Longer Physical Abuse Of A Child example essay topic

Physical abuse is one of the biggest problems in America Today. Many different people abuse children because of a lot of different reasons. There are many different types of physical abuse, which will be discussed later. The cause of abuse is different in most all cases.

Education can be the most effective way to prevent abuse. If parents took a class before they had children on how to deal with pressure and frustration the number of children being abused will drop dramatically. If abuse is caught early and stops, the effect on the child won't be as much as if it happens for a long period of time. The warning signs of abuse are important to know so you can report to the authorities if a child you know is being abused. There are also many ways to help families that abuse occurs in like family therapy or hotlines which people can call when they are having trouble.

I choose to do my paper on physical abuse to educate people and to help prevent it from happening. Some types of physical abuse are really visible and some are hard to point out. Some physical indicators are a high incidence of frequent injuries like when a child is always bruised or has broken bones frequently. Bite marks, unusual bruises, lacerations, and burns are more indicators that a child is being abused.

Severe swelling of the face and extremities should be reported to Human Services and the police so they can investigate and find out what really happened. If a child has fractures in unusual places that is a good sign that abuse is going on. A rare form of physical abuse is Munchausen syndrome by proxy; it is where a caretaker seeks attention by making the child sick or appears to be sick. Some of the causes of abuse are having a parent with a history of alcohol or drug abuse. These parents sometimes abuse their children and don't even think about it. Drug abusers who have just gotten off drugs are especially vulnerable to abuse their children.

If a couple are having many personal and marital problems they might be inclined to abuse their children. Also if parents do not agree and are always yelling at each other the children usually feel bad and this is a form of emotional abuse. If a family is having severe economic stress, like not being able to pay the bills there is a lot of abuse happening because the kids might have no lights and water and the stuff they need to survive. Parents sometimes freak out when they have no money and can't afford their children and that can lead to abuse. There is more abuse happening in poorer families than in rich families. Social isolation is another cause of abuse.

Not having a supporting network of relatives and friends can lead to stress, which in turn sometimes leads to abuse. If a child is abused for all of their childhood when they become parents they are more likely to be abusers themselves, because that is how their parents taught them. The main causes of abuse include external pressures such as financial problems, interpersonal conflicts like marital strife or domestic violence, and serious mental health conditions such as schizophrenia, major depression and substance abuse problems. Charles F. Johnson remarks that "More than 90 percent of abusing parents have neither psychotic nor criminal personalities.

The initial impact on abused children will be the immediate pain, suffering, and medical problems caused by physical injury. But the longer physical abuse of a child occurs, the more serious of an impact it has on the child. Chronic physical abuse can result in long term physical disabilities, including brain damage, hearing loss, or eye damage. Infants who are physically abused are more likely to experience long-term physical effects and neurological alterations such as irritability, lethargy, tremors and vomiting.

In more serious cases where abuse was more forceful or longer in duration, infants may experience seizures permanent blindness or deafness, mental and developmental delays or retardation, coma paralysis, and in many cases death. Abuse can tear families apart because of the abuse some families are scared of the person abusing them so they don't do anything about it. The abuser usually has to go to jail or leave the house where the children are living. In most cases of abuse a no contact order is placed and the children might not see the abuser ever again.

Studies of physically abused children and their families indicate that a significant number of psychological problems are associated with child physical abuse. Abused children compared with non-abused children have more difficulty with academic performance, self-control, self-image and social relationships. Many children find it difficult to openly discuss the abuse that is occurring. Children who are physically abused have a predisposition to a host of emotional disturbances. They may experience feelings of low self-esteem and depression. They may also be hyperactive and overly anxious.

Many of these children may exhibit behavioral problems, such as aggression towards other children or siblings. Abused children might also be frightened, since many abusers threaten the child in order to make him or her remain silent and to not discuss family matters outside of the home. Children who are abused are at risk of experiencing low self-esteem, depression, drug or alcohol dependence, and increased potential for child abuse as a parent. The social impact on physically abused children is perhaps less obvious, yet still substantial.

Immediate social consequences can include an inability to form friendships with peers, poor social skills, poor cognitive and language skills, and distrust of others, over-compliance with authority figures, and a tendency to solve interpersonal problems with aggression. In their adult life, the long-term consequences can impact both their family and community. Studies have shown that physically abused children are at a greater risk for mental illness, homelessness, crime, and unemployment. There are financial costs to the community and society. For example funding social welfare programs and services and the foster care system. Other emotional problems include anger, hostility, fear, humiliation, and an inability to express feelings to other people.

All of these affect the community and society in general and are the social costs of physical abuse. Abused children may be shy, withdrawn, and uncommunicative. They can also be hyperactive, aggressive and disruptive. A caution flag should be raised when a child is habitually absent from school or tardy without an explanation from their parents. If a child is overly compliant, gives in readily and allows others to do things for them without protest there is a good chance that he or she is being abused. Another sign that abuse is happening is if a child plays aggressively and often hurts their peers.

If a child has little respect and difficulty getting along with others this child may have a problem with abuse. Wearing clothing to purposely conceal injuries, such as long sleeves and pants in the summer may be a warning sign of abuse. An abused child seems frightened of their parents or other adults and is usually wary of physical contact with them. When a child comes early to school, and seems reluctant to go home. Afterwards, you need to find out what is going on and if you think it is abuse report it.

If an adolescent refuses to undress for gym or for required physical exams at school it might be abuse. Giving inconsistent versions about the occurrence of injuries is a sign of abuse. Complaints of pain upon movement or contact are another sign of abuse. If a child reports abuse by parents and has a history of running away from home and is overly complaint with authority there is a good chance that abuse is happening. If a child is apprenhsive when other people cry it is a common sign of abuse. The last decade has witnesses an increasing recognition by child mental health professionals that child and emotional maltreatment and major public health issues.

The goals of anger management include the lessening of heightened arousal levels during challenging parenting situations, the improvement of abusive parents' coping skills, and the reduction of the probability that parents will have uncontrolled emotional reactions that end in physical abuse. Techniques that can be used to attain these goals include training parents in the use of positive imagery and relaxation methods, helping them identify when they are angry before their emotions get out of control, and teaching them how to come up with thoughts that help them stay calm. Children who exhibit difficulties in relationships with peers and adults as a result of their abuse can benefit from social skills training that teaches them how to have positive interactions with other children. Often, children who have been physically abused need help expressing their anger in appropriate ways. For these children, interventions include teaching them relaxation techniques, engaging them in role playing exercises, providing them with supervised group interactions and feedback, and helping them identify the signs of anger early in order to prevent inappropriate outbursts.

Professionals that work with children must be educated about identifying abuse. Early detection of physical abuse starts with teachers, daycare center providers, hospitals and other agencies that serve children and families. Knowledge is the first step to the prevention of child abuse. Providing abused children with anxiety management techniques and psycho education about family violence can be a useful intervention. Another useful intervention with children who have poor peer relationship skills pairs them with children who have been identified as having strong social skills.

While mental health professionals deliver the majority of the interventions, school personnel can also be brought in to help with both the academic deficits and behavioral problems. In conclusion, I believe that child abuse is a major problem that needs to be fixed and taken care of before it gets too out of control and everyone in the country is abusing his or her children.

Bibliography

1. Miller, Alice "The Political Consequences of Child Abuse" web 2. Markowitz, Sara "The Effects of Alcohol Regulation on Physical Child Abuse" web 3. Pressed, David "Evaluation of Physical Abuse in Children" web 4. Kaplan, Sandra "Child and Adolescent Abuse and neglect Research" Journal of American academy of child abuse. Oct, 1999 5. Gale Encyclopedia of Medicine web 6. Mann, David "Physical Abuse of Children" web 7. Alex, Tom "Father of Infant charged" web 8. Miller, Alice web.