Effects Of Child Abuse
What are the effects of child abuse? What are the common reactions in children that are exposed to abuse?
Here is a list of 14 reactions you may see.
1. Isolation - Often these children experience a sense of shame and a need to hide the chaos at home from others. They may not want peers to come to their home or may not be allowed to have friends over. They may also act aggressively and alienate others.
2. Feeling responsible for the abuse - A child may think, "If I had been a good boy/girl, daddy wouldn't hit mommy". This is reinforced if the parents are fighting over the discipline or care of the child(ren).
3. Helplessness - A child exposed o partner abuse may feel passive and dependent on others as (s)he is unable to protect him/herself or the abused parent.
4. Medical problems - In response to witnessing the violence, children may experience headaches, ulcers, stomach aches and asthma as some of the effects of child abuse.
5. Ambivalence - For a child, the idea of having two different feelings about one parent is difficult and confusing, i.e. love and anger or fear.
6. Fear of abandonment - Due to the fighting, a child may have strong fears that one or both parents will leave or die.
7. Emotional and behavioral problems - Child adjustment problems relate more to witnessing than to separation, divorce or the loss of a parent by death.
Witnessing abuse creates the same emotional problems for children as being assaulted themselves. These children usually have greatly elevated levels of both emotional and behavioral problems in their childhood and adult life.
8. Fear of physical harm to themselves - If they have left the home, a child may worry that the abuser will find and abduct or harm them, or will be very angry and retaliate if they return home.
* Unfortunately, these are often realistic fears.*
9. Pessimism about the future and over-generalization - Many children believe that spousal abuse is 'normal' and may avoid relationships because of this belief.
10. Eating and sleeping disorders - A child may display a fear of going to sleep and have nightmares or dreams of danger. The child may learn to cope with their stress by over-eating or not eating at all.
11. Guilt &/or depression - A child may feel depressed, sad &/or guilty because (s)he feels responsible for the violence and is unable to stop it - even though it is beyond their control.
12. Detachment, denial of seriousness and fantasies about 'normal' home life - A child who appears not to be bothered or barely notices when there is violence has serious problems and should get help immediately.
13. Substance abuse and other delinquent behaviors - Children who witness partner abuse often have problems with;
a. school and social adjustment,
b. higher rates of delinquency and aggression,
c. problems of attachment,
d. substance abuse,
e. higher rates of running away,
f. higher rates of suicide.
Some children are injured or arrested in the process of trying to protect their mothers.
14. Violence as a norm - Some children will learn to use violence to cope with stress and conflict in their adult relationships and parenting experiences.
Males are at a higher risk to abuse their partners when they grow up. This means, without professional intervention, the cycle of violence will continue into the next generation.
The effects of child abuse do not stop once the child enters their teen/adult life. Let's get help and intervene for recovery
- for everyone's future.
