How Child Abuse and Neglect Affect Childhood - Essay Example

How Child Abuse and Neglect Affect Childhood Introduction Child abuse and neglect 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 other (McCoy and Keen, 2009), and the common types of child maltreatment include physical abuse, emotional maltreatment, neglect, and sexual abuse among others. Abuse and neglect can lead to a wide range of adverse 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, the physical, emotional, and cognitive developmental impacts from child neglect in early 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. This essay provides a very thoughtful discussion on the possible effects of child abuse and neglect. Arguably, child maltreatment can be viewed as a human rights violation that is cause by various factors involving the individual, family and the community as a whole. From a narrower perspective, a child is a young human being normally below the age of puberty (younger than 18 years). Child abuse and neglect can be defined as “a recent act or failure to act especially by a parent or caretaker that leads to death, sexual abuse, physical or emotional harm or exploitation of a child” (Carrick and Scannapieco, 2005). Child abuse can as well be defined as any act that impairs a child’s physical or emotional health and development, while neglect refers to the failure of a parent or guardian to consistently provide for a child’s basic needs. Broadly, child maltreatment can be categorized into physical abuse, sexual abuse, neglect and emotional or psychological abuse (Carrick and Scannapieco, 2005; Kiran, 2011).There are many signs of the act of maltreatment some of which include frequent injuries and unexplained bruises; wearing inappropriate clothing to cover up injuries among others (Smith and Segal, n.d.). Anyone can report suspected child abuse or neglect by contacting local child protective services office, statewide hotlines, or law enforcement agency to report abuse and seek help. The occurrence of child abuse is higher because in most cases, abuse is not recognized or reported by adults. Some of the common myths and assumptions associated with child abuse and neglect include only bad people abuse their children; most child abusers are strangers; it is only child abuse if it is violent; abused children grow up to be abusers; and that child abuse does not happen in good families (Smith and Segal, n.d.). One of the major impacts of child abuse and neglect is impaired brain function and development, and through the act of negative physical abuse by a parent or a caregiver, a child can develop impaired brain function causing slower development and this for sure affects the child in many ways. For instance, physical abuse can cause direct damage to a child’s developing brain especially shaking which can destroy brain tissue and damaging the fragile brain forcing a child to develop sensory impairments, cognitive, learning as well as behavioral disabilities. Impaired brain function will lead to challenges in cognition, understanding, awareness and thoughts and this will prevent the abused or neglected child to live a normal life as others. Maltreatment may inhibit effective development of particular regions of the brain, for instance, a neglected child may not be exposed to stimuli responsible for activating essential parts of the brain and strengthen cognitive pathways. If parts of the brain responsible for emotional regulation are not activated then the child will have problem controlling emotions thereby having difficulty in behaving or interacting appropriately. Through maltreatment, a child’s brain may strengthen the pathways among neurons involved in the fear response, and as a result, the brain may perceive the world as hostile and uncaring hence influencing the child’s later interactions. Abuse and neglect can interfere with the brain development causing challenges in both verbal and written language, as the child will not be able to internalize certain words and write or speak effectively. Language is associated with cognitive function so brain impairment will truly affect both written and verbal language (Finkelman, 1995). Accordingly, impaired development on the brain causes challenges in academic abilities in a school environment and outside school. Psychological child abuse or neglect can affect the child mentally, emotionally and socially, for instance, children exposed to psychological maltreatment show symptoms of depression and low self-esteems issues. Child abuse particularly sexual abuse has been associated with disturbed mental health leading to self-harm, depression, loss of self-esteem among others and these adverse effects may endure into adulthood. Sexually abused children have higher rates of depressive disorder and suicide attempts (Arata, Langhinrichsen-Rohling & Bowers, 2005). Accordingly, children who have any history with psychological abuse or neglect develop mistrust and this affects their relationship and communication with others leading to social difficulties because child-caregiver attachment is very crucial for a child’s early emotional and social development. Attachment refers to a selective attention in a person with whom we share new knowledge (Shreeve, 2012). Children with an insecure attachment perceive their caregivers as a source of danger or harm, and without security and support from the primary caregiver, children have difficulty trusting others when in distress and this may trigger anxiety or anger among them. A secure child will freely explore the environment in the presence of their caregiver, show little distress at separation then show immediate joy on reunion while an insecure child will delay their greeting of their returning parent, turn and move away (Shreeve, 2012). Ideally, maltreated children who developed insecure attachments to parents or caregivers may become more mistrustful of others, and may have trouble in understanding the emotions of other people, controlling their emotions, and creating and maintaining relationships with their peers. Insecure attachments may change the normal developmental process for children as it affects the child’s ability to communicate and interact with others and develop healthy relationships with others throughout their life. However, Parsons argues that socialization is a key aspect in individuals’ development and so the experiences that a child goes through shape their socialization and their development. More so, Vygotskys theory of a search for an eternal child enables individuals to be aware that people around them, their social, cultural and maternal contexts help in shaping childhood (Kehily, 2013). Children who are abused psychologically are likely to demonstrate frustration and anger, and so engage in criminal behavior and substance abuse as a way of coping up with anger. Studies have confirmed that various types of abuse relates with such ‘acting out’ behaviors like substance abuse, promiscuity and delinquency (Arata, Langhinrichsen-Rohling & Bowers, 2005). More so, studies reveal that children of alcohol-dependent parents are exposed to the risk of developing alcohol problems as opposed to their counterparts (Vitaro and Carbonneau, 2005). Therefore, parental substance abuse is associated with maltreatment (McCoy and Keen, 2009). Studies indicate that there is a strong link between child abuse and future juvenile delinquency (Welfare Information Gateway, 2013), and that abused and neglected children are more likely to be arrested for criminal behavior in adolescence. Due to negative consequences of child maltreatment and through the act of resilient behavior, a child can develop and learn through negative situations. When a child is in a positive, open and healthy environment like school, they can learn how to reject and bounce back from the actions of these behaviors they are experiencing. More so, a child can learn positive behavior and learn how to deal with and overcome negative behavior at home. Therefore, it is necessary for an educator to understand the child’s situation in order to be able to provide them with the necessary skills to achieve success and be supportive towards the child. According to Judy Dunns study, children learn through their families and they have their own agency to structure their own world. Dunn posits that parents are the backbone of a child’s life and so they play a leading role in the development of a child (Kehily, 2013). Regardless of whether a child has been abused or not, creating safe environments for children and positive parenting skills is necessary because if left unaddressed, the impacts of child abuse can as well affect the generations to come. Additionally, when a child is abused or neglected and learns that violence is the best method to use to control others; they may repeat the cycle of abuse in their adulthood. However, most adult survivors of childhood abuse do not continue being abusers as adults, for instance, many survivors view their childhood experiences as a way of motivation to protect their children and end the cycle of abuse and violence in their family. Therefore, to break the cycle of maltreatment, individuals need to come up with ways to stop abuse or neglect from occurring (Welfare Information Gateway, 2013). Conclusion Child abuse and neglect can lead to a wide range of adverse consequences for children, and physical, psychological and behavioral or emotional are all ways that a child demonstrates the effect from maltreatment, which can lead to the consequence of delayed or different stages of development. Abused or neglected children tend to be depressed, perform poorly in schools and have low self-esteem. Some of these adverse effects can be carried on into adulthood and may interfere with individuals’ ability to form and maintain relationship with their peers. More so, some of the abused children tend to engage in criminal activities and substance abuse to help them cope up with the situation. Even though there are many negative connotations associated with child maltreatment, resiliency can show a child’s agency and how they can develop and learn from their given experiences. Therefore, is necessary to identify the child’s situation so as to overcome or grow from different experiences. References Arata, C., Langhinrichsen-Rohling, J., & Bowers, D. (2005). Single versus Multi-Type Maltreatment: An Examination of the Long-Term Effects of Child Abuse. Journal of Aggression, Maltreatment & Trauma, 11(4), 29-52. Carrick, K., & Scannapieco, M. (2005). Understanding Child Maltreatment: An Ecological And Developmental Perspective. New York: Oxford University Press. Finkelman, Byrgen. (1995). Child Abuse: Physical and Emotional Abuse and Neglect. A Garland series, Volume 1 of Child Abuse: A Multidisciplinary Survey, Taylor & Francis. Kehily, M. J. (2013). Chapter 3 (Childhood: a developmental approach) and 5 (Childhood: a socio cultural approach). Understanding Childhood: A Cross-Disciplinary Approach (2 ed., pp. 99-160, 211-266). Bristol: The Policy Press. Kiran, B. (2011). Child Abuse and Neglect. Journal of Indian Society of Pedodontics and Preventive Dentistry. p.79. McCoy, M., and Keen, S. (2009). Child Abuse and Neglect. Taylor & Francis. Shreeve, D. F. (2012). Reactive Attachment Disorder: A Case-Based Approach. New York,: Springer. Smith, M., & Segal, J. (n.d.). Child Abuse & Neglect. : Recognizing, Preventing and Reporting Child Abuse. Retrieved January 14 2014, from http://www.helpguide.org/mental/child_abuse_physical_emotional_sexual_neglect.htm Vitaro, F., & Carbonneau, R. (2005). Resilient Children of Parents Affected By a Dependency. Ottawa, Ont.: Health Canada]. Welfare Information Gateway. (2013). Long-Term Consequences of Child Abuse and Neglect. Washington DC: Department of Health and Human Services, Children’s Bureau. Read More