How Child Abuse Correlates with Psychosocial Results - Case Study Example

Child Abuse This study expounds on what child abuse is and its effects on the development of a child. It provides an introduction on types of child abuse and the development domains that are affected by the abuse. The study also provides information on the methods and used in carrying out the study. Results and discussions of the study are also provided in this study paper. Introduction Child abuse refers to any act of commission or omission by either a parent or caregiver that leads to harm, enhance harm or portrays a threat of harm to a child (0-18 years old) even when it is unintentional. The five main types of child abuse include physical abuse, sexual harassment, emotional abuse, neglect, as well as witnessing domestic violence. In connection to this, Lamont claims that “outcomes of child abuse range from mild symptoms to debilitating and life-threatening conditions” (Lamount 2010, p. 2). Cross argues that there are many different factors that affect the way abuse affects children. Some of these factors include the age as well as the development status of a child when he or she was abused, the severity of the mistreatment, the frequency and period of abuse, the relationship between the abused child and the executor, and the types of mistreatment (Cross, 2011). Child abuse can hamper with all domains of development (physical, psychological, social, and cognitive as well as behavioral) which often interrelate in terms of functionality. Health problems Research carried out by Brown, Cohen, Johnson and Smailes (1999) shows that there is great association between abuse and children’s health problems. A common type of abuse that affects the health young children is shaken baby syndrome. Health problems that result from this abuse include brain damage and spinal cord injuries. The abuse also leads to hearing loss, speech difficulties as well as death. Additionally, Brown, Cohen, Johnson and Smailes assert that the experiences of child abuse may impair with the development of a child’s brain. According to them, impairment of the development of child’s brain is as a result of trauma that results from experiences of child abuse (Brown, Cohen, Johnson & Smailes, 1999). Youth suicide Research by Schore associates most of the youth suicides with child abuse (Schore, 2002). According to him, abuses such as sexual harassment at tender age increases the rate of suicidal thoughts in adolescents. This is also evidenced by his findings; 31% of physically abused children had suicidal thoughts whereas the non-abused group constituted only 10%. In justifying his findings, Schore argued that sexual abuse correlate with suicidal behavior because of the feeling of shame when young children grow. How child abuse correlates with psychosocial results A study by Herrenkohl, Moylan, Russo, Sousa and Tajima (2011) asserts that there is great correlation between child abuse and psychological problems. According to them, experiencing child abuse can result to both internalizing and externalizing behavior problems. In justifying their claim, they argue that abused children portray diverse psychological problems such as anxiety and depression. They also claim that problems associated with child abuse cause effects that persist into adolescence. Effects of domestic violence exposure Exposure to domestic violence has also been associated with psychological problems. Apart from resulting to low self-esteem and social withdrawal, they also cause depression and anxiety. According to them, the aggressiveness of most people as well as their violent behaviors is also as a result of experiencing domestic violence. Pregnancy and fatal abuse Child abuse has also been associated with complications such as teenage pregnancy and death. Most young age pregnancy is as a result of sexual abuse; most pregnant children of the age between 16 and 18 were forced into parenthood via abuse. According to Schore (2002), most deaths of children below the age of 15 is as a result of child abuse and neglect. Substance and alcohol abuse Research carried out by Lamont shows that psychological problems associated with child abuse may lead to children indulging in consumption of drugs and alcohol (Lamont, 2010). In justifying their claim, they assert that all types of child mistreatment correlate with higher levels of substance abuse. This is evidenced by the result they got from the survey they carried out in one of the public schools in the United States. According to their survey, students of grade 6, 9 and 12 who had experienced physical or sexual abuse in their life found it very easy to abuse alcohol, marijuana and other hard drugs. Objectives In summary, the objective of this research study is to integrate all development challenges children face as a result of maltreatment by their parents or guardians so as to express the consequences of child abuse and the importance of doing away with child abuse. Method The research materials reviewed in compiling this paper includes secondary and primary resources with representative samples from different sectors. The primary sources were reviewed professional research journals. The samples used in this study were also from research materials of researchers who had extensively researched on effects of child abuse. Most of the participants used in research studies I relied on were children of the age between 1 and 10. The samples were seen for follow-up interviews in a period of 5 years. Childhood maltreatment was assessed in the last two assessments in order to gather dependable information. Data from the preschool as well as school aged assessment was obtained from interviews with parents. Results None Child Abuse Domestic Violence Dual Exposure Males Females Internalizing 11.82 13.81 14.29 15.99 12.43 15.35 YSR (7.80) (9.41) (9.36) (9.87) (7.95) (10.03)   Withdrawn 3.74 4.51 4.43 4.59 4.05 4.48   YSR (2.35) (2.69) (2.35) (2.38) (2.39) (2.43)   Somatic 2.35 2.43 2.82 3.20 2.10 3.39   complaints YSR (2.43) (2.68) (2.79) (2.91) (2.20) (3.03)   Anxious/ 5.73 6.86 7.04 8.20 6.28 7.48   depressed YSR (4.66) (5.24) (5.67) (6.07) (4.90) (5.93)   Depression 8.38 10.67 10.68 13.74 10.29 11.08  Beck (6.42) (6.80) (8.07) (9.61) (7.43) (8.62) Externalizing 13.55 15.72 15.34 17.09 16.11 14.22 YSR (7.59) (7.29) (8.81) (8.62) (8.35) (7.87)   Delinquent 4.61 5.44 5.16 5.60 5.63 4.55   behavior YSR (2.85) (2.91) (3.43) (3.08) (3.20) (2.81)   Aggressive 8.94 10.28 10.18 11.49 10.48 9.67   behavior YSR (5.57) (5.31) (6.03) (6.26) (5.90) (5.78)   Delinquency 8.53 12.32 10.79 12.87 13.35 7.79   Elliot (6.93) (6.81) (7.84) (8.68) (8.12) (5.98) Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2872483/table/T2/ The table above shows “Mean and standard deviation of outcomes for the violence exposure groups and both genders” (Herrenkohl, Moylan, Russo, Sousa & Tajima, 2011). From the table above; child abuse is rampant in female children than male children. Child abuse affects of all domains of development. Discussion The findings by Herrenkohl, Moylan, Russo, Sousa and Tajima portrayed in the table above shows that child abuse contributes significantly to development of detrimental characters in children. It not only leads to children becoming violent, but also very aggressive. Child abuse also increases the levels of externalizing and internalizing behavior challenges in young adolescents than those who were not exposed to any sort of abuse. It hampers with all domains of development. However, it greatly affects the psychological system of a child. The table also shows that female children experience the impacts of child abuse than male children. This is in connection to sexual abuse that affects mainly female children. Potential limitation to this study involves a regulated measure of child abuse exposure. The measure for this study included the small measure used by Herrenkohl, Moylan, Russo, Sousa and Tajima in their study. Conclusion This study expounded on the effects of child abuse on development process of a child. It provided information on the methods as well as samples used in collection of data. The study also relied on the results of one research that was carried out by some researchers in providing discussion on child abuse. The potential limitation of the study was also discussed in this study. References Brown, J., Cohen, P., Johnson,J. & Smailes, E. (1999). Childhood Abuse and Neglect: Specificity of Effects on Adolescent and Young Adult Depression and Suicidality. Journal of the American of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry. Cross, M. (2011). Children with Social, Emotional and Behavioural Difficulties and Communication Problems: There is Always a Reason. New York: Jessica Kingsley Publishers. Herrenkohl, T., Moylan, C., Russo, M., Sousa, C. & Tajima, E. (2011). The Effects of Child Abuse and Exposure to Domestic Violence on Adolescent Internalizing and Externalizing Behavior Problems. National Institute of Health. Lamont, A. (2010). Effects of Child Abuse and Neglect for Children and Adolescents. Australian Institute of Family Studies. Schore, A. (2002). Dysregulation of the Right Brain: a Fundamental Mechanism of Traumatic Attachment and the Psychopathogenesis of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry 2002; 36:9-30 Read More