Child abuse
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2008-07-16T06:14:01Z
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{{FamilyLaw}}
'''Child abuse''' is the [[physical abuse|physical]], [[psychological abuse|psychological]] or [[child sexual abuse|sexual]] maltreatment of children. While most child abuse happens in the child's home, a significant portion also occurs in organizations involving children, such as churches, schools, child care businesses, and residential schools.<ref>B.A. Robinson (2001 October 25) [http://www.religioustolerance.org/sch_resid.htm Abuse at Canadian Native Residential Schools] ''ReligiousTolerance.org'' Accessed [[2007-09-13]].</ref><ref>[http://www.rrj.ca/issue/1998/spring/254/ "Getting Away with Murder—Of children" and "Missed Clues—Lost Lives : TORONTO STAR, 1998"]</ref> Within four primary categories of child abuse, which include [[neglect|neglect]], [[physical abuse|physical abuse]], [[psychological abuse|psychological or emotional abuse]], and [[sexual abuse|sexual abuse]], there are different subcategories within each type of abuse. <ref>[http://www.helpguide.org/mental/child_abuse_physical_emotional_sexual_neglect.htm]</ref>
Neglect has three different categories, which include physical, educational, and emotional neglect. An example of physical neglect would be the failure to provide adequate food, clothing, or hygiene. An example of educational neglect would be the failure to enroll the child into school. An example of emotional neglect would be inadequate nurturing or affection.<ref>[http://www.helpguide.org/mental/child_abuse_physical_emotional_sexual_neglect.htm]</ref>
There is a wide range of [[physical abuse|physical abuse]], including striking, burning, shaking, pinching, pulling hair or ear, or cutting off a child’s air. <ref>[http://www.helpguide.org/mental/child_abuse_physical_emotional_sexual_neglect.htm]</ref>
Within [[sexual abuse|sexual abuse]] there are many different types, including, behavior involving penetration, fondling, violations of privacy, exposing children to adult sexuality, and exploitation. <ref>[http://www.helpguide.org/mental/child_abuse_physical_emotional_sexual_neglect.htm]</ref>
[[psychological abuse|Psychological or Emotional]] abuse is probably the least understood of all child abuse because there are never visible marks, but it can be the cruelest and most destructive of all types of abuse. [http://preventchildabuse.com/emotion.htm]
Emotional abuse includes verbal abuse, withholding affection, extreme punishment and corruption, ignoring, rejecting, terrorizing, and isolating.<ref>[http://www.helpguide.org/mental/child_abuse_physical_emotional_sexual_neglect.htm] [http://preventchildabuse.com/emotion.htm]</ref> It may also entail the abuser minimizing, or "downplaying" the severity of abuse along with the act of invalidation. Invalidation is to reject, ignore, mock, tease, judge, or diminish someone's feelings. It is an attempt to control how they feel and for how long they feel it. <ref>[http://eqi.org/invalid.htm]</ref>
Since there are many forms of abuse and neglect, many governments have developed their own legal definition of what constitutes child maltreatment for the purposes of removing a child and/or prosecuting a criminal charge. In the United States, the Federal Government puts out a full definition of child abuse and neglect and creates a summary of each State definition.<ref>[http://www.childwelfare.gov/can/defining/ Definitions of Child Abuse and Neglect: Summary of State Laws], that is part of the 2005 State Statute series by the Child Welfare Information Gateway.</ref> The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) defines child maltreatment as any act or series of acts or commission or omission by a parent or other caregiver that results in harm, potential for harm, or threat of harm to a child. Examples of acts of commission include physical, sexual, and psychological abuse. Examples of acts of omission include failure to provide (physical, emotional, medical/dental, or educational neglect) or failure to supervise (inadequate supervision, or exposure to violent environments.)<ref>Leeb, RT, Paulozzi, Melanson, C, Simon, T, Arias, I. Child Maltreatment Surveillance: Uniform Definitions for Public Health and Recommended Data Elements, Version 1.0. Atlanta (GA) Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control; 2008.</ref>
==Prevalence==
Neglect represents 54% of confirmed cases of child abuse, physical abuse 22%, sexual abuse 8%, emotional maltreatment 4%, and other forms of maltreatment 12%.<ref>National Committee to Prevent Child Abuse, "[http://web.archive.org/web/19980515052303/http://childabuse.org/facts97.html Child Abuse and Neglect Statistics]," April 1998</ref>
According to a recent [[UNICEF]] report on child well-being<ref>[http://www.unicef.org/media/files/ChildPovertyReport.pdf Child Poverty in Respective: An Overview of Child Wellbeing in Rich Countries, UNICEF: Innocenti Research Center, Report Card 7]</ref> in the [[United States]] and the [[United Kingdom]] ranked lowest among [[first world]] nations with respect to the well being of their children. This study also found that child neglect and child abuse are far more common in single-parent families than in families where both parents are present. Recently a study conducted by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention found that 1 in 50 infants in the United States are victims of nonfatal neglect or abuse.<ref>Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Nonfatal Maltreatment of Infants – United States, October, 2005--September 2006. MMWR 2008;57:[336-339].</ref> In the US, neglect is defined as the failure to meet the basic needs of children including housing, clothing, food and access to medical care. Researchers found over 91,000 cases of neglect over the course of one year (from October 2005- September 30, 2006) with their information coming from a database of cases verified by protective services agencies. <ref>Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Nonfatal Maltreatment of Infants – United States, October, 2005--September 2006. MMWR 2008;57:[336-339].</ref>
Some forms of child abuse include physical abuse such as beatings, spankings, or choking. Other forms are mental abuse such as neglect, selling second houses without one's consence, or other.
==Effects==
Children with a history of neglect or physical abuse are at risk of developing [[psychiatric]] problems,<ref name=Gauthier, Stollak, Messe, & Arnoff, J. (1996)>Gauthier, L., Stollak, G., Messe, L., & Arnoff, J. (1996). "Recall of childhood neglect and physical abuse as differential predictors of current psychological functioning," ''Child Abuse and Neglect'', 20, 549-559</ref><ref name=Malinosky-Rummell & Hansen, (1993)>Malinosky-Rummell, R. & Hansen, D.J. (1993). "Long term consequences of childhood physical abuse," ''Psychological Bulletin'', 114, 68-69</ref> including a [[Attachment in children|disorganized attachment style]].<ref name=Lyons-Ruth & Jacobvitz, (1999)>Lyons-Ruth K. & Jacobvitz, D. (1999). "Attachment disorganization: unresolved loss, relational violence and lapses in behavioral and attentional strategies." In J. Cassidy & P. Shaver (Eds.) ''Handbook of Attachment''. (pp. 520-554). NY: Guilford Press</ref><ref name=Solomon & George, (1999)>Solomon, J. & George, C. (Eds.) (1999). Attachment Disorganization. NY: Guilford Press</ref><ref name=Main & Hesse, (1990)>Main, M. & Hesse, E. (1990) Parents’ Unresolved Traumatic Experiences are related to infant disorganized attachment status. In M.T. Greenberg, D. Ciccehetti, & E.M. Cummings (Eds), Attachment in the Preschool Years: Theory, Research, and Intervention (pp161-184). Chicago: University of Chicago Press</ref> Disorganized attachment is associated with a number of developmental problems, including [[Dissociation (psychology)|dissociative]] symptoms,<ref name=Carlson,E.A. (1988)>Carlson, E.A. (1988). "A prospective longitudinal study of disorganized/disoriented attachment," ''Child Development'', 69, 1107-1128</ref> as well as anxiety, depressive, and acting-out symptoms.<ref name=Lyons-Ruth,K (1996)>Lyons-Ruth, K. (1996). "Attachment relationships among children with aggressive behavior problems: The role of disorganized early attachment patterns," ''Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology'', 64, 64-73</ref><ref name=Lyons-Ruth, Alpern, & Pepacholi, (1993)>Lyons-Ruth, K., Alpern, L., & Repacholi, B. (1993). "Disorganized infant attachment classification and maternal psychosocial problems as predictors of hostile-aggressive behavior in the preschool classroom," ''Child Development'', 64, 572-585</ref> A study by Dante Cicchetti found that 80% of abused and maltreated infants exhibited symptoms of [[Attachment theory|disorganized attachment]].<ref name=Carlson, V., Cicchetti, D., Barnett, D., & Bruanwald, K., (1995)>Carlson, V., Cicchetti, D., Barnett, D., & Braunwald, K. (1995). "Finding order in disorganization: Lessons from research on maltreated infants’ attachments to their caregivers." In D. Cicchetti& V. Carlson (Eds), ''Child Maltreatment: Theory and research on the causes and consequences of child abuse and neglect'' (pp. 135-157). NY: Cambridge University Press.</ref><ref name=Cicchetti, D., Cummings, EM, Greengerg, MT, & Marvin, RS. (1990)>Cicchetti, D., Cummings, E.M., Greenberg, M.T., & Marvin, R.S. (1990). An organizational perspective on attachment beyond infancy. In M. Greenberg, D. Cicchetti, & M. Cummings (Eds), Attachment in the Preschool Years (pp. 3-50). Chicago: University of Chicago Press.</ref>
The effects of child abuse vary, depending on its type. A 2006 study found that childhood emotional and sexual abuse were strongly related to adult [[Depression (mood)|depressive]] symptoms, while exposure to verbal abuse and witnessing of domestic violence had a moderately strong association, and physical abuse a moderate one. For depression, experiencing more than two kinds of abuse exerted synergetically stronger symptoms. Sexual abuse was particularly deleterious in its intrafamilial form, for symptoms of depression, [[anxiety]], dissociation, and limbic irritability. Childhood verbal abuse had a stronger association with anger-hostility than any other type of abuse studied, and was second only to emotional abuse in its relationship with dissociative symptoms.<ref>Teicher, M. H., Samson, J. A., Polcari, A, & McGreenery, C. E. (2006). "[http://ajp.psychiatryonline.org/cgi/content/full/163/6/993 Sticks, stones, and hurtful words: Relative effects of various forms of childhood maltreatment]," ''American Journal of Psychiatry'', 163, 993-1000.</ref>
==Treatment==
There are a number of treatments available to victims of child abuse.<ref name=Cohen2006>{{cite journal | author = Cohen, J.A. | coauthors = Mannarino, A.P.; Murray, L.K.; Igelman, R. | year = 2006 | title = Psychosocial Interventions for Maltreated and Violence-Exposed Children | journal = Journal of Social Issues | volume = 62 | issue = 4 | pages = 737–766 | doi = 10.1111/j.1540-4560.2006.00485.x}}</ref> Trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy, while developed to treat sexually abused children, is now used for victims of any kind of trauma. It targets trauma-related symptoms in children including [[Posttraumatic Stress Disorder]] (PTSD), [[clinical depression]], and [[anxiety]]. It also includes a component for non-offending parents. Several studies have found that sexually abused children undergoing TF-CBT improved more than children undergoing certain other therapies. Data on the effects of TF-CBT for children who experienced only non-sexual abuse was not available as of 2006.<ref name=Cohen2006 />
Abuse-focused cognitive behavioral therapy was designed for children who have experienced physical abuse. It targets externalizing behaviors and strengthens prosocial behaviors. Offending parents are included in treatment, to improve parenting skills/practices. It is supported by one randomized study.<ref name=Cohen2006 />
Child-parent psychotherapy was designed to improve the child-parent relationship following the experience of domestic violence. It targets trauma-related symptoms in infants, toddlers, and preschoolers, including PTSD, aggression, defiance, and anxiety. It is supported by two studies of one sample.<ref name=Cohen2006 />
==See also==
*[[Attachment theory]]
*[[Aurukun rape case]]
*[[Complex post-traumatic stress disorder]]
*[[Emotional dysregulation]]
*[[Incest]]
*[[KIDPOWER]]
*[[List of films portraying paedophilia or sexual abuse of minors]]
* [[subpoena duces tecum]]
* [[subpoena ad testificandum]]
* [[David Pelzer]]
==Footnotes==
{{reflist|2}}
==External links==
* {{dmoz|Society/Issues/Children,_Youth_and_Family/Child_abuse}}
[[Category:Child abuse| :]]
[[Category:Crimes]]
[[Category:Family therapy]]
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