Causes of Child Abuse

(1) Intergenerational Transmission of Violence

Many children learn violent behavior from their parents and then grow up to abuse their own children. Thus, the abusive behavior is transmitted across generations. Studies show that some 30 percent of abused children become abusive parents, whereas only 2 to 3 percent of all individuals become abusive parents. Children who experience abuse and violence may adopt this behavior as a model for their own parenting.

However, the majority of abused children do not become abusive adults. Some experts believe that an important predictor of later abuse is whether the child realizes that the behavior was wrong. Children who believe they behaved badly and deserved the abuse become abusive parents more often than children who believe their parents were wrong to abuse them.

(2) Social Stress

Stress brought on by a variety of social conditions raises the risk of child abuse within a family. These conditions include unemployment, illness, poor housing conditions, a larger-than-average family size, the presence of a new baby or a disabled person in the home, and the death of a family member. A large majority of reported cases of child abuse come from families living in poverty. Child abuse also occurs in middle-class and wealthy families, but it is better reported among the poor for several reasons. Wealthier families have an easier time hiding abuse because they have less contact with social agencies than poor families.

Alcohol and drug use, common among abusive parents, may aggravate stress and stimulate violent behavior. Certain characteristics of children, such as mental retardation or physical or developmental disabilities, can also increase the stress of parenting and the risk of abuse.

(3) Social Isolation and Low Community Involvement

Parents and caretakers who abuse children tend to be socially isolated. Few violent parents belong to any community organizations, and most have little contact with friends or relatives. This lack of social involvement deprives abusive parents of support systems that would help them deal better with social or family stress. Moreover, the lack of community contacts makes these parents less likely to change their behavior to conform with community values and standards.

Cultural factors often determine the amount of community support a family receives. In cultures with low rates of child abuse, child care is usually considered the responsibility of the community. That is, neighbors, relatives, and friends help with child care when the parents are unwilling or unable. In the United States, parents often shoulder child-care demands by themselves, which may result in a higher risk of stress and child abuse.

(4) Family Structure

Certain types of families have an increased risk of child abuse and neglect. However, single-parent families usually earn less money than other families, so this may account for the increased risk of abuse. Families with chronic marital discord or spousal abuse have higher rates of child abuse than families without these problems. In addition, families in which either the husband or wife dominates in making important decisions—such as where to live, what jobs to take, when to have children, and how much money to spend on food and housing—have higher rates of child abuse than families in which parents share responsibility for these decisions.

What is child abuse prevention? The goal of child abuse prevention is to stop child abuse and neglect from ever happening. The best way to prevent child abuse and neglect is to support families and help parents learn the skills they need to be effective caregivers. Parenting is a learned skill. Child abuse prevention often focuses on helping parents learn how to meet the needs of their children through positive parenting and nonviolent discipline techniques. We work with partners in the public and private sectors to prevent child abuse in all its forms and develop, support and provide primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention strategies. Primary prevention services focus on educating the general public with the goal of preventing child abuse and neglect from ever happening. Primary prevention strategies often seek to strengthen family functioning. Examples include education programs for new or expectant parents, community-based family support services, and public and professional awareness campaigns about how child abuse can be prevented. Secondary prevention services target specific at-risk groups with the goal of preventing child abuse and neglect from happening within that population. Secondary prevention strategies address the risk or early signs of violence. Examples include support groups for individuals who have experienced family violence and information and referral services that connect at-risk individuals with resources in their communities. Tertiary prevention services target groups that have experienced abuse or neglect with the goal of intervening in the violence, rehabilitating the victim and the family, and preventing the recurrence of abuse. Examples include provisional out-of-home care for children and the removal of children from the family.

Consequences of physical abuse

Children who are physically abused are likely to receive bone fractures, particularly rib fractures,and may have a higher risk of developing cancer.

Prevention

April has been designated Child Abuse Prevention Month in the United States since 1983. U.S. President Barack Obama continued that tradition by declaring April 2009 Child Abuse Prevention Month. One way the Federal government of the United States provides funding for child-abuse prevention is through Community-Based Grants for the Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect (CBCAP).

Resources for child-protection services are sometimes limited. According to Hosin (2007), "a considerable number of traumatized abused children do not gain access to protective child-protection strategies." Briere (1992) argues that only when "lower-level violence" of children ceases to be culturally tolerated will there be changes in the victimization and police protection of children.

Treatment

A number of treatments are available to victims of child abuse. Trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy, first developed to treat sexually abused children, is now used for victims of any kind of trauma. It targets trauma-related symptoms in children including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), clinical depression, and anxiety. It also includes a component for non-offending parents. Several studies have found that sexually abused children undergoing TF-CBT improved more than children undergoing certain other therapies. Data on the effects of TF-CBT for children who experienced only non-sexual abuse was not available as of 2006.

Abuse-focused cognitive behavioral therapy was designed for children who have experienced physical abuse. It targets externalizing behaviors and strengthens prosocial behaviors. Offending parents are included in the treatment, to improve parenting skills/practices. It is supported by one randomized study.

Child-parent psychotherapy was designed to improve the child-parent relationship following the experience of domestic violence. It targets trauma-related symptoms in infants, toddlers, and preschoolers, including PTSD, aggression, defiance, and anxiety. It is supported by two studies of one sample.

Other forms of treatment include group therapy, play therapy, and art therapy. Each of these types of treatment can be used to better assist the client, depending on the form of abuse they have experienced. Play therapy and art therapy are ways to get children more comfortable with therapy by working on something that they enjoy (coloring, drawing, painting, etc.). The design of a child's artwork can be a symbolic representation of what they are feeling, relationships with friends or family, and more. Being able to discuss and analyze a child's artwork can allow a professional to get a better insight of the child.

Ethics

One of the most challenging ethical dilemmas arising from child abuse relates to the parental rights of abusive parents or caretakers with regard to their children, particularly in medical settings. In the United States, the 2008 New Hampshire case of Andrew Bedner drew attention to this legal and moral conundrum. Bedner, accused of severely injuring his infant daughter, sued for the right to determine whether or not she remain on life support; keeping her alive, which would have prevented a murder charge, created a motive for Bedner to act that conflicted with the apparent interests of his child. Bioethicists Jacob M. Appel and Thaddeus Mason Pope recently argued, in separate articles, that such cases justify the replacement of the accused parent with an alternative decision-maker.

Organizations

There are organizations at national, state, and county levels in the United States that provide community leadership in preventing child abuse and neglect. The National Alliance of Children's Trust Funds and Prevent Child Abuse America are two national organizations with member organizations at the state level.

Other organizations focus on specific prevention strategies. The National Center on Shaken Baby Syndrome focuses its efforts on the specific issue of preventing child abuse that is manifested as Shaken baby syndrome. Mandated reporter training is a program used to prevent ongoing child abuse.

Steps to protecting our children

Step 1: Learn the facts
Realities—not trust—should influence your decisions regarding your child.

Step 2: Minimize Opportunity
If you eliminate or reduce one-adult/one-child situations, you’ll
dramatically lower the risk of sexual abuse for your child.

Step 3: Talk about it
Children often keep abuse a secret, but barriers can be broken down
by talking openly about it.

Step 4: Stay Alert
Don’t expect obvious signs when a child is being sexually abused.

Step 5: Make a Plan
Learn where to go, who to call and how to react.

Step 6: Act on Suspicions
The future well-being of a child is at stake.

Step 7: Get involved
Volunteer and financially support organizations that fight the tragedy
of child sexual abuse.

Child Abuse Nature

Physical Abuse

• Unexplained or repeated injuries such as welts, bruises, or burns.
• Injuries that are in the shape of an object (belt buckle, electric cord, etc.)
• Injuries not likely to happen given the age or ability of the child. For example, broken bones in a child too young to walk or climb.
• Disagreement between the child's and the parent's explanation of the injury.
• Unreasonable explanation of the injury.
• Obvious neglect of the child (dirty, undernourished, inappropriate clothes for the weather, lack of medical or dental care).
• Fearful behavior.

Emotional - Verbal Abuse

• Aggressive or withdrawn behavior.
• Shying away from physical contact with parents or adults.
• Afraid to go home.

Sexual Abuse

• Child tells you he/she was sexually mistreated.
• Child has physical signs such as:
  • difficulty in walking or sitting.
  • stained or bloody underwear.
  • genital or rectal pain, itching, swelling, redness, or discharge
  • bruises or other injuries in the genital or rectal area.
• Child has behavioral and emotional signs such as:
  • difficulty eating or sleeping.
  • soiling or wetting pants or bed after being potty trained.
  • acting like a much younger child.
  • excessive crying or sadness.
  • withdrawing from activities and others.
  • talking about or acting out sexual acts beyond normal sex play for age.

General Causes & Risk Factors for Child Abuse

All of the causes of child abuse are not known, but a significant amount of research points to several factors that put children at risk for abuse. There are many reasons why some people have difficulty meeting the demands of parenthood, including:

• immaturity and unrealistic expectations
• unmet emotional needs
• the stresses of child care
• economic crisis
• domestic violence
• lack of parenting knowledge
• difficulty in relationships
• depression or other mental health problems
• drug or alcohol problems

When these circumstances combine with the challenges of child rearing, parents who are otherwise well intentioned can harm or neglect their children.

Child abuse and neglect cross all ethnic, social and economic lines. Most instances of child abuse are not caused by inherently violent or evil people, but by parents who are unable to cope with their tempers in a time of crisis.

The best way to prevent child abuse and neglect is to support families and provide parents with the skills and resources they need to be effective caregivers.