Child neglect and abuse

Children can be mistreated by having essential things withheld from them (neglect) or by having harmful things done to them (abuse). Neglect involves not meeting children’s basic needs: physical, medical, educational, and emotional. Emotional neglect is a part of emotional abuse. Abuse can be physical, sexual, or emotional. The different forms of abuse sometimes occur together. Child neglect and abuse often occur together and with other forms of family violence, such as spousal abuse. In addition to immediate harm, neglect and abuse cause long-lasting problems, including mental health problems and substance abuse. Also, adults who were sexually or mentally abused as children are more likely to abuse their own children.

In the United States, more than 800,000 children are neglected or abused every year, and about 1,100 of them die. Neglect is about 3 times more common than physical abuse. Neglect and abuse result from a complex combination of individual, family and social factors. Being a single parent, being poor, having problems with drug or alcohol abuse, or having a mental health problem (such as a personality disorder or low self-esteem) can make a parent mire likely to neglect or abuse a child. Neglect is 12 times more common among children living in poverty.

Doctors and nurses are required by law to promptly report cases of suspected child neglect or abuse to a local Child Protective Services agency. Depending on the circumstances, the local law enforcement agency may also be notified. Prompt reporting is also required from all people whose job places children younger than 18 in their care. Such people include teachers, childcare workers, and police and legal services personnel. Anyone else who knows of or suspects neglect or abuse is encouraged to report it but is not required to do so. All reported cases of child abuse are investigated by representatives of the Local Child Protective Services agency, who determine the facts and make recommendations. Agency representatives may recommend social services (for the child and family members), temporary hospitalization, temporary foster care, or permanent termination of parental rights. Doctors and social workers help the representatives from The Child Protective Services agency decide what to do based on the immediate medical needs of the child, the seriousness of the harm, and the likelihood of further neglect or abuse. There are a number of different types of child neglect and abuse.

Physical Neglect. Not meeting a child’s essential needs for food, clothing, and shelter is the most basic form of neglect. But there are many other forms. Parents may not obtain preventive dental or medical care for the child, such as vaccinations and routine physical examinations. Parents may delay obtaining medical care when the child is ill, putting the child at risk of more severe illness and even death. Parents may not make sure the child attends school or is privately schooled. Parents may leave a child in the care of a person who is known to be abusive, or may leave a young child unattended.

Physical Abuse. Physically mistreating or harming a child, including inflicting excessive physical punishment, is physical abuse. Children of any age may be physically abused, but infants and toddlers are particularly vulnerable. Physical abuse is the most common cause of serious head injury in infants. In toddlers, physical abuse is more likely to result in abdominal injuries, which may be fatal. Physical abuse (including homicide) is among the 10 leading causes of death in children. Generally, a child’s risk of physical abuse decreases during the early school years and increases during adolescence.

Most perpetrators of physical abuse are males known by the children. Children who are born in poverty to a young, single parent are at highest risk. Family stress contributes to physical abuse. Stress may result from unemployment, frequent moves to another home, social isolation from friends or family members, or ongoing family violence. Children who are difficult (irritable, demanding, hyperactive, or handicapped) often triggered by a crisis in the midst of other stresses. A crisis may be a loss of a job, a death in the family, a discipline problem, or even a toileting accident.

Sexual Abuse. Any action with a child that is for the sexual gratification of an adult or a significantly older child is considered sexual abuse. It includes penetrating the child’s body, touching the child with sexual intention but without penetration, exposing the intimate parts of the body, showing pornography to a child, and using a child in the production of pornography.

By the age of 18, about 12 to 25% of girls and 8 to 10% of boys have been sexually abused. Most perpetrators of sexual abuse are people known by the children, commonly a stepfather, an uncle or a mother’s boyfriend. Female perpetrators are less common. Certain situations increase the risk of sexual abuse. For example, children who have several caregivers or a caregiver with several sex partners are at increased risk. Being socially isolated, having low self-esteem, having family members who are also sexually abused, or being associated with a gang also increases risk.

Emotional abuse. Using words or acts to psychologically mistreat a child is emotional abuse. Emotional abuse makes children feel that they are worthless, flawed, unloved, unwanted, in danger, or valuable only when they meet another person’s needs.

Emotional abuse includes spurning, exploiting, terrorizing, isolating, and neglecting. Spurning means belittling the child’s abilities and accomplishments. Exploiting means encouraging deviant or criminal behavior, such as committing crimes or abusing alcohol or drugs. Terrorizing means bullying, threatening the child. Isolating means not allowing the child to interact with other adults or children. Emotionally neglecting a child means ignoring and not interacting with the child; the child is not given love and attention. Emotional abuse tends to occur over a long period of time.

Munchausen by Proxy. In this unusual type of child abuse, a caregiver, usually a mother, exaggerates, fakes, or causes an illness in the child. The symptoms of neglect and abuse vary depending partly on the nature and duration of the neglect and abuse, on the child, and on the particular circumstances. In addition to obvious physical injuries, symptoms include emotional and mental health problems. Such problems may develop immediately or later and may persist.

Physical Neglect. Physically neglected children may appear undernourished, tired or dirty or may lack appropriate clothing. They may frequently be absent from school. In extreme cases, children may be found living alone or with siblings, without adult supervision. Physical and emotional development may be slow. Some neglected children die of starvation or exposure.

Physical Abuse Bruises, burns, welts, or scrapes are common. These marks often have the shape of the object used to inflict them, such as a belt or lamp cord. Cigarette or scald burns may be visible on the arms or legs. Severe injures to the mouth, eyes, brain, or other internal organs may be present but not visible. Children may have signs of the old injuries, such as broken bones, that have healed. Sometimes injuries result in disfigurement.

Toddlers who have been intentionally dunked into a hot bathtub have scald burns. These burns may be located on the buttocks and may be shaped like a doughnut. The splash of hot water may cause small burns on other parts of the body.

Infants who are shaken may have shaken baby (shaken impact) syndrome. This syndrome is caused by violent shaking, often followed by throwing the infant. Infants who are shaken may have no visible signs of injury and may appear to be sleeping deeply. This sleepiness is due to brain damage and swelling, which may result from bleeding between the brain and skull (subdural hemorrhage). Infants may also have bleeding in the retina (retinal hemorrhage) at the back of the eye. Ribs and other bones may be broken.

Children who have been abused for a long time are often fearful and irritable. They often sleep poorly. They may be depressed and anxious. They are more likely to act in violent, criminal, or suicidal ways.

Sexual Abuse Changes in behavior are common. Such changes may occur abruptly and be extreme. Children may become aggressive or withdrawn or develop phobias or sleep disorders. Children who are sexually abused may behave in sexual ways inappropriate for their age. Children who are sexually abused by a parent or other family member may have conflicted feelings. They may feel emotionally close to the offender, yet betrayed.

Sexual abuse may also result in physical injuries. In general, children who are emotionally abused tend to be insecure and anxious about their attachments to other people because they have not had their needs met consistently or predictably. Infants who are emotionally neglected may seem unemotional or uninterested in their surroundings. Their behavior may be mistaken for mental retardation or a physical disorder. Children who are emotionally neglected may lack social skills or be slow to develop speech and language skills. Children who are spurned may have low self-esteem. Children who are exploited may commit crimes or abuse alcohol or drugs. Children who are terrorized may appear fearful and withdrawn. They may be distrustful, unassertive, and extremely anxious to please adults. Children who are isolated may be awkward in social situations and have difficulty forming normal relationships. Older children may not attend school regularly or may not perform well when they do attend.

Neglect and abuse are often difficult to recognize unless children appear severely undernourished or are obviously injured or unless neglect or abuse is witnessed by other people. Neglect and abuse may not be recognized for years. There are many reasons for this difficulty. Abused children may feel that abuse is a normal part of life and may not mention it. Physically and sexually abused children are often reluctant to volunteer information about their abuse because of shame, threats of retaliation, or even a feeling that that they deserved the abuse. Physically abused children often describe what happened to them if asked directly, but sexually abused children may be sworn to secretly or so traumatized that they do not.

When doctors suspect neglect or any kind of abuse, they look for signs of other types of abuse. They also fully evaluate the physical, environmental, and social needs of the child.

A neglected child is usually identified by health care practitioners or social workers during evaluation of an unrelated issue, such as an injury, an illness, or a behavioral problem. Doctors may notice that a child is not developing physically or emotionally at a normal rate or has missed many vaccinations or appointments. Teachers may identify a neglected child because of frequent unexplained absences from school. If neglect is suspected, doctors often check for anemia, infections, and lead poisoning, which are common among neglected children.

Physical abuse may be suspected when an infant who is not yet walking has bruises or serious injuries. Abuse may be suspected when a toddler or older child has certain types of bruises, such as bruises on the back of the legs, buttocks, and torso. When children are learning to walk bruises often result, but such bruises typically occur on prominent bony areas on the front of the body, such as the knees, shins, forehead, chin and elbows.

Abuse may also be suspected when parents appear to know little about their child’s health or to be unconcerned about an obvious injury. Parents who abuse their child may be reluctant to describe to the doctor or friends how an injury occurred. The description may not fit the age and nature of the injury or may change each time the story is told.

If doctors suspect physical abuse, they obtain accurate drawings and photographs of the injuries. Sometimes x-rays are taken to look for signs of previous injuries. If a child is younger than 2 years, x-rays of all bones are often taken to check for fractures.

Often, sexual abuse is diagnosed on the basis of the child’s or a witness’s account of the incident. However, because many children are reluctant to talk about sexual abuse, it may be suspected only because the child’s behavior becomes abnormal. If a child has been sexually within 72 hours, doctors examine the child to collect legal evidence of sexual contact. Photographs of any visible injuries are taken. In some communities, health care practitioners who are specially trained to evaluate sexual abuse of children perform this examination.

Emotional abuse is usually identified during evaluation of another problem, such as poor performance in school or a behavioral problem. Children who are emotionally abused are checked for signs of physical and sexual abuse.

A team of doctors, often health care practitioners, and social workers try to deal with the causes and effects of neglect and abuse. The team helps family members understand the child’s needs and helps them access local resources. For example, a child whose parents cannot afford health care may qualify for medical assistance from the state. Other community and government programs can provide assistance with food and shelter. Parents with substance abuse or mental health problems may be directed to appropriate treatment programs. Parenting programs are available in some areas.

All physical injuries and disorders are treated. Some children are hospitalized for treatment of injuries; sever undernutrition, or other disorders. Some severe injuries require surgery. Infants with shaken baby syndrome usually need to be admitted to a pediatric intensive care unit.

Sometimes healthy children are hospitalized to protect them from further abuse until appropriate home care can be ensured. Some children who have been sexually abused are given drugs to prevent sexually transmitted diseases, sometimes including HIV infection. Children who appear to be very upset need immediate counseling and support. Sexually abused children, even those who appear unaffected initially, are referred to a mental health care practitioner, because long-lasting problems are common. Long-term psychological counseling is often needed. Doctors refer other children for counseling if behavioral or emotional problems develop.

The goal of treatment is to return children to a safe, healthy family environment. Depending in the nature of the abuse and the abuser, children may go home with their family or may be removed from their home and placed with relatives or in foster care. This placement is often temporary, for example, until the parents can obtain housing or employment or until regular home visits by a social worker are established. In severe cases of neglect and abuse, the parents’ rights may be permanently terminated. In such cases, the child remains in foster care until the child is adopted or becomes an adult.

David Merck.

/from MerkPatient and Caregiver Web, Feb 1, 2003/

SET WORK

I. Say what is meant by:

family violence, immediate harm, substance abuse, personality disorder, childcare worker, foster care, to be privately schooled, to leave a child unattended, abdominal injuries, perpetrator, social isolation, a toileting accident, sexual gratification, caregiver, flawed, spurning, deviant behavior, undernourished, exposure, welts, disfigurement, doughnut, hemorrhage, to act in a suicidal way, withdrawn, threats of retaliation, environmental needs, health care practitioner, anemia, sexually transmitted diseases, to obtain housing.

II. Find in the article the English for:

недодавать кому-либо любви; удовлетворять ч-то важнейшие потребности; насилие в семье, «бытовуха»; …встречается в 3 раза чаще; низкая самооценка; доложить о ч-либо, сообщить; лишение родительских прав; обычный терапевтический осмотр; склонный к насилию человек; нанесение чрезмерных физических травм; подвергаться самому большому риску; нездоровая обстановка в семье; непрекращающийся; продолжающийся; быть спровоцированным ч-либо; преуменьшать, умалять ч-либо способности; заслуги; физический ущерб; не посещать школу; брат или сестра; надзор со стороны взрослых; ссадины; ожоги от сигарет; внутренние органы; окунуть в горячую ванну; опухоль; расстройство сна; смешанные чувства; чувствовать себя неуверенно; отрешенный; добровольно сделать ч-либо; быть травмированным; пройти рентген; реанимация; в крайних случаях.

Дата добавления: 2015-11-16