Types and Signs of Abuse
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tormenteddreamer98gmailcom (student)
Health and Social Care National Extended Diploma
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Physical Abuse
Physical abuse is the non-accidental use of physical force to coerce or to intentionally inflict bodily harm to another person. It often causes physical discomfort, pain or injury, but the person affected does not have to have an injury to have experienced physical abuse.
Physical abuse may include, for example:
* Beating the person
* Punching or slapping http://worldartsme.com/images/hulk-fist-punch-clipart-1.jpg
* Burning or scalding
* Pushing or shoving
* Hitting with a hand or instrument or slapping
* Rough handling or physical coercion
* Stabbing with an object
* Tripping them over
* Spitting on them
* Tying them to furniture
* Using or misusing physical restraints
* Restraining them through the use of alcohol, tranquillizers or other medication
* Forcing them to remain in beds or chairs
* Forcing them to remain in rooms (including locking them in)
Caring for someone who is frail or who has special needs can be very stressful. In many cases, other contributory factors are also present and this additional stress on the carer appears to be the factor that triggers the abuse. The following factors may contribute to an abusive relationship:
* Financial difficulties
* Lack of respite care
* Inadequate support to give high quality care
* Heavy physical or emotional cost of the carer
* Lack of recognition for the role—affecting health and wellbeing of carer
* Personal stress, i.e. looking after an adult as well as own children
* Unfamiliarity with the role of caring for someone and the responsibilities involved.
Many reasons can cause this type of abuse. For example, the abuser may suffer with a mental illness or they had a difficult growing up as a child and they were not taught their primary socialisation skills. The abuser may be angry and upset and they like to take it out on other people to make them understand how they feel. The abuser’s marriage may have been failing which means there are a lot of arguments. The abuser may feel confused and disorientated and doesn't understand what it going on.
Emotional/ Psychological Abuse
Emotional/ psychological abuse can happen to anyone. It can happen when the abuser makes comments that make sure their victim feels isolated and try to lower your self-esteem. It is a form of abuse characterized by a person subjecting or exposing another to behaviour that may result in psychological trauma, including anxiety, chronic depression, or post-traumatic stress disorder.
* Threats of violence or abandonment
* Intentionally frightening
* Making an individual fear that they will not receive the food or care they need
* Failing to check allegations of abuse against them
* Making derogative or slanderous statements about an individual to others
* Socially isolating an individual, failing to let them have visitors
* Withholding important information
* Demeaning an individual because of the language they speak
* Intentionally misinterpreting traditional practices
* Repeatedly raising the issue of death
* Telling an individual that they are too much trouble
* Ignoring or excessively criticizing
* Being over-familiar and disrespectful
* Unreasonably ordering an individual around; treating an individual like a servant
Signs & symptoms of emotional/ psychological abuse: https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/50/82/83/508283f5e02a5271e67a56db496aa649.jpg
* Anxiety
* Depression
* Withdrawn, isolated
* Feelings of guilt
* Low self-esteem
* Tying them to furniture
* Insomnia
* Self-harm
* Feeling threatened/ frightened
* Unexpected changes in behaviour i.e. acting angry or upset
This type of abuse can happen when the abuser themselves are being subjected to an unpleasant situation and they then are take their feelings out on somebody else. They may feel insecure about something and might feel confused and don't know who to talk to, so they take it out on other people. The abuser may also be abused their selves at home or within work; they may have a low-self esteem and have a lot of built up anger.
Sexual Abuse
Sexual abuse, also referred to as molestation, is forcing undesired sexual behaviour by one person upon another. When that force is immediate, of short duration, or infrequent, it is called sexual assault.
* Acquaintance Rape: Acquaintance assault involves coercive sexual activities that occur against a person’s will by means of force, violence, duress, or fear of bodily injury. These sexual activities are imposed upon them by someone they know (a friend, date, acquaintance, etc.).
* Drug facilitated assault: when drugs or alcohol are used to compromise an individual’s ability to consent to sexual ...
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Sexual Abuse
Sexual abuse, also referred to as molestation, is forcing undesired sexual behaviour by one person upon another. When that force is immediate, of short duration, or infrequent, it is called sexual assault.
* Acquaintance Rape: Acquaintance assault involves coercive sexual activities that occur against a person’s will by means of force, violence, duress, or fear of bodily injury. These sexual activities are imposed upon them by someone they know (a friend, date, acquaintance, etc.).
* Drug facilitated assault: when drugs or alcohol are used to compromise an individual’s ability to consent to sexual activity. In addition, drugs and alcohol are often used in order to minimize the resistance and memory of the victim of a sexual assault.
* Incest: sexual contact between persons who are so closely related that their marriage is illegal (e.g. parents and children, uncles/aunts and nieces/nephews, etc.). Incest is considered by many experts to be a particularly damaging form of sexual abuse because it is perpetrated by individuals upon whom the victim trusts and depends. In addition, support can also be lacking and pressure to keep silent powerful as fear of the family breaking up can be overwhelming to other family members.
Signs & symptoms of sexual abuse:
* Insomnia or sleeping difficulties
* Eating disorders http://cdn.grid.fotosearch.com/CSP/CSP198/k25038450.jpg
* Chronic headaches
* Lower back and chest pains
* Unwanted pregnancy
* Anxiety, Low self-esteem and depression
* Torn clothing/ stained underwear
* Post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
* Avoiding sexual intercourse
* Mistrusting people
* Vulnerable, shy and withdrawn
This type of abuse could happen if the abuser may have been abused in this way when he or she was younger and they see this as a way of dealing with their problems. The abuser could have a mental illness or have anger problems where a lot of internal anger built up and this is the way that they relieve it. The abuser may not feel very powerful within a relationship; this is their way of showing power to their victim/ partner.
Neglect
Neglect is defined as a failure to provide the base care needs, assistance, guidance and attention that an individual needs. It is a lack of care towards a person and can cause physical, mental or emotional harm or substantial damage to the person later on.
* Active neglect - the intentional withholding basic necessities of life.
* Passive neglect - not providing basic necessities of life because of lack of experience, information, or ability.
* Self neglect – an individual doesn’t attend to their basic needs i.e. personal hygiene, appropriate clothing, feeding or medical conditions they may have.
Signs & symptoms of neglect:
* Confusion and disorientation
* Poor personal hygiene
* Constantly wearing dirty clothes
* Isolation and withdrawal
* Malnutrition due to lack of healthy and balanced diet
* Anger, embarrassment and fear
* Mental health problems
* Low self-esteem
* Anxiety and depression
* Poor grades in education
* Inappropriate or problematic behaviour
There are many things that can cause this type of abuse to an adult. They may not have enough financial income to support themselves and their family; this can lead to malnutrition and poor hygiene because they might not be able to afford water bills. Another thing that can cause this type of abuse is lack of support by the government and education provided to the individual. Sometimes neglect happens due to other problems such as mental health issues, drug and alcohol problems or poverty. If a carer, parent etc, becomes addicted to drugs or has a serious illness or medical condition then neglect can happen as a side effect. http://thumbs.dreamstime.com/t/d-man-sitting-isolated-group-holding-his-head-33825567.jpg
Exploitation
To take advantage and treat an individual unfairly for your own benefit from their work. Financial exploitation is a fast-growing form of abuse of seniors and adults with disabilities. Situations of financial exploitation commonly involve trusted persons in the life of the vulnerable adult, such as: Caretakers and family members. Taking advantage of individuals with a developmental disability can rob them of their independence and the ability to afford the basic necessities of life, such as food, rent payments and medicine.
* Exploitation for the purpose of prostitution of another person (sexual exploitation) and other forms of sexual exploitation
* Forced labour or services
* Slavery, servitude and other practices similar to slavery
* Removal of organs for the purpose of illegal transplants
* To gain materialistic items from a vulnerable person
Signs & symptoms of exploitation:
* Sudden decrease in bank account balances
* Unexplained disappearance of money or valuable possessions
* Sudden problem paying bills or buying food to provide for your family and yourself
* Substandard care being provided or bills which are late or unpaid despite the availability of adequate financial resources
* Concerns expressed by a person with a developmental disability that he or she is being exploited
One thing that can cause this abuse is if the abuser is an alcoholic, they are spending all their money on alcohol and won’t be able to pay for food or bills. Another example is a care giver might go down to the shop for the elderly and steal their money for themselves and the elderly notice that their bank account is going down very quickly. http://photos.gograph.com/thumbs/CSP/CSP909/k9097066.jpg
Discriminatory Abuse
Discrimination is defined as a form of an equality act or prejudicial treatment to different categories of people. Discriminatory abuse is motivated by oppressive and prejudicial attitudes towards a person's disability (including physical or sensory impairment, learning difficulty or mental ill-health), their age, race, gender, religion, cultural background, sexual orientation etc.
* Discrimination demonstrated on any grounds including sex, race, colour, language, culture, religion, politics or sexual orientation.
* Discrimination that is based on a person's disability or age
* Harassment and slurs which are degrading
* Hate crime
Signs & symptoms of discriminatory abuse:
* Tendency to withdrawal and isolation
* Fearfulness and anxiety
* Being refused access to services or being excluded inappropriately
* Loss of self-esteem
* Resistance or refusal to access services that are required to meet need
* Expressions of anger or frustration
* Not being provided a service because they can’t handle an individual’s disability
* A lot of illness due to lack of medical care because of gender
* Isolate themselves and are conscious to go outside
* Criminal damage to their belongings
* Verbal abuse in public; shaming them because of what category they are in
* Hate email/ hate crimes being carried out on the individual
This type of abuse might be caused because an individual is a racist and they might have been brought up in a family that see racism as an acceptable act. The individual might have a mental disability and doesn't understand the boundaries of discrimination. For example, an autistic child might say a comment that could be seen as discriminatory but they don’t understand why that is, this then is not their fault it is just the way they are and may have not been fully educated on discrimination. Other times people may have been brought up and taught to have a certain view on a certain group of people, this could be discriminatory, and this then becomes abuse if they act on their belief.
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Institutional Abuse
Organisational or institutional abuse is the mistreatment of people brought about by poor or inadequate care or support, or systematic poor practice that affects the whole care setting. It occurs when the individual's wishes and needs are sacrificed for the smooth running of a group, service or organisation.
* Discouraging visits or the involvement of relatives or friends
* Run-down or overcrowded establishment
* Authoritarian management or rigid regimes
* Lack of leadership and supervision
* Insufficient staff or high turnover resulting in poor quality care
* Abusive and disrespectful attitudes towards people using the service
* Inappropriate use of restraints
* Lack of respect for dignity and privacy
* Failure to manage residents with abusive behaviour
* Not providing adequate food and drink, or assistance with eating
* Not offering choice or promoting independence
* Misuse of medication
* Failure to provide care with dentures, spectacles or hearing aids
* Not taking account of individuals’ cultural, religious or ethnic needs
* Failure to respond to abuse appropriately
* Interference with personal correspondence or communication
* Failure to respond to complaints https://www.lemosandcrane.co.uk/actionagainstcruelty/microsite/img/image37.jpg
Signs & symptoms of institutional abuse:
* Patterns of challenging behaviour
* Inability to make choices or decisions
* Disorientation
* Broken routine of life
* Not allowing views or opinions to be expressed
* Dressed in others clothes, given others personal belongings
* Poor moving and handling practice
* Poor record keeping and missing documents
* Absence of individual care plans
This can be caused by having carers that are inadequately trained, poorly supervised, not supported by management, have poor communication skills or are part of a 'closed' culture, for example a care setting where new ideas, visitors, care management or other professional involvement is discouraged. Organisational or institutional abuse can involve more than one abuser, and there might also be a number of people experiencing the same abuse e.g. hate crime against particular groups or several family members mistreating a dependent other.
Domestic Abuse
Domestic abuse is defined as a controlling behaviour or violent behaviour in between people in a relationship. Those can be actions like bullying hitting smacking and threatening behaviour.
* physical abuse (domestic violence)
* verbal or nonverbal abuse (psychological abuse, mental abuse, emotional abuse)
* sexual abuse
* Stalking or cyber stalking
* economic abuse or financial abuse
* spiritual abuse
Signs and symptoms of domestic abuse:
* Pushing, throwing, kicking
* Slapping, grabbing, hitting, punching, beating, tripping etc
* Pinching, biting, bruising, choking, shaking etc
* Holding, restraining, confinement
* Broken bones
* Assault with a weapon such as a knife or gun
* Burns, scars, unexplainable injuries
* Anxious, and afraid
* Conscious to check with partner for everything
* Receive frequent, unpleasant calls from partner
* Mention their partners temper, jealousy or possessiveness
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This type of abuse can be caused by the abuser having a lack of a positive role model when growing up, they may have also witnessed it happen between their own parents and believe that it is a normal thing to do in a healthy relationship. Other reasons could be mental health problems, anger and behavioural issues. They may have a hard time channelling negative thoughts and take it out on their partner.
Self-Harm
Self-harm is defined as when as individual causes bodily harm to themselves deliberately. People normally self-harm as a way of coping with emotional stress and expressing their inner feelings. Some people do it because they don’t know how else to cope with pressures from family, school and friends. Extreme feelings such as fear, anger, guilt, shame, helplessness, self-hatred, unhappiness, depression or despair can build up over time. When these feelings become unbearable, self-harm can be a way of dealing with them. The intention is more often to punish themselves, express their distress or relieve unbearable tension. Sometimes the reason is a mixture of both. It can also be a cry for help.
How people may self-harm:
* Cutting or burning their skin
* Punching or hitting themselves
* Poisoning themselves with tablets or toxic chemicals
* Interfering with healing wounds
* Deliberately starving themselves http://previews.123rf.com/images/Tawng/Tawng1007/tawng100700018/7348473-Serie-di-cerotti-appiccicoso-vettoriale-modificabile-di-forme-diverse--Archivio-Fotografico.jpg
* Banging their heads or themselves against walls
* Rubbing sharp objects into their skin
* Intentionally breaking their own bones
* Biting themselves
* Self strangulation and suffocation
* Scratching and ripping of the skin
* Forcing yourself to vomit
Signs and Symptoms of self-harm:
* Wearing long sleeved clothing, even in hot weather
* Low self-esteem and over thinking
* Signs they have been pulling out their hair
* Signs of alcohol or drugs misuse
* Unexplained cuts, bruises or cigarette burns on their wrists, arms, thighs etc
* Signs of depression, low mood, lack of motivation etc
* Changes in eating habits, weight gain and weight loss
For someone to want to self-harm they must be in a lot of emotional pain that they can’t get rid of. Therefore they transfer that emotional pain into physical pain as a coping mechanism. There can be all sorts of causes for self-harm such as diagnosis of a mental illness such as Depression and Borderline personality disorder, family difficulties, low self esteem, bullying etc. Some people self-harm with no intention of committing suicide, however others do it with the intention of ending their life or they may in fact be unsure about whether they want to survive or not. For example, taking an overdose and seeing whether or not it does enough damage to kill them, or cutting deeply on an area above a vein and see later whether they hit a vein or not.
Bullying
A bully is someone who uses their superior strength or influence to intimidate someone else, typically to force them to do something. Bullying is unwanted, aggressive behaviour among all people that involves a real or perceived power imbalance.
* Physical bullying: Victim is touched or hit without consent or their property is purposely stolen or destroyed.
* Verbal bullying: Victim is verbally and directly called names and insulted.
* Cyber-bullying: Victim is targeted online, sometimes anonymously and other times via public humiliation i.e. a video of the victim posted online without consent.
* Social bullying: Bully tries to destroy a victim's reputation or relationship with another person or organization.
* Cyber harassment: When an adult bullies a child online.
Signs and symptoms of bullying:
* Yelling or swearing
* Name calling or insults, mocking others and/or siblings
* Threats and intimidation
* Ignoring or excluding
* Isolating
* Humiliating
* Denial of the abuse and blaming of the victim
* Anxiety
* Not wanting to go to work or socialise with friends
The abuser may have had difficulty growing up and doesn’t understand his or hers emotions on a personal level. This leads to insecurities and anxiety later on in life. The abuser could be getting bullied themselves and haven't told anyone about their abuse, they could be bottling up their emotions and taking it out one somebody else. Kids who are bullied are more likely to experience: Depression and anxiety, increased feelings of sadness and loneliness, changes in sleep and eating patterns, and loss of interest in activities they used to enjoy. These issues may persist into adulthood and later turn in health complaints. The abuser may feel lonely and just want some attention, they may be jealous of their victim which could lead to low self-esteem problems. http://images.clipartpanda.com/suffering-clipart-royalty-free-depression-clipart-illustration-1053973.jpg
