someone forcing a child in an act of unwanted sexual relationships. Neglect is the form of not providing a child with their basic physical and emotional necessities. Most people are forming organizations to prevent from future child abuse occurring but most people are also not getting involved in such dangerous crimes. Usually more than 90% of abusers tend to be people children know, love, or trust, according to Bright Futures 4 Kids.
Childhood trauma can be attributed to many forms of child abuse. It can be described as sexual abuse, physical maltreatment and the witnessing of domestic violence. Males and females that experience childhood trauma will develop impairment in their well-being and will most likely increase their chances in developing symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder. According to the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, “The stressful or traumatic event involves a situation where someone's life has been threatened or severe injury has occurred (ex. they may be the victim or a witness of physical abuse, sexual abuse, violence in the home or in the community, automobile accidents, natural disasters (such as flood, fire, earthquakes), and being diagnosed with a life threatening illness). A child's risk of developing PTSD is related to the seriousness of the trauma, whether the trauma is repeated, the child's proximity to the trauma, and his/her relationship to the victim(s).” Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) (2011, March).
The psychological effects that are created through abuse often create physical side effects as well. These psychological effects, such as anxiety and depression, could cause reoccurring headaches, loss of appetite, insomnia, and many other physical effects due to growing up with a heightened stress response. Even after the abuse ends, adult survivors of childhood abuse are at a higher risk for many long-term problems including “…chronic pain and fibromyalgia, gynecological problems, irritable bowel syndrome, diabetes, arthritis, headaches, cardiovascular disease, and chronic fatigue syndrome”. Physical abuse usually causes more noticeable side effects than mental or emotional abuse, and they can also sometimes cause life-long problems. The longer the abuse occurs, the worse the repercussions will be. Long-term abuse can result in physical disabilities, brain damage, and even death. The amount of negative physical effects that come from childhood abuse show that the idea of positive physical effects coming from the situation as well is
“For children that have suffered from abuse, it can be complex getting to the root of childhood trauma to alleviate later symptoms as adults”. However, Susanne also states that younger girls who have been abused are more likely to experience PTSD as adults. “Once a child has grown to be an adult, however, symptoms of PTSD can become subtler as he or she learns how to cope with this in day-to-day life”. Abused children who become adults with PTSD, may develop problems with depression, anxiety, alcohol, drugs, sleep, and eating disorders. Children who have been victims of abused and later as adults develop PTSD, can also have issues with society.
Abuse can happen to anyone, at any age, at any time. This is repetitive acts of behavior of wanting to maintain power and have control over someone whether it be through childhood, adolescents, or adulthood. This subject is sensitive as it impacts so many different people around the world. The topic of abuse is not just a family matter, it comes in all forms, such as sexual, emotional, and physical. Abuse is accompanied by the long term emotional tolls, especially on children because their brains are still developing and can take abuse harder than others. One question to ask, is how does one overcome abuse? As children and adolescents develop, how do they function emotionally and physically? These traumatic experiences that happen through
We’ll start with child abuse victims and the affects and reasons of this abuse. There are four types of child abuse and I will list them in order from least to greatest, neglect, physical, sexual and emotional abuse. Neglect takes first with the NCVS having 54% reports of child neglect in 2007. Neglect is a very serious form of abuse it is the failure for a parent or guardian to provide for a child’s basic needs, including physical and educational needs. We grow and development drastically in the first twelve years of our life so when parental guidance and love is absent it affects a child’s developmental skills along with learning right from wrong. Many forms of neglect occur in larger households and with households with domestic violence. Many parents with multiple kids become too busy focusing on the older children they tend to forget the youngest one. So it’s common for a three year old to walk out of the front door and on to the street when no one is there to tell him or...
When the topic of abuse comes up, many different forms of abuse pop into individuals heads. Whether its Physical abuse, sexual abuse, verbal abuse or even drug abuse, the list just keeps going. Now take all those different forms abuse and imagine them happening in a family. A father physically abusing his children, a mother verbally berating her daughter about her body image, a child growing up in fear. According to the research by David Wolfe in the Journal of Consulting and clinical Psychology, that the number of children that have suffered a physical injury due to physical abuse is between 1.4 and 1.9 million annually. With such a high number of physical abuse happening to children, one can imagine how high the number of all the
Some of the physical repercussion that the victim experience are body problems and eating disorders. Having body problems can refer to them feeling ugly or dirty, having a huge discomfort with their appearance. Some of the victims develop a defense mechanism when it comes to them feeling unsafe. Therefore, every time someone tries to get close to them or try to build a relationship with them, they tempt to push them away because of the fear of this happening again. This is one of the many reasons why sexual abused victim is hard to develop social relationship with other
Child abuse is a very serious problem that continues to happen all over the world. The Federal Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act, defines child abuse as a failure to act as a parent or caregiver which results in physical/emotional harm, sexual abuse, and in some cases death. There are many different types of child abuse such as emotional, physical, neglect, and sexual. With each type of abuse there are warning signs you can spot before it is too late. When a child is abused there is a huge possibility that it can cause them to have many long term effects.