Child maltreatment is one of the major public health concerns in the United States. Child abuse has been documented in every society. The effects of child maltreatment are short-term and long-term. Many scientists and researchers are wondering what the specific impacts child maltreatment has on cognitive development and academic achievements. Parents who can’t control their anger when discipling children not only place them in a dangerous position physically, but harm them emotionally and mentally as well. Child maltreatment includes emotional, mental, physical, and sexual abuse. This essay will explore the effects of children who were maltreated during sensitive periods and analyze why they tend to have lower grades, perform worse on standardized …show more content…
These experiences help children grow, develop cognitive abilities, and gain critical thinking skills for successful participation in society. Konrad Lorenzo studied the behavior of geese and their process of imprinting. He believed that imprinting occurred during a “critical period,” which is a “specific period of time during which a particular type of development must happen (Hauser-Cram, Nugent, Theis, & Travers 2014). John Bowlby studied this “critical period” and concluded that humans have “sensitive periods” instead. Sensitive periods are, “times when a particular experience (or lack of it) has a profound effect on development” (Hauser-Cram, Nugent, Theis, & Travers 2014). He also concluded that if the relationship between the caregiver and child is negative during these sensitive periods, then they will have difficulty forming social relationships. The studies in this essay will focus on child maltreatment during sensitive periods, from childhood to …show more content…
The two groups were interviewed once a year for two years. The first interview reviewed the grades of the children in reading, mathematics, spelling, and the number of days they were absent to school. The second interview, evaluated each child’s grade retention, special education, and all problems related to school. In each interview, they examined the child’s and mother’s relationship with each other, the intelligence of the mother, current abuse of the child, and how these factors affect the child’s Wide Range Achievement Test (WRAT -III)
Child Maltreatment is generally defined as any acts brought upon by a parent or caregiver of a child that results in harm or potential for harm. Child Maltreatment includes physical, sexual and emotional abuse, and neglect. When a child exhibits signs of any form of abuse it typically becomes the responsibility of Child Protective Services to remove the child from their home and place them in foster care. However there is a controversy on whether removing the child from their home or if family preservations are best for the child than taking them out and placing them in foster care.
Child abuse is a worldwide phenomenon that needs urgent attention. Kopp and Miltenberger (2008) in their study evaluated the validity and acceptability of using role-plays to assess sexual abuse prevention skills.
The effects of abuse tend to vary with different children but any type of abuse can cause serious damage. Not all children display the same responses to physical and emotional abuse. A few of the typical emotional responses include; showing excessive fear, extreme anger, low self-esteem, and an inability to trust adult figures. In contrast a few physical responses are difficulties developing speech patters, difficulties getting involved with other ch...
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.
“Simply having children does not make mothers,” said john A. Shedd (“John”). When it comes to child maltreatment this is especially true, if a parent does not know how to take care of a child, they can abuse or neglect their child. The definition that the Centers for disease Control and Prevention uses is, “Any act or series of acts of commission or omission by a parent or any other caregiver that results in harm, potential for harm, or threat of harm to a child.” Maltreatment can be split into two umbrella categories, acts of omission or acts of commission. Acts of omission are most commonly known as neglect, and can include not meeting the child’s physical, emotional, educational, or medical needs. An act of commission is most commonly physical abuse, but can also extend to the psychological or sexual abuse of a child (“Child Maltreatment”). Child maltreatment is a problem worldwide; the only way to stop it is to give parents a better understanding of the issue.
Research has shown the relationship between the types of child abuse. According to some research, it has been stated that there are three major forms of child abuse: physical abuse, emotional abuse and sexual abuse. Studies have also demonstrated reliable evidences to support how these forms of child abuse affects children and their adulthood relationship. According to some research performed by some authors, experts who work in the field of child-care are now able to identify and understand the psychological problems that abused victims are likely to develop later in their adulthood stage. Kathryn Hildyard and David Wolfe’s essay on child neglect mentions how child neglect affects children’s health development. Child neglect is known to be the most usual form of child abuse due to the large amount of children that have been neglected or not cared for. Kristen Springer and Jennifer Sheridan’s article on physical and mental health consequences explains how physical abuse affects children emotionally in their early stages of childhood.
The early childhood years are a period of rapid change in the brain, this leaves children exceptionally vulnerable to psychological abuse. Psychological abuse includes rejecting, ignoring, criticizing, belittling, humiliating, threatening with violence, or otherwise terrorizing the child, all of which have the effect of eroding the child's self-esteem and sense of security. Psychological abuse can come as a result of actions that do not specifically target the child. Studies show that children who have experienced domestic violence are more anxious and insecure then those who do not. Children who observe violence react with many of the same psychological symptoms as children who have experienced it directly. Psychological abuse is often accompanied by other forms of abuse. It is difficult to prove, however, and rarely is
“We look at a person and immediately a certain impression of his character forms itself in us”
There are many forms of childhood maltreatment. All of which can and do cause both physical and mental issues to the victims. Childhood physical abuse can cause grave physical injuries and even death. Children who are physically abused are more likely to experience cognitive, emotional, and behavioral problems as they grow up, such as depression, anxiety, misbehavior, substance abuse problems, and can grow up to be abusers themselves. Many people have a hard time understanding why anyone would hurt a child. Most abusers love their children, but they have less patience then other parents. But the truth is that many children learn violent behavior from their parents and then grow up to be abusers themselves. There is evidence that physical child
Child abuse describes any form of physical, sexual or emotional maltreatment to a child. It also includes lack of care that may harm a child, or ill-use of power to the point of mistreatment that breaches trust. There are different forms of child abuse. The forms include physical abuse, neglect, psychological abuse and sexual abuse (U.S, 1993). Physical abuse is the intentional cause of physical injury that ranges from slight bruises to severe fractures or even resulting in the death of the victims. They may be as a result of biting, punching, throwing, and choking with the intention of causing harm to a child. Neglect is the failure of the parent, caregiver, or guardian to provide the child with the basic needs. It may either be physical (food and shelter), medical (medical treatment), educational, or emotional needs. On the other hand, psychological or emotional abuse refers to the behaviors inflicted on the child that causes mental distress. As
Child maltreatment is a widespread issue that affects thousands of children every year. There are four common types of child maltreatment; sexual abuse, physical abuse, emotional abuse and neglect. All of these types of abuse are very serious and can have many consequences for the children and families. The most common consequence of severe child maltreatment is the removal of that child from their home (Benbenishty, Segev, Surkis, and Elias, 2002). Most social workers trying to determine the likelihood of removal evaluate the type and severity of abuse, as well as the child’s relationship with their parents (Benbenishty et al., 2002). When children are removed from their homes there are many options of alternative housing. The places they are allowed to live are a relative’s home, foster home, or a group home. In a study of children removed from their homes, 68% went to a foster home rather than a relative or another form of alternative housing (Faller, 1991). Reunification with a parent is the most common goal that is set forth by Child Protective Services even though recurrent abuse is likely to happen based upon the prior type of abuse and the age of the child (Connell et al., 2009). Child maltreatment is becoming a prevalent problem that has numerous consequences for both the child and family.
For one, children with a history of abuse tend to experience more difficulties with learning and just in general in the the school environment. Robert (1993) stated that those children that were physically abused at a younger age run a much higher risk of having serious neurological or mental handicap and thus having a disadvantage in the learning environment. Roberts (1993) also suggests that neglecting a child affected the language development of that child substantially. Neglect was found, in Robert’s (1993) research, to be
Child maltreatment can affect any child, usually aged 0-18, and it occurs across socioeconomic, religious, ethnic or even educational backgrounds. Arguably, child abuse and neglect is a violation of basic human rights of a child resulting from social, familial, psychological and economic factors (Kiran, 2011). Familial factors include lack of support, poverty, single parenthood, and domestic violence among others, (McCoy and Keen, 2009). The common types of child maltreatment include physical abuse, emotional maltreatment, neglect, and sexual abuse among others. Abuse and neglect can lead to a variety of impacts on children and young people such as physical, behavioral as well as psychological consequences which will affect the development and growth of the child either positively or negatively based on the environment and agency. More so, emotional, cognitive and physical developmental impacts from child neglect in the early stages of childhood can be carried on into adulthood. Research findings reveal that the experience of maltreatment can cause major long-term consequences on all aspects of a child’s health, growth as well as intellectual development and mental wellbeing, and these effects can impair their functioning as adults. Commonly, the act of abuse/ or neglect toward a child affects the child’s physical, behavioral development and growth, which can be positive or negative, depending on the child’s environment and agency. Another way to understand how the act has affected the child is to look at the child for who they are, and interviewing and observing their behaviors of their everyday life.
For my current reflection, I chose to study maltreatment of children. Maltreatment is cruel treatment or mistreatment and it may be violent. Child maltreatment comes in many forms such as physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse and neglect (Papalia, 2015). This matter affects many children all over the world; it has emotional and physical effects on children that may be long-lasting if it is not resolved. The child will likely need help from a therapist resolving emotional and physical effects that have been left of them.
Child abuse has become a chronic and common issue in the country today. In the United States of America, an estimated three million children are victims of abuse every year. Whether the abuse is physical, emotional, sexual, or neglect, the scars can be deep and can have a negative effect on a child’s education. According to academic research preformed at Brown University in April 1996, it was noted that abused children have a harder time maintaining good grades in school due to their stressful home lives, which leads to a lack of focus in the classroom. These issues are severely hurting the education of many children which damages their conscious development. Unstable households are the number one cause of children not performing at the level of proficiency in the classroom. (Family Mobility Helps) There are four different types of abuse, but the effects are similar, which is physical, or emotional harm placed upon the child. There are certain types of abuse that are often harder to identify. Neglect is the most common form of child abuse. Family members and caregivers are the abusers in most cases. Research has shown there are three major reasons why abuses children suffer academically. The reasons are withdrawal, poor communication/social skills, and behavioral problems. Child abuse does not only hurt a child’s education, but can lead to deaths. Therefore prevention is the key to the success of a child’s future. (Rynders)