Other warning signs may include:
» Running away from home or being scared to go home
» In a young child, not responding to affection or positive attention
» Poor self-esteem (for example, when children call themselves bad
or say they deserve to be punished)
» Unexplained setbacks, like toileting problems in a child who has
been toilet trained
» Extreme aggression or withdrawal
» Suicidal thoughts or self-destructive behaviour (such as
self-mutilation, a suicide attempt or extreme risk-taking)
» Foraging for, hoarding or stealing food
» Problems at school like poor attendance or trouble paying attention
» Delinquent behaviour like drinking, drug use, stealing, fire setting, etc.
» Showing sexual knowledge not common for their age in their
language, behaviour, drawings or play, or forcing another child
into sexual play
» Withdrawing from family, friends and activities the child used to enjoy
» Having unexplained gifts, new clothes or sums of money
» Being secretive about “new” friends, activities, phone calls or
Internet use
Parent or caregiver factors potentially contributing to maltreatment relate to:
• Personality characteristics and psychological well-being
• History of maltreatment
• Substance abuse
• Attitudes and knowledge
• Age
• stress
• personal safety
• fear of complaints.
Marital Conflict and Domestic Violence
According to published studies, in 30 to 60 percent of families where spouse abuse takes place, child maltreatment also occurs.Children in violent homes may witness parental violence, may be victims of physical abuse themselves, and may be neglected by parents who are focused on their partners or unresponsive to their children due to their own fears. A child who witnesses parental violence is at risk for also being maltreated, but, even if the child is not maltreated, he or she may experience harmful emotional consequences from witnessing the parental violence.
Stress
Stress is also thought to play a significant role in family functioning, although its exact relationship with maltreatment is not fully understood. Physical abuse has been associated with stressful life events, parenting stress, and emotional distress in various studies. Similarly, some studies have found that neglectful families report more day-to-day stress than non-neglectful families. It is not clear, however, whether maltreating parents actually experience more life stress or, rather, perceive more events and life experiences as being stressful. In addition, specific stressful situations (e.g., losing a job, physical illness, marital problems, or the death of a family member) may exacerbate certain characteristics of the family members affected, such as hostility, anxiety, or depression, and that may also aggravate the level of family conflict and maltreatment.
Child Factors
Children are not responsible for being victims of maltreatment. Certain factors, however, can make some children more vulnerable to maltreating behavior. The child's age and development—physical, mental, emotional, and social—may increase the child's vulnerability to maltreatment, depending on the interactions of these characteristics with the parental factors previously discussed
Age
The relationship between a child's age and maltreatment is not clear cut and may differ by type of maltreatment. In 2000, for example, the rate of documented maltreatment was highest for children between birth and 3 years of age (15.7 victims per 1,000 children of this age in the population) and declined as age increased. The inverse relationship between age and maltreatment is particularly strong for neglect, but not as evident for other types of maltreatment (physical, emotional, or sexual abuse).
Infants and young children, due to their small physical size, early developmental status, and need for constant care, can be particularly vulnerable to child maltreatment. Very young children are more likely to experience certain forms of maltreatment, such as shaken baby syndrome and nonorganic failure to thrive. Teenagers, on the other hand, are at greater risk for sexual abuse.
Disabilities
Children with physical, cognitive, and emotional disabilities appear to experience higher rates of maltreatment than do other children. A national study, completed in 1993, found that children with disabilities were 1.7 times more likely to be maltreated than children without disabilities.64 To date, the full degree to which disabilities precede or are a result of maltreatment is unclear.
In general, children who are perceived by their parents as "different" or who have special needs—including children with disabilities, as well as children with chronic illnesses or children with difficult temperaments—may be at greater risk of maltreatment.65 The demands of caring for these children may overwhelm their parents. Disruptions may occur in the bonding or attachment processes, particularly if children are unresponsive to affection or if children are separated by frequent hospitalizations.
Children with disabilities also may be vulnerable to repeated maltreatment because they may not understand that the abusive behaviors are inappropriate, and they may be unable to escape or defend themselves in abusive situations. Some researchers and advocates have suggested that some societal attitudes, practices, and beliefs that devalue and depersonalize children with disabilities sanction abusive behavior and contribute to their higher risk of maltreatment.
Environmental Factors
Environmental factors are often found in combination with parent, family, and child factors, as highlighted in previous sections of this chapter. Environmental factors include poverty and unemployment, social isolation, and community characteristics. It is important to reiterate that most parents or caregivers who live in these types of environments are not abusive.
Social Isolation and Social Support
Some studies indicate that compared to other parents, parents who maltreat their children report experiencing greater isolation, more loneliness, and less social support. Social isolation may contribute to maltreatment because parents have less material and emotional support, do not have positive parenting role models, and feel less pressure to conform to conventional standards of parenting behaviors. It is not clear, however, whether social isolation in some cases precedes and serves as a contributing factor to maltreatment or whether it is a consequence of the behavioral dynamics of maltreatment.
Violent Communities
Children living in dangerous neighborhoods have been found to be at higher risk than children from safer neighborhoods for severe neglect and physical abuse, as well as child sexual victimization. Some risk may be associated with the poverty found in dangerous neighborhoods, however, concerns remain that violence may seem an acceptable response or behavior to individuals who witness it more frequently.
Iformation used from and Health and Social Care book
by
princeska_18 (student)
