Children Exposed to Abuse - Essay
Children Exposed to Abuse
10/21/2021
Children are exposed to abuse through psychical abuse, physical neglect, sexual abuse, and emotional or psychological abuse. When children are exposed to such traumatic events there are both physical and behavioral indicators. The effects and both short and long term. Physical abuse is non-accidental injury perpetrated on a child by an adult (usually a parent or caretaker). Some effects would be a child doing poorly in school, anti-social, harmful to others.
Emotional abuse refers to a chronic attitude or behavior directed at a child, or the creation of an emotional environment, which is seriously detrimental to or impairs the child's psychological and or physical development."
Neglect is often thought of as the most dangerous type of abuse. "Neglect refers to any serious omission or commission by a person which jeopardizes or impairs the child's psychological, intellectual, or physical development"
School Outcomes. Abusing children directly affects their performance in school. Students who are abused do not perform well on tests.
Child abuse is a serious. Many people are afraid to intervene, but they should. (Crosson-Tower, Exploring Child Welfare : A Practice Perspective)
A definition for child abuse is the endangerment to a child inflicted by another person, usually the caregiver. Abuse mostly occurs in families who are young, poor, and single. When families are going through hard times, there is a lot of stress that comes along with it. With all of this stress, the parents take it out on their children. Having a crisis in the home enhances the chances that a child will be abused. Domestic violence and parental issues are also contributing problems in reoccurring child abuse cases. Parents who abuse each other are more likely to abuse their child as well, because
Parents abuse due to an inability to handle stress and childhood dysfunctions (Crosson-Tower, Exploring Child Welfare : A Practice Perspective). Parents neglect due to lack of psychic energy to parent, learned lifestyles, and an inability to process accurately. Some common factors that may cause an adult to abuse a child would be the following:
history of child abuse or neglect during their own childhood
having a substance use disorder
physical or mental health conditions, such as depression, anxiety, or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
poor parent-child relationships
socioeconomic stress from financial issues, unemployment, or medical problems
a lack of understanding about basic childhood development (expecting children to be capable of tasks before they’re ready)
a lack of parenting skills to help cope with the pressures and struggles of raising a child
a lack of support from family members, friends, neighbors, or the community
caring for a child with intellectual or physical disabilities that make adequate care more challenging
family stress or crisis caused by domestic violence, relationship problems, separation, or divorce
personal mental health issues, including low self-confidence and feelings of incompetence or shame
Services to protect children can be broken down into three areas colonial times, charities, and private agencies, to government program. Family preservation services are intensive, crisis-oriented, and comprehensive workers respond quickly. Services may include helping a family access concrete and clinical services and provide parenting skills training. Kinship care emphasizes the role of extended family. Family preservation programs are most effective when the strength-based model and ecological models are implemented. Family preservation is a more humane alternative, yet the safety of a child is paramount and out home placement may be necessary. Many children suffer negative out comes from out home placement such as legal issues, poor parenting, and substance abuse. (Crosson-Tower, Exploring Child Welfare : A Practice Perspective)