Reflection Analysis
Since theoretical study on child abuse and neglect is extensive, there exist different theoretical explanations and understandings to every child maltreatment incident. Before we decide in which theory of child abuse and neglect an article falls, we should first consider some general points such as causation, possible outcomes and context of the article, then we apply particular theories.
We need to take into account the multiplicity of how maltreatment has been understood because theories are made from homogenous research samples that restrict their soundness and application. This reflection analysis will cite five different articles concerning child abuse and neglect; then it will review each article for the theories in which each article reflects.
The first article is a longitudinal study conducted by Appleyard (2011) that employed four-hundred ninety-nine mothers with their infants. The goal of the study is to examine if the mothers’ childhood history of maltreatment would eventually lead to mental problems and substance abuse that would influence them to offspring maltreatment.
The causation part of child abuse of this article is the mothers’ childhood history of maltreatment. The outcome shows that there is a significant relation between maternal history of sexual, physical and substance abuse to child victimization. The context of the article affirms the significance of evaluating the problems of substance use and maltreatment history of mothers.
Using the information about the causation, outcomes and context of the article of Appleyard (2011), we can say that the cause of child abuse falls under the psychological theory particularly, individual psychology theory and socialization theory. We can assume that the cause of maltreatment practiced by mothers to their children comes from their experience of maltreatment. The participants have witnessed and suffered violence personally during their childhoods that eventually lead them to do the same to their offspring when they reached parenthood.
Under the individual psychology, maltreatment is a result of certain experiences (in this case, the mother’s childhood history of violence) and personality features (substance abuse and mental health problem) that predispose a person to harm a child. For the socialization theory part, it was suggested that people who have childhood history of abuse do not learn the proper way of raising children so their tendency is to be abusive as well.
This article demonstrates an intergenerational relation of child abuse influenced by several factors such as mother’s childhood history that leads to mental problems and drug abuse.
The second article of Johnson and Leff (1999) is about the consequences of substance and alcohol abuse of parents to their children. The causation of child abuse of this article would be the substance and alcohol abuse. The outcome illustrates that there is a higher likelihood for children to develop alcoholism and unfavourable behaviour. The context of the article is that the strongest risk issue is the substance abuse of parents which risks their children biologically, psychologically and environmentally.
The causation, outcomes and context of the article of Johnson and Leff (1999) tell us that the article falls under the psychological theory as well. In particular, the article falls under the biological part of the psychological theory of child abuse. The biological theory states that children who were exposed to neglect or abuse can indicate some self-esteem problems.
Environmental experiences can affect the human genome. Stressful events during childhood can impair the neurological function of the brain that will lead to some behavioural consequences.
The third article, by Marsh and Smith (2011), reviewed the mothers’ practices regarding substance abuse drawn in services for child welfare. The study determined that results and service operation considerably enhanced. Parents that suffer from substance abuse also deal with family violence, illegal participation, mental and physical health problems, housing abuse and sexual abuse. These problems influence mothers to express fears of separation from their children. This study confirms that substance abuse of parents had possible detrimental effects to their offspring. However, no further data explained the mentioned effects.
We consider the multidimensional theory in analysing the article of Marsh and Smith (2011). Multidimensional theory considers both the social and psychological factors that lead to maltreatment. Maltreatment carries a substantial sociological and psychological effect that can devastate a child development.
In studying child abuse, it is important to identify the characteristics of abusers. As mentioned earlier, the parents that abuse drugs have other societal problems as well. They may not be found as mentally ill but they are frequently described as aggressive, inconsistent, disciplinary and dictatorial. Child welfare policy makers, researchers, and practitioners should shift to evidenced-based pharmacological therapies, levels of care, and comprehensive health and social services.
The fourth article discovered that the majority of conflict in mental distress of university students was influenced by neglect, sexual, emotional and parental substance abuse (Melchert, 2000). These findings tell us that factors influenced by family should be taken into consideration. A widespread research regarding the developmental causes that influenced family must be documented to recognize a permanent regulation of effects of abusive parents to offspring as well as childhood history factors.
The article is useful to social service personnel for action development, prevention movement, theory improvement and medical evaluation. It is relevant to child abuse and neglect theory since comparative similar outcomes related to substance abuse of parents also result to unfavourable traits such as inferior self-confidence and posttraumatic anxiety. The mentioned outcomes may significantly lead to child abuse and neglect.
We can consider the attachment theory under the psychological theory of child abuse and neglect for this article. During adolescence, attachment is still possible even without the presence of actual physical proximity. Communication between parents and child is still important because even in adulthood, affectionate and constant relationship is still necessary for most people.
Attachment theory has been filled by biological principles and cognitive psychology. It is an attempt to explain the abnormal functioning of people who experienced early separations and painful losses. In this case, college students are distressed due to unfavourable behaviour of their parents. This article can also suggest association between irregularities of attachment in the parent and abuse of the child.
The last article depicted the association between child abuse and parental substance abuse in a population of Ontario, Canada. Walsh, MacMillan, and Jamieson (2003) conducted a study on Ontario Mental Health Supplement (OHSUP) employing a sum of 8, 472 participants. The main objective is to examine the relation of parental alcohol and drug abuse to physical and sexual maltreatment of children. The article concluded that there is a direct relationship between substance abuse and associated problems to both sexual and physical maltreatment. Moreover, according to the article, adults with a record of drug abuse is three times more likely to commit child abuse and for times more likely to commit neglect
This article also falls under the psychological theory of child abuse and neglect. Research about physical abuse focused on the characteristics of the abusers. Traits of adults that abuse children include poor anger management, insufficient knowledge about child development, depression, low self-esteem and substance abuse.
We must also recognize the influence of structural and social factors. Unemployment and situational stress can also be related to physical abuse. On the other hand, child sexual abuse theory proposes several conditions for it to occur. One mentioned condition is that the abuser has to have a motivated emotional state. This emotional state could mean that the abuser is experiencing fears and problems in adult relationships. Another condition is the absence of internal inhibitors. This condition can be caused by alcohol or substance abuse. The two conditions mentioned both support the study of Walsh, MacMillan, and Jamieson (2003) regarding child abuse.
On the other hand, neglect can be attributed to psychological and sociological explanations. Parents who neglect their child may have experienced neglect in their childhood or may have conditions such as hopelessness or depression. Drug use and related problems are also linked to neglect.
The psychological theory was very evident in all five articles; the theory demonstrates that people learn violence through living and observing in a violent setting. Biological theory holds the explanation of the unfavourable traits (immaturity, irresponsibility, etc.) of children with drug-abuse parents because of the ‘compromised right brain development’ brought by neglect and maltreatment. On the other hand, the societal factors related to child abuse include multi-problem within the family, low income, unemployment and job dissatisfaction which entails the multidimensional theory. The attachment theory sufficiently explains the reason of distress to children even during adolescence years. Nonetheless, the theories mentioned cannot be the sole basis of maltreatment and neglect. The basis and explanatory power of each theory are extensive, that is why selecting a theory for interpreting a given situation is complicated. The homogeneity of research samples in studying these theories restricts their applications. We should consider the points of causation, outcome and context in order to alleviate the difficulty of theory application. This is the limitation or the weakness of the theories to the article.
References
Appleyard, K., Berlin, L.J., Rosanbalm, K.D., and Dodge, K.A., (2011) ‘Preventing early child maltreatment: implications from a longitudinal study of maternal abuse history, substance use problems, and offspring victimization.’ Preventive Science, 12(2), pp.139-149.
Johnson, J.L. and Leff, M. (1999) ‘Children of substance abusers: overview of research findings.’ Pediatrics, 103, pp.1085-1099.
Marsh, J.C. and Smith, B.D. (2011) ‘Integrated substance abuse and child welfare services of
women: a progress review.’ Child and Youth Services Review, 33(3), pp.466-472.
Melchert, T. (2000) ‘Clarifying the effects of parental substance abuse, child sexual abuse, and
parental caregiving on adult adjustment.’ Professional Psychology: Research and
Practice, 31(1), pp.54-69.
Walsh, C., MacMillan, H.L., and Jamieson, E. (2003) ‘The relationship between parental
substance abuse and child maltreatment: findings from the Ontario Health Supplement.’
Child Abuse & Neglect, 27, pp.1409-1425.
