Effects Of Child Abuse

Introduction

Child abuse happens when a parent or another adult causes emotional or physical harm to a child. Child abuse is generally in three forms; physicalabuse, sexualabuse, neglect and abandonment and psychological or emotional abuse. When it comes to emotional abuse, physical abuse and neglect boys are more at risk compared to girls. On the other hand girls are more prone to sexual abuse compared to boys. Child abuse usually comes from all levels of the society though most reported cases of child abuse are from families where there is lack of education, poverty, social isolation, high mobility and unemployment. Child abuse can occur at any age of a child’s life meaning that there is no age than a child is more vulnerable to child abuse. In serious cases child abuse can lead to death; survivors end up with emotional scars which usually linger on even after the physical bruises from the abuse have healed. The effects of child abuse are usually carried over to a child’s adult life.

Inability to form healthy relationships in early adult life

Children who have been abused have a low-esteem, think of committingsuicide, are often depressed and they tend to develop other mental healthproblems. They also have problems when it comes to building and maintaining strong relationship in the Corse of their lives. An individual that has been abused in their childhood often continues to find it difficult to form strong emotional bonds and relationships even many years after the abuse has ended. The development of strong and healthy relationships may be difficult for adults who survived child abuse as they might be remind of abusive parent even if it is only implicitly. This is because the impact of child abuse remains imprinted onto the psyche of an individual and the effects of child abuse might be very difficult for them to easily overcome (Nauert, 2006).

Adults who survive child abuse often develop certain feelings towards others such as dislike,mistrust,rejection and emotional distancing which might hinder them from forming healthy relationships with others. They are often tot able to maintain healthy relationships incase they form them as they will often take part in arguing or fighting constantly. These individuals also have a problem when it comes to communicating their feelings.in most cases the abuse makes them used to suppressing or bottling up their emotions and feelings. The abusers force the children not to tell anyone about what they are going through often threatening them .in their adult life the child will become very secretive and fear exposing their feelings to anyone. This contributes to their inability of forming healthy relationships as they will fond it difficult to share anything going on in their lives with anyone. They might also find it difficult to form any kind or romantic relationships and they can not form any intimate relationships with other people (Nauert, 2006).

It is not all the children who have been abused in their childhood have difficulty in forming healthy relationships. This often depends on various reasons such as; the age of the child’s and their development status when the abuse took place.it also depends on the type of abuse the child has gone through ;is it physical, sexual, or emotional. Another factor is the frequency, severity and duration that the abuse took. Finally it depends on the relationship that the victim had with his or her abuser (Child Welfare Information Gateway, 2008).

Interventions

Treating and counselingservices offered to children that have been assaulted helps with working through the trauma. This reduces the effects of the abuse and hence these children may overcome the trauma they might have been harboring. This leads to better relationship building when a child is in their adult life. If there is no action taken against stopping abuse and child protection then the effects of child abuse will be serious and it will become very difficult for an adult who have been abused to form any meaningful relationships. Therefore the only way of preventing this from happening is taking any action that will stop the abuse from going on.

References

Child Welfare Information Gateway. (2008). Long-Term Consequences of Child Abuse and Neglect. Retrieved May 31, 2013 from https://www.childwelfare.gov/pubs/factsheets/long_term_consequences.cfmNauert, R. (2006).Relationship challenges for child abuse survivors.Retrieved May 31, 2013 fromhttp://psychcentral.com/news/2006/10/27/relationship-challenges-for-child-abuse-survivors/363.html