Other behavioural indicators, which are common in older children than younger children, include:
Running away; criminal behaviour; drug abuse; and acting out behaviour.
If signs of physical injury on a child are observed several factors will need to be considered before deciding whether or not they indicate possible physical abuse. The following physical indicators should raise concern:
The location, nature or extent of the injury does not fit with the explanation given.
The child's age or developmental stage is not consistent with the type of injury. The severity or type of the injury itself is of concern.
Sometimes a child's behaviour can also be an indication that something is wrong. Behavioural indicators must be interpreted with regard to the individual child's level of functioning and developmental stage.
It’s also important to remember though that children do fall over bump/graze themselves but this should be consistent with their stage of development. EG: a toddler falling over and bumping bruising their head several times is not uncommon but if the child was older say 5 this may be less likely. Also it’s important to listen to explanation of the injury and whether its viable or not and whether story remains true doesn’t deviate over time as this could be seen as a carer making up things up forgetting what story they have told.
Looking at wear the injury has occurred also very important as injuries caused by accident usually appear in different places to those caused deliberately. EG: grazed and marked knee’s/ elbows chin are common in toddlers that are walking running about. Injuries to Eyes (black eye) Cheek cheek (pinch marks) Buttocks/genitals (bruising/bleeding) are not common should be treated more seriously and looked in to. There could be a very good explanation but this should never be assumed and always be investigated further to make sure.
Emotional abuse
Psychological abuse, also referred to as emotional abuse or mental abuse, is a form of abuse characterised by a person subjecting or exposing another to behaviour that is psychologically harmful. This often results in various behavioural, emotional, or psychological problems.
Emotional Child abuse: children are deprived of an environment which supports and nurtures them emotionally and intellectually. Emotional abuse in the home may include children not receiving the love and attention they need or being subject to put downs and exposure to domestic violence. It can be the persistent emotional maltreatment of a child such as to cause severe and persistent adverse effects on the child’s emotional development. It may involve conveying to children that they are worthless or unloved, inadequate, or valued only insofar as they meet the needs of another person. It is nonphysical mistreatment, resulting in disturbed behaviour by the child, such as severe withdrawal or hyperactivity. Emotional abuse includes wilfully causing any child to suffer, inflicting mental suffering, or endangering a child's emotional well-being.
Emotional abuse, according to Richard D. Krugman, "has been defined as the rejection, ignoring, criticizing, isolation, or terrorizing of children, all of which have the effect of eroding their self-esteem.
Emotional abuse signs can vary by age and even gender and they can manifest from one extreme to the other. For example, an emotionally mistreated child may be overly aggressive or extremely withdrawn or both depending on the circumstances. The signs of emotional abuse can be hard to detect and even harder to link, as a direct cause, to verbal and psychological maltreatment.
It can be hard as children can show these signs without any emotional abuse taking place such as circumstances at home changing eg: parent’s splitting up they may start to act out as they feel unsure and confused by the situation. Or a new sibling arriving they could become withdrawn as they are jealous and confused by the new baby in the house.
Parents often to do not realise they are emotional abusing their child, they could be going through emotional upheaval such as divorced/separation/ bereavement this affects the home and become part of life and child could severely suffer emotional neglect through this time.
Emotional abuse indicators:
Birth to three matter states:
Personal, social and emotional development involves helping children to develop a positive sense of themselves, and others; to form positive relationships and develop respect for others; to develop social skills and learn how to manage their feelings; to understand appropriate behaviour in groups; and to have confidence in their own abilities
This means that emotional wellbeing is key factor in a child development and emotional abuse can go a long way in inhibiting this and causing long term physical and emotional damage.
Sexual abuse
Child sexual abuse is a form of child abuse in which an adult or older adolescent uses a child for sexual stimulation. Forms of child sexual abuse include asking or pressuring a child to engage in sexual activities (regardless of the outcome), indecent exposure (of the genitals, female nipples, etc.) to a child with intent to gratify their own sexual desires or to intimidate or groom the child, physical sexual contact with a child, or using a child to produce child pornography.
The effects of child sexual abuse can be catastrophic include depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, propensity to further victimization in adulthood, and physical injury to the child, among other problems. Sexual abuse by a family member is a form of incest, and can result in more serious and long-term psychological trauma, especially in the case of parental incest.
Indications of sexual abuse:
Neglect
Children need adequate food, water, shelter, warmth, protection and health care. They also need their carers to be attentive, dependable and kind. Children are neglected if these essential needs – the things they need to develop and grow – are persistently not met.
NSPCC
There are many signs that may indicate neglect, an inadequate home environment may suggest that a parent cannot cope and can be a sign that children are being neglected. A as are adults who leave their children alone for long periods, persistently ignore them, or fail to properly supervise or protect them from danger. And where adults have mental health problems, suffer violence in the home, or have a drug or alcohol addiction, it is possible that the children in their care may be neglected as a result of these issues.
Poor appearance and delayed development are also common signs that may indicate a child is being neglected. A child taking on the role of carer of other family members, in the absence of a parent, is another.
Effects of abuse or Neglect to a child
These consequences vary according to differences in the severity, duration, and frequency of maltreatment. However, they also vary depending on the child’s resilience, which relates to temperament, coping skills, and developmental stage, and his or her environment, as determined by family income, social support, or neighbourhood characteristics (Hecht and Hansen, 2001). Sustained maltreatment can have major long-term effects on all aspects of children’s health and wellbeing