Long-Term Consequences Of Child Abuse

7/1/2013

Think deep of how abuse can hurt or damage a child mentally and physically. The victim can end up living with a life of long-term suffering consequences. There are many kinds of abuse: physical abuse, neglect, psychological or emotional and “custodial interference” (CDC, 1). Imagine the harmful effects that abuse brings to a child. It has been shown that 1,770 children from infancy to early child hood have died from physical abuse. Psychological disorders in another study show 80 percent of children to teens were diagnostic with one or more psychiatric disorders by 21 years of age. It’s no surprise that the harmful percentages shown have a huge affect on the victim’s behavior. Not all abused children suffer from long-term consequences;
Even if both victims suffer from similar kinds of abuse, it depends on the type of abuse, the child’s age and development. For example, an infant that was neglected until the age of 5 can cause psychology consequences. Meaning “the immediate emotional effects of abuse and neglect-- isolation, fear, and an inability to trust--can translate into lifelong consequences, including low self esteem, depression, and relationship difficulties” (CWIG, 9). The child that doesn’t suffer the long-term consequences would have experienced, for example both sever physical abuse and neglect. That would lead to behavioral consequences meaning difficulties during adolescence such as delinquency, poor grades in school and even drug use. For victims that have that ability to cope with those issues is sometimes referred to as “resilience” (CWIG, 4). The “positive and promotive factors may contribute to an abused or neglected child 's resilience” (CWIG4). Positive influences like role models and mentors will encourage the child to open up. Living in a stable community provides “safe schools and adequate health care” (Dedria, 4). With the help from family, friends and even the community can really help to encourage the child to cope with the
Child neglect is when the caregiver (mother, father, babysitter, etc.) fails to care for the child’s needs. These needs include housing, food, clothing, education, and access to medical care. Research by the Child Welfare Information Gateway indicates that the influence of neglect is often immediately noticeable in severe cases. Most effects go unobserved for years. “Neglect becomes more obvious as the child ages and develops physically, intellectually, emotionally, and socially” (DePanfilis, 2006). There are a number of causes that provoke the consequences of neglect. One of the major influences is the child’s age and developmental stage the abuse stared. It affects the child’s self-esteem, feeling of guilt, insecurity, and trouble with performing stable relationships in adulthood. Other outcomes include health problems from lack of proper medical care such as not being immunized or not receiving necessary surgeries. Neglected children may be in poor physical health due to medical neglect or neglect of prenatal care before being born. “Diane DePanfilis, the Children’s Bureau, and the Office on Child Abuse and Neglect found that neglected children display poorer school performances overall compared to children who had never been abused” (2006). The abused children will often have issues with brain development that causes cognitive abilities. Neglected children will develop speech problems with language