|
Child Abuse: An Overview -Emotional Abuse
Emotional abuse is more than just verbal abuse. It is an attack on a child's emotional and social development, and is a basic threat to healthy human development. Emotional abuse can take many forms:
Belittling
Belittling a child causes the child to see him or herself in the way consistent with the caregivers words. This limits the child's potential by limiting the child's own sense of his or her potential.
Coldness
Children learn to interact with the world through their early interactions with their parents. If parents are warm and loving, children grow to see the world as a secure place for exploration and learning. When parents are cold to their children, they deprive the child of necessary ingredients for intellectual and social development. Children who are subjected to consistent coldness grow to see the world as a cold, uninviting place, and will likely have seriously impaired relationships in the future. They may also never feel confident to explore and learn.
Corrupting
When parents teach children to engage in antisocial behavior, the children grow up unfit for normal social experience.
Cruelty
Cruelty is more severe than coldness, but the results can be the same. Children need to feel safe and loved in order to explore the world around them and in order to learn to form healthy relationships. When children experience cruelty from their caretakers, the world ceases to "make sense" for them, and all areas of learning are affected - social, emotional, and intellectual development are hindered.
Extreme Inconsistency
The foundations of learning are laid in the first interactions between child and caretaker. Through consistent interactions, the child and parent shape each other and the child learns that his or her actions have consistent consequences - this is the foundation for learning. The child also learn to trust that his or her needs will be met from others. When the caretaker is inconsistent in his or her response to the child, the child cannot learn what is expected from the start, and all areas of learning can be effected throughout the child's lifespan.
Harassment
Harassment has similar effects to those of belittling, but also involves a stress response. Harassment scares the child, and repeated exposure to fear can alter the child physically, lowering their ability to deal with other stressful situations.
Ignoring
Ignoring a child deprives the child of all the essential stimulation and interaction necessary for emotional, intellectual and social development.
Inappropriate Control
Inappropriate control takes three forms - lack of control, over control, and inconsistent control.
Lack of control puts children at risk for danger or harm to themselves and robs children of the knowledge handed down through human history.
Over control robs children of opportunities for self-assertion and self-development by preventing them from exploring the world around them.
Inconsistent control can cause anxiety and confusion in children and can lead to a variety of problematic behaviors as well as impair intellectual development.
Isolating
Isolating a child, or cutting them off from normal social experiences, prevents the child from forming friendships and can lead to depression. Isolating a child seriously impairs their intellectual, emotional and social development. Isolating is often accompanied by other forms of emotional abuse and often physical abuse.
Rejecting
When a caretaker rejects a child, the caretaker is negating the child's self-image, showing the child that he or she has no value. Children who are rejected from the start by their caretakers develop a range of disturbed self-soothing behaviors. An infant who is rejected has almost no chance of developing into a healthy adult.
Terrorizing
Terrorizing, like harrasment, evokes a stress response in children. Repeated evocation of the stress response alters the child physically, lowering their ability to fight off disease, increasing their risk for many stress-related ailments. Aside from the physical affects, a child living in terror has no opportunities to develop anything other than unhealthy and anti-social survival skills.
Emotional abuse is the core of all forms of abuse, and the long-term effects of child abuse and neglect in general stem mainly from the emotional aspects of abuse. Actually, it is the psychological aspect of most abusive behaviors that defines them as abusive. Think of a child breaking his or her arm. If the arm was broken while riding a bicycle and trying to jump a ramp, the child will heal and recover psychologically, perhaps strengthening his or her character and learning valuable life-lessons in the process by overcoming obstacles with the support of his or her caregivers and friends. If the same injury occurs because a parent twists the child's arm behind his or her back in a rage or throws the child down the stairs, the child will heal physically, but may never heal psychologically. In thinking of sexual abuse, think of a child being examined by a doctor - doctors touch children's genitals routinely in physical examinations without damaging children in any way. But think of the same contact from a sexualized older acquaintance. It is clear that the damage from fondling the child is psychological and emotional. Now think of a child who lives with a parent who terrifies the child but who has just enough control (IT'S ALL ABOUT CONTROL) over him- or herself to refrain from injuring the child physically in a way that will draw questions. That child is suffering the same devastating abuse as the children in the examples above, but often nothing can be done about it. Despite the fact that the long-term harm from abuse is most often caused by the emotional aspects of the abuse, emotional abuse is the most difficult of the forms of abuse to substantiate and prosecute. Actual physical injury is often required before the authorities can step in and assist a child. Also, the effects of abuse are very similar to symptoms of many childhood mental and physical disorders, which makes identifying emotionally abused children difficult.
*****************************************************
****************************************************************************
Effects Of Child Abuse And Neglect
In a study to determine the effects of child abuse and neglect, it was concluded that 'we do not believe that many children can develop coping skills and be emotionally healthy in a chronically abusive or neglectful environment' (Farber and Egeland 1987). And, indeed, there is evidence that the immediate effects of physical abuse can be catastrophic for children, sometimes resulting in mental retardation, brain damage or death. The long-term consequences can also be devastating, leaving physical and emotional scars which may result in psychiatric illness (Burdekin 1993), or an inability to form meaningful relationships. One of the most extreme responses to this can, in fact, be youth suicide (Kosky 1987). On the other hand, there may be an outward manifestation of the abuse, such as unusual aggressiveness or assaultive behaviour replicating that which was inflicted. Eckersley (1988) and the Burdekin Report (1989) both refer to marginalised adolescents who are victims of child abuse and family fragmentation.
The more hidden effect on children of continually witnessing domestic violence may have similar results as direct abuse and neglect. Children in such situations, can, like abused children, exhibit low self-esteem, lack of trust in adults, attention-seeking behaviour, chronic illness, allergies and frequent injuries, self- destructive behaviour including substance abuse and offending, as well as depression and homelessness (Blanchard et al 1992).
Finkelhor (1986) proposes that early experiences have a powerful outcome on adult behaviour. And, in fact, an abusive childhood has been documented as the most consistent factor in the histories of those who abuse children. These parents have rarely experienced nurturing, trusting relationships with their own caregivers.
In a recent study (Widom 1992) conducted in the United States, the consequences of abusive experiences have been the subject of extensive research on the link between child abuse, neglect and criminal behaviour. A group of people who had suffered childhood abuse and neglect were compared with a matched group not officially recorded as maltreated. They were tracked through official records over a 15-20-year period. It was found that in the group of people who had been abused and neglected as children, the odds of future delinquency, adult criminality overall and, specifically, arrest for a violent crime, increased by around 40 per cent.
A high percentage of children are subjected to abuse, physical and verbal, in their own homes: a frightening thought because if a child cannot feel safe in his own home, where can he feel safe?
Thankyou for reading this. Please be aware of child abuse because society needs to be aware so that children can be protected!
Why Do Youth Commit Suicide?
While there are no definitive answers for why adolescents attempt and complete suicide, there is general agreement that youth who take their own lives feel hopeless about their situation and believe it will never change. Suicide seems to be a response to seemingly intolerable pain. It appears a complex set of factors interact with the youth's biological, emotional, intellectual and social stages of development. Some factors which contribute to suicide are listed below:
Biological
Depression due to chemical imbalance; physical illness; physical disability; learning disability; chemical changes during puberty; or, physical dependency on drugs or alcohol.
Emotional
Sadness; stress; impulsive behavior; a sense of powerlessness; loss, grief; loneliness; low self- esteem; anger or rage; guilt; hopelessness; a sense of being overwhelmed; anxiety; confusion about sexual identity/orientation; emotional dependency on chemical substances.
Intellectual
Inability to communicate feelings; perfectionism; pressure to achieve or perform; self- criticism; unrealistic view of death; revenge; exaggeration of faults.
Social
Isolation; withdrawal; friendlessness; lack of social skills; unpopularity; feelings of not belonging; embarrassment before peers; labeled as "crazy," "stupid," or "different;" in trouble at home; school or with the law; a runaway.
(Suicidal Process information taken from an article entitled, "Educated Suicide Prevention," by Iris M. Bolton, published in School Safety, Spring 1986.)
Warning Signs
Having knowledge of suicide warning signs is the first step in being able to help an adolescent in need. Contrary to common belief, about 80% of those who attempt suicide do exhibit signs. Several of these signs together may indicate it's time to talk openly with the individual you are concerned about.
It is important to remember, however, that even healthy teens exhibit some of these signs from time to time. No one single sign is a sure indicator of suicide. Look for a pattern and trust your instincts!
Verbal
Direct statements like the following need immediate attention:
"I want to die"
"I don't want to live anymore"
"Life sucks and I want to get out"
Indirect statements can also give clues:
"I want to go to sleep and never wake up"
"They'll be sorry when I'm gone"
"Soon the pain will be over"
"I hate myself"
Behavioral
Lack of energy
Acting bored or disinterested
Tearful sadness
Difficulty concentrating or making decisions
Silence or withdrawal
Anger and destructive behavior
Less interest in usual activities
Giving away prized possessions
Poor school performance
Confusion
Dwelling on death in creative activities such as music, poetry and drawing
Difficulty sleeping or changing sleep patterns
Increased thrill seeking and risky behaviors
Increased use of drugs and alcohol
Change in appearance and cleanliness
Change in appetite or eating habits
Environmental
Previous suicide attempts by a family member or friend
Problems at school
Family violence
Sexual abuse
Major family change
The most vulnerable times for youth suicides are during "rites of passage," including graduation, anniversaries and birthdays. Many teens also commit suicide a short interval after a disciplinary crisis or after a rejection or humiliation.
.
Gun safety is also a crucial precaution that every gun owner should practice. Statistics show that the risk of suicide is five times greater if there's a gun in the home. Basic safety includes locking the guns and ammunition in separate containers - Empty It Out & Lock It Up!
(Warning Signs taken from presentation developed by Youth Crisis Stabilization Program, Community Health and Counseling Services, Bangor, Maine.)
What Can You Do to Help?
The most important thing is to not only know the warning signs but always be aware of the youth in your life. If you recognize some signs and your gut feeling is that the youth may be considering suicide, remember to:
 Listen to the youth
Talk openly about suicide
Remain calm and proceed slowly
Be positive
Know your own limits
Clarify the permanence of death
Emphasize alternatives
Act quickly to help
Know your resources
It's critical that you follow-up by finding professional help after managing the initial interaction with the youth.
|
