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... their own parenting. However, the majority of abused children do not become abusive adults. Some experts believe that an important predictor of later abuse is whether the child realizes that the behavior is wrong.
Children who believe they have behaved badly and deserved the abuse become abusive parents more often than children who believe their parents were wrong to abuse them. Stress created by a number of social conditions raises the risk of child abuse within a family. These conditions include, illness, poor housing conditions, a larger-than-average family size, the presence of a new baby or disabled person in the home, and the death of a family member. A large majority of reported cases of child abuse come from families living in one or several of these conditions. Child abuse also occurs in middle-class and wealthy families, but it is better reported among the poor for several reasons.
Wealthier families have an easier time hiding abuse because they have less contact with social agencies than poor families. Alcohol and drug use is common among abusive parents, and may aggravate stress and stimulate violent behavior. Certain characteristics of children, such as physical or developmental disabilities, can also increase the stress of parenting and the risk of abuse. Parents and caretakers who abuse children tend to be socially isolated. Few violent parents belong to any community organizations, and most have little contact with relatives or friends.
This lack of social interaction deprives abusive parents of support systems that would help them deal better with social or family stress. In addition, the lack of community values and standards. Cultural factors often determine the amount of community support a family receives. In cultures with low rates of child abuse, childcare is usually considered the responsibility of the entire community. That is neighbors, relatives, and friends help with childcare when the parents are unwilling or unable.
In the U. S. , parents often shoulder child-care demands by themselves, which may result in a higher risk of stress and child abuse. Certain types of families have an increased risk of child abuse and neglect. For example, single parents are more likely to abuse their children than married couples.
However, single-parent families usually earn less money than other families, so this may account for the increased risk of abuse. Families with chronic marital problems or spousal abuse have higher rates of child abuse than families without these problems. In addition, families in which either the husband or wife dominates in making important decisions such as where to live, what jobs to take, when to have children, and how much money to spend on food and housing have higher rates of child abuse than families in which parents share the responsibilities for these decisions. The consequences of child abuse and neglect can be devastating and extensive. Physical injuries can range from bruises, scrapes, and burns to brain damage, permanent disabilities, and death. The psychological effects of abuse and neglect can last a lifetime and may include a lowered sense of self-worth, an inability to relate to peers, reduced attention span, and learning disorders.
In severe cases, abuse may even result in psychiatric disorders, like depression, excessive anxiety, or dissociate disorder, as well as increased risk of suicide. Behavior problems often develop after abuse, including violence and juvenile crime. Children who are sexually abuse initially may show an unusual interest in sexual organs. They may demonstrate abnormal behavior, such as public masturbation or public display of their genitals. Long-term effects may include depression, low self-esteem, and sexual problems, such as avoidance of sexual contact, confusion about sexuality, or involvement in prostitution. Despite being abused, the majority of maltreated children do not show signs of extreme disturbance, and many cope with their problems.
A number of factors help shield children from the effects of maltreatment. These include high intelligence, good scholastic achievement, good temperament, and having close personal relationships. Since the 1960 s efforts to ensure that abuse children are identified have increased greatly in the United States. From 1962 to 1967 all 50 states and the District of Columbia enacted laws that required professionals in law enforcement, medicine, education, and other fields to report suspected cases of child abuse. As a result, the number of children reported as abused or neglected has increased substantially, from about 700, 000 in 1976 to about 2. 9 million in 1995.
Today, each state has a toll-free telephone hotline to receive child abuse and neglect reports from these individuals and the general public. In 1974 the United States government enacted the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act. This legislation provided a federal definition of child maltreatment and established the National Center on Child Abuse and Neglect. As part of the Department of Health and Human Services, the center collects data on child abuse, assists states in implementing prevention programs, and funds research on the causes, treatment, and prevention of child abuse. Child-welfare workers who confirm that a child has been abused of neglected usually have two options. These are (1) separate the child from the parents and place them with a relative, foster home, or state institution, or (2) keep the child with the parents and provide the family with social support, such as counseling, food stamps, and child-care services.
Public concern over placement of abused children in the U. S. grew in the 1970 s as the number of children placed in foster homes continued to rise. The Adoption Assistance and Child Welfare Act of 1980 placed special emphasis on living conditions for children. As a result of this law, child-welfare agencies work to avoid out-of-home placements and to reunify children in foster care with their parents. The decision to separate one or more children from an abusive parent or parents must be weighed against the risks.
The children may not understand why they are being removed from their home. Children may not realize they are even being abused or neglected, so the removal might seem like another instance of them doing something wrong and being punished. Also, child-welfare agencies often have difficulty finding suitable placement for abused children because such children frequently require special attention. If they become a burden for any foster parent or institution, the risk of abuse might actually be greater than in the home of the biological parents. There are also risks of keeping children in abusive homes. The support services may not resolve the problems that led to the abuse and the child may be abused again or even killed.
Of children killed by parents or caretakers, from 30 to 50 percent have been previously identified by child-welfare agencies and either left in their home or returned home after a short-tem removal. In the United States, many types of social programs, usually at the county or state levels, have attempted to reduce and percent child abuse. Current approaches involve identifying high-risk parents; such as young, single, first-time mothers and also providing parental skills training, counseling, education, and social support. Often trained social workers or nurses provide this support by visiting the family's home on a regular basis, encouraging community contact, and expanding the caretakers knowledge about available social services. Some home visitation programs have shown promise in reducing abuse among high-risk families. The most successful strategies provide home visitation that begins at or before the childs birth and continues for two or more years.
In one such program for unmarried teenage mothers, only 4 % of mothers had abused or neglected their children after two years, compared to 19 % of a group not in the program. Other programs try to preserve families in which abuse has occurred rather than send the child to foster care. A caseworker visits the family's home frequently and intensively over a period of weeks ad provides counseling and practical assistance for such issues as finding employment and obtaining childcare. However, many prevention and treatment programs may not reduce the incidence of child abuse significantly.
Studies indicate that the more intervention services a family receives, the more abuse occurs in the family. Intensive family preservation programs, for example, provide short-term relief, but they do not seem to reduce placement of children in foster homes or lower the risk of maltreatment. It is evident from this information that child abuse is an enormous evil among children. It is important that everyone do their part in helping to decrease the number of children that are affected until this number no longer exists. This may be virtually impossible, because there is stress in every family, but children are a very important part of our society and it is worth the effort. Mainly because these children are the future and it is stated in my information that it is highly possible that an abused child may grow up to abuse his or her own children and this is a cycle that should not continue.
Furthermore, it is evident in our society that children with issues tend to grow up to be adults with issues.
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