In 2003, the US Department of Health and Human Services estimated that in 2003, 906,000 children were victims of child abuse or neglect. While physical injuries may or may not be immediate, abuse and neglect may have implications for children, families, and society during their last lives, if not generations.
Subsequent affects of child abuse and neglect are discussed in terms of physical, psychological, behavioral, mental, behavioral, spiritual, and social consequences. However, in reality they cannot be completely separated. Physical consequences (for example, damage to a child’s growing brain) can have psychological effects (cognitive delays or emotional difficulties). Psychological problems often manifest as high-risk behavior. Depression and anxiety make a person more likely to smoke, abuse alcohol, use illegal or prescription drugs and / or eating disorders. High-risk behavior can lead to long-term physical health problems, such as sexually transmitted diseases, cancer-vaginal, ovarian, or breast in women; prostate, testicles in men, MS, chronic fatigue, lupus, etc.
Physical or sexual abuse can weaken the immune system of survivors according to Dr. Frank Putnam of the National Institute of Mental Health and Dr. Martin Teicher of Harvard Medical School. Putnam conducted research on 170 girls, at the age of 6-15 and a half of them were offended, and half - not seven years. Insulted girls showed symptoms such as:
o Abnormal high stress hormones that can kill neurons in areas of the brain that are critical for thinking and memory.
o High levels of antibodies that weaken the immune system.
Teicher completed a series of brain studies in 402 children and adults, many of whom were sexually or physically abused. His results showed that sexual or physical abuse creates:
o Arrested growth of the left brain, which can impede the development of language and logic
o Growth of the right hemisphere of the brain (a place for emotions) at an abnormally early age
Physical health after exposure:
The immediate physical consequences of abuse or neglect can be relatively minor (bruises or cuts) or severe (broken bones, hemorrhage, or even death). In some cases, the physical effects are temporary; however, the pain and suffering they cause in a child must be resolved. Meanwhile, the long-term consequences of child abuse and neglect of physical health are just beginning to be studied.
Below are some results that researchers have identified:
o Shaken baby syndrome. The immediate effects of shaking a child (child abuse in infants) may include vomiting, a concussion, respiratory distress, convulsions, and death. Long-term effects can include blindness, mental retardation, mental retardation, cerebral palsy, or paralysis (Conway, 1998).
o Impaired brain development. In some cases, child abuse and neglect resulted in important regions of the brain not being able to form properly, resulting in impaired physical, mental and emotional development (Perry, 2002; Shore, 1997). In other cases, the stress of chronic abuse causes a "hyperarous" response in certain areas of the brain, which can lead to hyperactivity, sleep disorders and anxiety, as well as increased vulnerability to post-traumatic stress disorder, attention deficit / hyperactivity disorder, behavior disorder, learning difficulties and memory (Perry, 2001; Dallam, 2001).
o Poor physical health. A study of 700 children who were in a foster family for 1 year revealed that more than a quarter of the children had some recurring problem of physical or mental health (National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-being). A study of 9,500 HMO participants showed the relationship between various forms of household dysfunction (including child abuse) and long-term health problems, such as sexually transmitted diseases, heart disease, cancer, chronic lung diseases, skeletal fractures and liver disease (Hillis, Anda, Felitti, Nordenberg, & Marchbanks, 2000, Felitti, Anda, Nordenberg, Williamson, Spitz, Edwards, Koss, & Marks, 1998).
Psychological consequences:
The immediate emotional effects of abuse and neglect — isolation, fear, and an inability to trust — can turn into lifelong consequences, including low self-esteem, depression, and relationship difficulties. Researchers have identified links between child abuse and neglect and the following:
o Poor mental and emotional health. In one long-term study, 80 percent of abused young people met the diagnostic criteria for at least one psychiatric disorder aged 21 years. These young people showed many problems, including depression, anxiety, eating disorders, and suicide attempts (Silverman, Reinherz, & Giaconia, 1996). Other psychological and emotional states associated with 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 on Child and Adolescent Well-being recently found children outside the home, due to abuse or neglect, generally rated lower than the general population in terms of cognitive performance, language development and performance (2003).
o Social difficulties. Children who are abused and ignored by their guardians often do not form reliable attachments to them. These early attachment difficulties can lead to later difficulties in relationships with other adults, as well as with peers (Morrison, Frank, Holland, & Kates, 1999).
Behavioral effects:
Not all victims of child abuse and neglect will experience behavioral consequences; however, child abuse and neglect seem to make the following more likely:
o Difficulties in adolescence. Studies have shown that children who have been abused and neglected by children are at least 25% more likely to experience problems such as misconduct, teenage pregnancy, poor performance, drug use and mental health problems (Kelley et al., 1997).
o Minors among minors and adult crime. According to a study by the National Institute of Justice, violence against it or ignoring it as a child increases the likelihood of being arrested as a minor 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 forms of drug abuse. Research consistently reflects an increased likelihood that abused and neglected children smoke cigarettes, abuse alcohol or take illegal drugs. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, up to two thirds of the people who participated in drug treatment programs reported that they were being abused as children (2000).
o Abusive behavior. Abusive parents are often abused as children. It is estimated that about a third of abused and neglected children will eventually become victims of their own children (Prohibit Child Abuse in New York, 2001).
Social consequences:
While child abuse and neglect usually occur in the family, the influence does not end there. Society as a whole pays the price for child abuse and neglect in terms of both direct and indirect costs.
o Direct costs. Direct costs include those related to maintaining the child welfare system to investigate allegations of child abuse and neglect, as well as the costs of judicial, law enforcement, medical and psychiatric systems to respond to abused children and their families. In the 2001 report, “Preventing Child Abuse in America,” these costs amount to $ 24 billion. US per year.
o Indirect costs. The indirect costs are the long-term economic consequences of child abuse and neglect. These include criminal activity among minors and adults, mental and emotional dysfunction, substance abuse, and domestic violence; loss of productivity due to unemployment and underemployment; the cost of special education services and the wider use of the health care system. Preventing child abuse. America recently estimated that these costs amount to more than 69 billion dollars a year (2001).
Summary
From studies that have been done regarding the consequences of child abuse and neglect, the effects vary depending on the circumstances of abuse or neglect, the child’s personal characteristics and the child’s environment. The consequences of death or severe longevity if there is no emotional and spiritual healing. Ultimately, because of the associated costs for government agencies such as health care, human services and education systems, abuse and neglect affect not only the child and family, but also society as a whole. The overall assessment of the direct and indirect costs to society regarding child abuse - verbal, physical / sexual and dismissive attitudes is $ 103 billion. US per year.
