Child abuse is serious and an increasing problem across the country. Stories that exemplify tragic and severe examples of abuse and neglect are often publicized while many children continue to live quietly in situations that are never mentioned but equally disturbing. Child abuse and neglect impact as many as 1 in 4 children in America today. . There are many causes of abuse and neglect. The parents may not know how to properly care for children or have a history of being abused themselves . Substance abuse is also common. 70 percent of maltreatment cases involving children also involve substance abuse. The effects of child abuse and neglect can be long-lasting and sometimes irreversible. They include psychological damage, a continued cycle of abuse, and even death. Child abuse and neglect does not have to happen, regardless of the root of causes. All causes are preventable through education.
One cause of child abuse could be the parents lack the education to raise a child or have a history of abuse themselves. Parents may be immature or too young to raise children. Teen pregnancy has high rates in some areas of the world; these individuals are ill-equipped to care for a child properly because they are still children too. Young parents may have preconceived notions about what it will be like to be a parent. It can be hard to adjust to the rigorous schedule of raising a baby and at times the stress can become too much for somebody so young. This stress may end up manifesting itself in an abusive response directed at the child. The parents may also have unrealistic expectations about the life they are leading or how their children are supposed to behave. They may see one disciplinary method as the only one that will work and when it does not it may lead to frustration which may lead to abuse. Instead of trying several approaches to discipline, if one does not work the easiest thing to do may be to hit the child. This is unacceptable but many parents let the frustrations of a screaming child get the better of them. Parents may also simply lack the coping skills needed to raise a child. Child rearing is stressful; when stress from other areas of like such as the adult’s job or financial situation begin to mount that stress may be taken out on the child. The inability to cope coupled with immaturity make violence an easy first resort to release frustrations in times of crisis. Unfortunately, because the child is defenseless and easily silenced, they become a quick and common target for stress release. Once a parent with weak coping skills reaches their breaking point they may act out with aggression toward the child or they may become depressed and withdraw, neglecting the child. Neglect can lead to many negative and unforeseen forms of abusive. Children can starve without an adult’s attention. They can also become ill, get lice, become so unclean they contract skin rashes, or become irreparably emotionally damaged. Withdrawal and neglect deprive the child of love and affection, something they desperately need during their formative years. This is also a form of abuse. This aggression, fear, anxiety, or sadness may manifest later in the child. The child is not being taught reasonable coping techniques to carry into adulthood.
Substance abuse is another unfortunate cause of child abuse. 70 percent of maltreatment cases involving children involve substance abuse. When an adult is impaired and lacks coping skills or is uneducated on the matter of rearing children it becomes much easier to become an abuser. What many are unaware of is that even having illegal substances such as cocaine or other illegal drugs around in the presence of a child is considered abuse in many states. Many times children being exposed to certain types of drugs can be considered physical abuse as well because they are at risk of being harmed by the fumes or substances themselves . The parent’s addiction can lead to violent outbursts which can be aimed at the child. The outbursts will be highly uncontrolled due to the severely lowered inhibitions the substance abuse offers. To make the situation more psychologically damaging for the child, many adults blame the abuse, not themselves. This can put the child in an uncomfortable position that may lead to powerful resentment and hatred toward the abuser once they grow. It may also lead to substance abuse within the victim. The addiction can also lead to neglect, another form of abuse . As a result of these forms of abuse children may be taken from their biological parents and placed in foster care where they run the risk of being physically abused, neglected, and even sexually abused. The foster care system has its flaws and not all foster families are checked as thoroughly as they should be. There are an estimated 30 percent of foster children who report abuse within their foster care families, wither from their foster parents or from the other children within the home.
The effects of abuse and neglect can be devastating and long-lasting. Victims of child abuse are more likely to suffer from depression and anxiety. They are also more likely to experiment with substances earlier than their peers . Children exposed to illegal substances early in life are also more likely to experience substance abuse and become lifelong addicts. Children who survive abuse are also more likely to become abusers themselves unless educated properly. They were not given efficient role models to follow and often have inefficient coping mechanisms at their disposal, making them as ill-equipped as their parents at raising a child. Feelings of shame and guilt also often follow the abused child into adulthood. Homicidal and suicidal thoughts, fear, anger, and anxiety may also remain their entire life. . Extreme effects of child abuse include death and mental retardation which can occur due to head trauma, severe neglect, or exposure to illegal substances prenatally or during infancy. . There is also the matter of if the child is abused within their foster home. This can create very grave problems for the victim later in life. After having experienced abuse within their own home, they are then saved and placed in what is supposed to be a safe and secure environment but a reported 30 percent of the time the foster home is just as dangerous as the child’s first home. Unfortunately some families take on foster children for the extra income. These people do not often care about the wellbeing or safety of the child, just the check they provide. They will abuse the child on occasion. There is also the matter of homes with more than one foster child. If the cycle of abuse has already begun, some of the children are going through very difficult transitions where they feel just as, if not more powerless, than they did at the hands of their abusive parents. In order to gain control over their lives they may model their actions after the only example they have been set: their own parents. This means the foster children may start abusing one another. The abused become the abusive, finding the quieter children within the home to inflict their frustrations upon. It is a vicious cycle that contributes highly to suicidal thoughts, anxiety, and severe trust issues later in life.
The causes and effects of child abuse and neglect are gruesome. Many of the reasons for abuse and neglect stem from parents being uneducated on the subject of raising children. Other reasons come from a perpetual cycle of violence that eventually turns the abused into the abuser. One way to discontinue the cycle is to educate children as well as new parents on proper ways to cope with stressful situations. Relaxation techniques and other methods to manage stress need to be taught in place of violent outburst and neglect. Consistently teaching that violence and negligence are never appropriate reactions to respond with is the key to ending this cycle of violence. Another important part of solving child abuse is making rehabilitation more affordable and available for substance abusers. With these methods, and continuous education programs we can decrease child abuse rates as well as the number of children impacted by maltreatment every day.
References
Brown, J., Cohen, P. J., & Smailes, E. M. (2005). Childhood Abuse and Neglect: Specificity of Effects on Adolescent and Young Adult Depression and Suicidality . Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 149-156.
Chaffin, M., Kellher, K., & Hollenberg, J. (2004). Onset of physical abuse and neglect: Psychiatric, substance abuse, and social risk factors from prospective community data. Child Abuse & Neglect, 191-203.
McFarlane, M., Doueck, H. J., & Murray, L. (2003). Preventing Child Abuse and Neglect. Social Sciences, 13-29.
Ney, P. G., Fung, T., & Wickett, A. (1999). Child Abuse: Physical and Emotional Abuse and Neglect. Pearson: New York.
