The U.S. Department of Health and Human services estimated 906,000 children were victims of kid abuse or neglect in 2003. While physical injuries may or will not be immediately visible, abuse and neglect can have consequences for kids, families, and society that last lifetimes, if not generations.
The after affects of kid abuse and neglect is discussed when it comes to physical, psychological, behavioral, mental, behavioral, spiritual and societal consequences. In point of fact, nevertheless, it’s inconceivable to separate them completely. Physical consequences (equivalent to damage to a baby’s growing brain) can have psychological implications (cognitive delays or emotional difficulties). Psychological problems often manifest as high-risk behaviors. Depression and anxiety compel an individual more more likely to smoke, abuse alcohol, use illegal or pharmaceuticals and/or eating disorders. High-risk behaviors, can result in long-term physical health problems equivalent to sexually transmitted diseases, cancer-vaginal, ovarian or breast in women; prostate, testicular in men, MS, chronic fatigue, lupus, etc.
Physical or sexual abuse can weaken survivors’ immune systems in accordance with Dr. Frank Putnam of the National Institute of Mental Health and Dr. Martin Teicher of Harvard Medical School. Putnam conducted studies on 170 girls, age 6-15-half had been abused, half had not-for seven years. The abused girls displayed symptoms equivalent to:
o Abnormal high stress hormones, which may kill neurons in brain areas crucial for considering and memory
o High levels of an antibody that weaken the immune system.
Teicher accomplished a series of brain studies on 402 children and adults, a lot of whom had been sexually or physically abuse. His findings revealed that sexual or physical abuse creates:
o Arrested growth of the left hemisphere of the brain which may hamper development of language and logic
o Growth of the appropriate hemisphere of the brain (the location for emotion) at an abnormally early age
Physical Health after effects:
The immediate physical effects of abuse or neglect could be relatively minor (bruises or cuts) or severe (broken bones, hemorrhage, and even death). In some cases the physical effects are temporary; nevertheless, the pain and suffering they cause a baby must be addressed. Meanwhile, the long-term impact of kid abuse and neglect on physical health is just starting to be explored.
Below are some outcomes researchers have identified:
o Shaken baby syndrome. The immediate effects of shaking a baby (child abuse in infants) can include vomiting, concussion, respiratory distress, seizures, and death. Long-term consequences can include blindness, learning disabilities, mental retardation, cerebral palsy, or paralysis (Conway, 1998).
o Impaired brain development. Child abuse and neglect have been shown, in some cases, to cause vital regions of the brain to fail to form properly, leading to impaired physical, mental, and emotional development (Perry, 2002; Shore, 1997). In other cases, the stress of chronic abuse causes a “hyperarousal” response by certain areas of the brain, which can end in hyperactivity, sleep disturbances, and anxiety, in addition to increased vulnerability to post-traumatic stress disorder, attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, conduct disorder, and learning and memory difficulties (Perry, 2001; Dallam, 2001).
o Poor physical health. A study of 700 children who had been in foster look after 1 yr found greater than one-quarter of the kids had some type of recurring physical or mental health problem (National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-Being). A study of 9,500 HMO participants showed a relationship between various types of household dysfunction (including childhood abuse) and long-term health problems equivalent to sexually transmitted diseases, heart disease, cancer, chronic lung disease, skeletal fractures, and liver disease (Hillis, Anda, Felitti, Nordenberg, & Marchbanks, 2000; Felitti, Anda, Nordenberg, Williamson, Spitz, Edwards, Koss, & Marks, 1998).
Psychological after effects:
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. Researchers have identified links between child abuse and neglect and the next:
o Poor mental and emotional health. In a single long-term study, 80 percent of young adults who had been abused met the diagnostic criteria for a minimum of one psychiatric disorder at age 21. These young adults exhibited many problems, including depression, anxiety, eating disorders, and suicide attempts (Silverman, Reinherz, & Giaconia, 1996). Other psychological and emotional conditions related to abuse and neglect include: panic disorder, dissociative disorders, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, and reactive attachment disorder (Teicher, 2000).
o Cognitive difficulties. The National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-Being recently found children placed in out-of-home care as a consequence of abuse or neglect tended to attain lower than the overall population on measures of cognitive capability, language development, and academic achievement (2003).
o Social difficulties. Children who’re abused and neglected by caretakers often don’t form secure attachments to them. These early attachment difficulties can result in later difficulties in relationships with other adults in addition to with peers (Morrison, Frank, Holland, & Kates, 1999).
Behavioral after effects:
Not all victims of kid abuse and neglect will experience behavioral consequences; nevertheless, child abuse and neglect appear to make the next more likely:
o Difficulties during adolescence. Studies have found abused and neglected children to be a minimum of 25 percent more more likely to experience problems equivalent to delinquency, teen pregnancy, low academic achievement, drug use, and mental health problems (Kelley et al., 1997).
o Juvenile delinquency and adult criminality. A National Institute of Justice study indicated being abused or neglected as a baby increased the likelihood of arrest as a juvenile by 59 percent. Abuse and neglect increased the likelihood of adult criminal behavior by 28 percent and violent crime by 30 percent (Widom & Maxfield, 2001).
o Alcohol and other drug abuse. Research consistently reflects an increased likelihood that abused and neglected children will smoke cigarettes, abuse alcohol, or take illicit drugs. In response to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, as many as two-thirds of individuals in drug treatment programs reported being abused as children (2000).
o Abusive behavior. Abusive parents often have experienced abuse during their very own childhoods. It’s estimated roughly one-third of abused and neglected children will eventually victimize their very own children (Prevent Child Abuse Latest York, 2001).
Societal after effects:
While child abuse and neglect normally occurs throughout the family, the impact doesn’t end there. Society as a complete pays a price for child abuse and neglect, when it comes to each direct and indirect costs.
o Direct costs. Direct costs include those related to maintaining a baby welfare system to analyze allegations of kid abuse and neglect, in addition to expenditures by the judicial, law enforcement, health, and mental health systems to reply to and treat abused children and their families. A 2001 Prevent Child Abuse America report estimates these costs are $24 billion annually.
o Indirect costs. Indirect costs represent the long-term economic consequences of kid abuse and neglect. These include juvenile and adult criminal activity, mental and emotional dysfunction, substance abuse, and domestic violence; lack of productivity as a consequence of unemployment and underemployment; the price of special education services, and increased use of the health care system. Prevent Child Abuse America recently estimated these costs are greater than $69 billion per yr (2001).
Summary
Of the research that has been done in regards to the after effects of kid abuse and neglect, the results vary depending on the circumstances of the abuse or neglect, personal characteristics of the kid, and the kid’s environment. Consequences whether mild or severe lasts a lifetime, unless there may be emotional and spiritual healing. Ultimately, as a consequence of related costs to public entities equivalent to the health care, human services, and academic systems, abuse and neglect impact not only the kid and family, but society as a complete. Total estimated Direct and Indirect cost to society for child abuse–verbal, physical/ sexual and neglect is $103 billion annually.
