Child Abuse: A Devastating Social Problem
Child abuse has become a common social problem in our societies. Millions of children suffer maltreatment and neglect at a tender age before they reach the age of 18 years. Child abuse is the physical harm, emotional, or sexual maltreatment. It can be in form of neglect, sexual abuse, physical abuse, and emotional abuse. However, it is unfortunate that people have not yet recognized how devastating the problem of child abuse can be and find ways to prevent it and to further mitigate its social and behavioral consequences. Child abuse can lead to serious effects on a child. For instance, child abuse can lead to injuries, substance abuse, death, juvenile delinquency, and violence and this can adversely affect the life of the child, their family, and the society at large. In addition, children who suffer child abuse are more likely to grow up and become abusers and this can bring long-term economic effect on a country.
The Physical Harm of Child Abuse
Child abuse, especially physical abuse can damage a child's health for instance; it can lead to injury and on the extreme can lead to death. In fact, the effects of child abuse can be terrible and in the most cruelest cases, some children end up dead if help is not rendered immediately. Inflicting bodily harm on a child can severely damage the health of the child in addition to affecting his/her growth and development. Children who face physical abuse are beaten, tortured, burned, and hurt in several other cruel ways and most of them end up being hospitalized and some die in cases they fail to get urgent help. Therefore, it is vital to note that child abuse can severely hurt a child and leave her with wounds and disabilities because of the physical harm. In addition, child abuse can lead to the death of child if he/she does not get urgent rescue from an abuser.
The Link Between Child Abuse and Substance Abuse
Child abuse can lead to substance abuse in adolescents and adulthood. According to Elwyn and Smith, child abuse or rather "Maltreatment in childhood has long been associated with adult substance abuse" (2013). The authors note that children who suffer abuse grow up to abuse substances to avoid the pressure and the pain they had to go through while growing up. In addition, most children who are abused have a parental history of substance abuse and this pattern can be passed to children who turn to drugs and abuse to cope with the trauma of child abuse. Abused children turn to substance abuse instead of turning to professional help and it is unfortunate that the drugs do not address the emotional torture and feelings from abuse but only covers them thus making it worse for them. Therefore, child abuse should be prevented because it can lead to substance abuse and addiction later in a child's life.
The Behavioral Consequences of Child Abuse
Child abuse can lead to behavioral problems such as juvenile delinquency. Most children who have gone through abuse or rather have been maltreated will always experience behavioral issues later on in their lives. According to Plantz and Garbarino, a good number of children who are abused have the risk of developing behavioral and emotional problems such as adult criminality and juvenile delinquency (2017). In addition, according to the US Department of Health and Human Services, "Children who have experienced abuse are nine times more likely to become involved in criminal activities" (2015). Abused children associate with antisocial peers and their attachment to such groups elevate the risk of delinquency as a way to forget their sorrows of abuse.
The Link Between Child Abuse and Adolescent Violence
Child abuse can lead to adolescent violence. Most children who suffer from child abuse will always exhibit aggressive and antisocial behaviors towards their peers. Wallinius et al. note, "Early psychosocial adversities and maladjustment, such as childhood maltreatment and school adjustment problems, have been linked to an increased risk of aggressive antisocial behaviors" (2016). This always happens during the transitioning years to adolescence and adulthood after a tumultuous and violent childhood. Abused children will always have a poor relationship with their parents/guardians and this increases aggressiveness in their future behavior because they never have a good relationship with the people around them. Most of them respond to provocative situations aggressively because that is how they were brought up, with violence and abuse.
The Cycle of Abuse: From Victim to Abuser
Children who have suffered child abuse will more likely grow up to become abusers in their future lives. It becomes complex dealing with the trauma of abuse for several children and as a result, they start abusing those around them to forget the memories of their abuse as children. Most victims of abuse respond to abuse by denying the fact that it really happened and as a result, they fail to seek medical/professional help and this affects how they relate with people in their future lives. According to Milaniak and Widom, neglected and abused children turn violent in their future lives as adults and end up abusing their spouses or any other person who provokes them (2015). Child maltreatment leads to the development of juvenile violence because children learn behaviors from an early age and if they are brought up in a family of abuse, they end up becoming abusive in their adolescent and adult life.
The Economic Costs of Child Abuse
Child abuse can have serious long-term economic effects on the society. Due to an increase in child abuse incidences, the society spends a lot on treating the effects of child abuse. Most children who are abused have to get urgent medical attention, some even end up in foster homes, and this is an economic burden to the state. In addition, the state also spends a lot of funds on juvenile delinquency and family violence, funds that could be directed to other useful programs other than dealing with child abuse consequences. Therefore, child abuse can exert economic costs on individuals, families, the society, and the state.
Conclusion
In conclusion, child abuse is a serious social problem that should be regarded as a central nexus of further research because of its adverse effects on the life of the child, his/her family, and the society at large. Child abuse has adverse social, physical, and behavioral problems in children such as to juvenile delinquency, violence, and substance abuse. Child abuse is preventable thus if avoided, the severe consequences of this social problem can be lessened thus improving the quality of life of millions of children as well as their families and the society. In essence, child abuse can have damaging effects on child development and future life. When deprived of an opportunity to positive parenting, abused children tend to have compromising adaptive behaviors that are disruptive to their growth development as well as their future lives.
References
Elwyn, L., " Smith, C. (2013). Child Maltreatment and Adult Substance Abuse: The Role of Memory. Journal of Social Work Practice in the Addictions, 13(3), 269-294.
Milaniak, I., " Widom, C. S. (2015). Does Child Abuse and Neglect Increase Risk for Perpetration of Violence Inside and Outside the Home? Psychology of Violence, 5(3), 246.
Plantz, M. C., " Garbarino, J. (2017). Child Abuse and Juvenile Delinquency: What are the Links?. In Troubled Youth, Troubled Families (pp. 27-40). Routledge.
US Department of Health and Human Services. (2015). Long-term Consequences of Child Abuse and Neglect.
Wallinius, M., Delfin, C., Billstedt, E., Nilsson, T., Anckarsäter, H., " Hofvander, B. (2016). Offenders in Emerging Adulthood: School Maladjustment, Childhood Adversities, and Prediction of Aggressive Antisocial Behaviors. Law and Human Behavior, 40(5), 551.
