Child abuse

Description

Any intentional harm or mistreatment to a child under the age of 18 years old is considered child abuse. Child abuse has many forms, which often occur at the same time.

  • Physical abuse. Physical abuse occurs when a child is intentionally physical injuries or put at risk of harm by another person.
  • The Sexual abuse. Child sexual abuse is any sexual activity with a child. This may involve sexual contact, such as intentional sexual touching, oral-genital contact or sexual. This can also involve non-contact sexual abuse of a child, such as exposing a child to sexual activity or pornography; the observation or filming a child in a sexual manner; the sexual harassment of a child; or the prostitution of a child, including trafficking for sexual purposes.
  • The emotional abuse. Emotional child abuse means harm to a child's self-esteem or emotional well-being. It includes verbal and emotional assault — as continually belittle or reprimand a child, as well as isolating, ignoring or rejecting a child.
  • Medical abuse. Medical child abuse occurs when someone gives false information about the disease in a child that requires medical attention, putting the child at risk of unnecessary injury and medical care.
  • Negligence. Child neglect is failure to provide adequate food, clothing, shelter, clean living conditions, affection, supervision, education, or medical or dental care.

In many cases, the child abuse is done by someone the child knows and trusts — often a parent or other relative. If you suspect child abuse, report the abuse to the appropriate authorities.

Symptoms

A child who has been abused may feel guilty, ashamed, and confused. The child may be afraid of telling someone about the abuse, especially if the abuser is a parent, other relative or friend of the family. That is why it is of vital importance to warning signs, such as:

  • Withdrawal from friends or usual activities.
  • Changes in behavior such as aggression, anger, hostility, or hyperactivity or changes in school performance
  • Depression, anxiety, or unusual fears, or a sudden loss of self-confidence
  • Sleep problems and nightmares
  • An apparent lack of supervision
  • Frequent absences from school
  • Rebel or defiant behavior
  • Self-harm or suicide attempts

Specific signs and symptoms depend on the type of abuse and may vary. Note that the warning signs are just that — warning signs. The presence of warning signs do not necessarily mean that a child is being abused.

Physical abuse signs and symptoms

  • Unexplained injuries, such as bruises, broken bones (fractures) or burns
  • Injuries that are not consistent with the explanation given
  • Injuries that are not compatible with the capacity of development

Sexual abuse signs and symptoms

  • The Sexual behavior or knowledge that is inappropriate for the child's age
  • Pregnancy or a sexually transmitted infection
  • Genital or anal pain, bleeding, or injury
  • Statements by the child that he or she was sexually abused
  • Inappropriate sexual behavior with other children

Emotional abuse signs and symptoms

  • Delayed or inappropriate emotional development
  • The loss of self-confidence or self-esteem
  • Social withdrawal or loss of interest or enthusiasm
  • Depression
  • The avoidance of certain situations, such as refusing to go to school or the bus
  • Seems desperately seeking affection
  • A decrease in school performance or the loss of interest in school
  • The loss of previously acquired developmental skills

The abandonment of the signs and symptoms

  • Poor growth
  • The excess of weight with medical complications that are not being adequately addressed
  • Poor personal hygiene
  • The lack of clothing or supplies to meet the physical needs
  • The hoarding or stealing food
  • Poor record of school attendance
  • The lack of proper medical care, dental, or psychological problems, or lack of follow-up care

The behavior of the parents

Sometimes the parents of the conduct or behavior sends red flags of child abuse. Warning signs include a parent who:

  • Shows little concern for the child
  • Does not seem to be able to recognize the physical or emotional distress in the child
  • Blames the child for the problems
  • Constantly belittles, or berates the child, and describes the child with negative terms, such as "no value" or "bad"
  • The child is expected to provide the attention and care of the parents and seems to be jealous of other family members to get the attention of the child
  • Uses harsh physical discipline
  • The demands of an inadequate level of physical or academic performance
  • It limits the child's contact with others
  • Offers conflicting or unconvincing explanations for the children to injuries or no explanation at all
  • Repeatedly brings the child to medical evaluations and / or application of medical tests, such as X-rays and laboratory tests, for issues that are not seen during the health care provider's examination

Physical punishment

Child health experts condemn the use of violence in any form, but some people still use physical punishment, such as spanking to discipline their children. While parents and caregivers often use physical punishment with the intention of helping their children or do their best behavior, research shows that spanking is linked with the worst, not the best behavior. It has also been associated with mental health problems, difficult relationships with parents, low self-esteem, and lower academic performance.

Any physical punishment can leave emotional scars. Of the parents of the behaviors that cause pain, physical injury or emotional trauma — even when done in the name of the discipline — it could be child abuse.

When to see a doctor

If you are concerned that your child or another child who has been abused, seek help immediately. Depending on the situation, please contact the pediatrician, a local child welfare agency, police department or a 24-hour service to the council. In the united States, you may obtain information and assistance by calling or sending text messages to the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-422-4453.

If the child needs immediate medical attention, call 911 or your local emergency number.

In the united States, keep in mind that the professional of the health and many other people, such as teachers and social workers, are legally required to report all suspected cases of child abuse to the authorities or local child welfare agency.

Risk factors

Factors that can increase a person's risk of becoming abusive include:

  • A history of being abused or neglected as a child
  • Physical or mental illness, such as depression or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
  • The family crisis or stress, including domestic violence, and other marital conflicts, or the rearing of the children
  • A child in the family that is the development, or physical disability
  • The financial stress, unemployment, or poverty
  • Social or extended family isolation
  • Poor understanding of child development and parenting skills
  • Alcohol, drugs, or other substances of abuse

Complications

Some of the children to overcome the physical and psychological effects of the abuse of children, especially those with strong social support and resiliency skills that can adapt and cope with bad experiences. For many others, however, the child abuse can result in physical, behavioral, emotional, or mental health problems — even years later.

Here are some examples.

Physical problems

  • Premature death
  • Physical disability
  • Learning disabilities
  • Substance abuse
  • Health problems, such as heart disease, diabetes, chronic lung disease, and cancer

Behavior problems

  • Illegal or violent behavior
  • The abuse of others
  • Retreat
  • Suicide attempts or self-injury
  • High-risk sexual behaviors or teen pregnancy
  • Problems in school or didn't finish high school
  • Limited social and relationship skills
  • Problems with your work or remain employed

Emotional problems

  • Low self-esteem
  • Difficulty establishing and / or maintaining relationships
  • Challenges with intimacy and trust
  • An unhealthy view of fatherhood
  • Inability to deal with the stress and frustration
  • The acceptance that violence is a normal part of relationships

Mental health disorders

  • Eating disorders
  • Personality disorders
  • Behavior disorders
  • Depression
  • Anxiety disorders
  • Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
  • Sleep problems (insomnia), and the nightmares
  • Attachment disorders

Prevention

You can take important steps to protect your child against the exploitation and abuse of children, as well as to prevent the abuse of children in your neighborhood or community. The objective is to provide a safe, stable, nurturing relationships for children.

Here's how you can help keep children safe:

  • Offer your child the love and attention. To care and to listen to your child and be involved in the life of your child develop the confidence and good communication. Encourage your child to tell you if there is a problem. With the support of a family environment, and social networking can help your child's feelings of self-esteem and self-esteem.
  • Do not respond with anger. If you feel overwhelmed or out of control, take a break. Do not take out your anger on your child. Talk with your health care provider or a therapist about the ways you can learn to cope with stress and a better interaction with your child.
  • I think supervision. Do not leave a child alone in the house. In public, keep a close watch on your child. To volunteer in the school and activities to get to know the adults who spend time with their child. When old enough to go out without supervision, encourage your child to stay away from strangers, and to go out with friends instead of being alone. Make it a rule that tells your child when he or she is at all times. Find out who is supervising your child — for example, in a pajama party.
  • Know your child's caregivers. Check references for babysitters and other caregivers. Irregular, but frequent, unannounced visits to observe what is happening. Don't allow that replaces your usual provider of care of children if you don't know the substitute.
  • Emphasis by saying no. Make sure that your child understands that he or she does not have to do anything, which seems to fear or feel uncomfortable. Encourage your child to get out of a threatening or frightening situation immediately and seek the help of a trusted adult. If something happens, encourage your child to talk to you or another trusted adult about what happened. Reassure your child that it is ok to talk and that he or she does not get in trouble.
  • Teach your child how to stay safe online.Place the computer in a common area of your home, not in the child's bedroom. Use parental controls to restrict the types of websites your children can visit. Check the privacy settings of the social networking sites. Consider it a red flag if your child is secretive about their online activities. Cover online basic rules, such as not sharing personal information, do not respond to inappropriate, offensive or scare messages, and not the organization, to meet an in-person contact without their permission. Tell your child to let you know if an unknown person makes contact through a social networking site. Report online harassment or inappropriate senders to your service provider, and the local authorities, if necessary.
  • Reach out. Meet with the families in your neighborhood, including parents and children. Develop a support network of family and friends. If a friend or neighbor seems to be struggling, offer to babysit or help in another way. Consider joining a parent support group for you to have a proper place to vent your frustrations.

Teach your child how to stay safe online. Place the computer in a common area of your home, not in the child's bedroom. Use parental controls to restrict the types of websites your children can visit. Check the privacy settings of the social networking sites. Consider it a red flag if your child is secretive about their online activities.

Cover online basic rules, such as not sharing personal information, do not respond to inappropriate, offensive or scare messages, and not the organization, to meet an in-person contact without their permission. Tell your child to let you know if an unknown person makes contact through a social networking site. Report online harassment or inappropriate senders to your service provider, and the local authorities, if necessary.

If you are concerned that you might abuse your child

If you are worried that I might abuse your child, seek help immediately. In the united States, you may obtain information and assistance by calling or sending text messages to the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline: 1-800-4-a-CHILD (1-800-422-4453).

Or you can start by talking with your family doctor. Your provider can offer a referral to a parent education class, counseling or a support group for parents to help learn the proper ways to deal with his anger. If you're the abuse of alcohol or drugs, consult your health care provider about treatment options.

If you were abused as a child, obtain advice to ensure you don't continue the cycle of abuse, or to teach those destructive behaviors to your child.

Remember that child abuse is preventable, and often a symptom of a problem that may be treatable. Ask for help today.

Child abuse

Diagnosis

The identification of abuse or neglect can be difficult. It requires a careful assessment of the situation, including the verification of physical and behavioral signs.

Factors that may be considered in the determination of abuse include:

  • Physical examination, including the assessment of the injuries or signs and symptoms of suspected child abuse or neglect
  • Lab tests, x-rays or other tests
  • Information about the child's medical and developmental history
  • Description or observation of the child's behavior
  • The observation of interactions between parents or caregivers and the child
  • Discussions with parents or caregivers
  • Speaking of, when possible, with the child

If the child abuse or neglect is suspected, a report needs to be made to an appropriate local child welfare agency to further investigate the case. The early identification of child abuse can keep children safe by stopping the abuse and the prevention of future abuses to occur.

Treatment

The treatment can help children and parents in situations of abuse. The first priority is to ensure the safety and protection of children who have been abused. Course of treatment focuses on the prevention of abuses in the future and reduce the long-term psychological and physical consequences of abuse.

Health care

If necessary, help the child to seek appropriate medical care. Seek medical attention right away if your child has signs of an injury or a change of consciousness. Follow-up care with a health care provider may be required.

Psychotherapy

To speak with a mental health professional may:

  • Help a child who has been abused to learn to trust again
  • To teach a child about healthy behaviors and relationships
  • Teach a child of conflict management and increase self-esteem

Different types of therapy can be effective, such as:

  • Trauma-focused cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT). Trauma-focused cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), which helps a child who has been abused to better manage distressing feelings and deal with trauma-related memories. Finally, the support of parents who have not abused the girl and the boy are seen together so that the child can say the father exactly what happened.
  • Child-parent psychotherapy. This treatment focuses on improving the parent-child relationship and in the construction of a greater adhesion between the two.

Psychotherapy can also help to parents:

  • Discover the roots of abuse
  • Learn effective ways to deal with life's inevitable frustrations
  • Learn parenting strategies healthy

If the child is still in the home, the social services can schedule visits in the home and make sure that the essential needs, such as food, are available. Children who are placed in foster care they may need mental health services.

Where to go for help

If you need help because you are at risk of abusing a child or think that someone has abused or neglected a child, take action immediately.

You can start by getting in touch with your health care provider, a local child welfare agency, police department or a child abuse hotline to the council. In the united States, you may obtain information and assistance by calling or sending text messages to the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline: 1-800-4-a-CHILD (1-800-422-4453).

Coping and support

If a child tells you that he or she is being abused, to take the situation seriously. The child's safety is most important. Here is what you can do:

  • Encourage the child to tell you what happened. Keep calm, because they assure the child that it is ok to talk about the experience, even if someone has threatened him or her to keep silent. Focus on listening, not to investigate. Consider the possibility that kids can use alternate terms for parts of the body. Don't ask leading questions — allow the child to explain what happened, and leave detailed questioning of the practitioners.
  • Remind the child that he or she is not responsible for the abuse. The responsibility for the abuse of a child belongs to the abuser. To say "It's not your fault" over and over again.
  • Offer comfort. You could say, "Thank you for letting me know", "I'm glad you told me," and "I'm going to do everything possible to help you." Let the child know that you are available to talk or just to listen to at any time.
  • Report abuse. Please contact a local child welfare agency or the police department. The authorities will investigate the report and, if necessary, take measures to ensure the safety of the child.
  • Help the child to stay safe. Ensure your child's safety by separating the abuser and the child, and by providing supervision if the child is in the presence of the abuser. Help the child get medical attention if necessary.
  • Consider the possibility of additional support. You can help your child seek counseling or other mental health treatment. Age-appropriate support groups can also be helpful.
  • If the abuse has occurred in school, make sure that the principal of the school is aware of the situation and report it to the state or local child welfare agency.
Symptoms and treatment of child abuse