How Does Abuse Affect a Person Later In Life?

Julie Gregory was a sick child. She was in and out of the doctor’s office, and was in the hospital on several occasions. Her illnesses baffled the doctors. She was treated for a variety of sicknesses, but she always seemed to come down with yet another ailment. After enduring years of sickness and misdiagnosis, Julie finally figured out that it was her mother who was responsible for her suffering. Her mother suffered from Munchausen by Proxy. She was abusing Julie to gain attention and sympathy for herself. Julie was not suffering from chronic illness; she was suffering from chronic child abuse. Julie is not alone. Too often in the world today, children are abused, resulting in lasting emotional and physical scars. The question is, how does the pattern of abuse actually affect a person later in life? Julie sought help and seems to be on the road to recovery, but for some, the damage is ongoing.

One way an abused person is affected beyond the actual act of abuse is when they are forced out of their home environment and into the foster care system. When authority finds child abuse in a home, they often take the child away and place him/her into foster care. Sometimes, the child cannot be returned to the parents and he/she has to remain in foster care until someone decides to adopt them (A Childs Cry 1). In some cases, a child may not realize that they are being abused, so they love their abuser dearly and may have a false feeling of safety while near them. Then they would be taken against their will and be uncooperative to authority (A Childs Cry 1994). Sometimes the child does not ever get adopted and has to spend the rest of their lives until adulthood in foster care. This could affect someone’s personality and mak...

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...is little boy’s mother is not the only culprit that causes death through abuse. Facts prove that “the U.S. loses and average of 5 children every day due to abuse-related deaths” (Karas 1). Child abuse is a deadly crime. Also, after a person has been abused, they feel unloved and unwanted. These people can become suicidal. They feel like they do not belong on Earth and might feel the need to kill themselves (Wylie 1).

Child abuse affects different people on various levels. The long term results can lead to prison or even death. There are many victims in the crime of child abuse that could be mentally scarred throughout adulthood. Abuse can lead to growing up in foster care, developed disorders and insecurities, inherited behaviors of abuse, prison, and death. The issue is serious and more attention is needed to reduce this crime and hopefully eliminate it someday.