Parental Substance Abuse and its effect on adolescent development

Running Head: PHYSICAL ABUSE EFFECT ON DEVELOPMENT

Physical Abuse Effect on Development in Early Childhood

Marlene A Shafer

Southern New Hampshire University

Southern New Hampshire University

Lifespan Development – PSY-211

Instructor Name

PHYSICAL ABUSE EFFECT ON DEVELOPMENT IN EARLY CHILDHOOD 2

The average child is exposed to caring and protective families during infancy and early

childhood giving them the ability to develop strong trusting bonds with their caregivers. The

child who is exposed to physical abuse and neglect is not allowed to develop the same normal

bonds because of their environment and nature of the relationship with their caregivers. The

abused or neglected child’s later years may be filled with an inability to establish healthy

relationships, may include defiance of authority figures, and they may have serious emotional

delays because of the abuse and neglect experienced during their childhood.

Society’s views on child abuse have changed drastically over time. Up until a few

decades ago not only was child abuse accepted and allowed but it was also at times encouraged

(All You Need, 2015). Children were considered property of their parents and parents were

allowed to do whatever was deemed necessary to discipline the child (Barriere, 2014). Although

there were not always laws to stop abuse of children, there were cases where judges did

intervene. Justice Joseph Story wrote that “in general parents are intrusted with the custody of

the persons and the education of their children, yet this is done upon the natural presumption that

the children will be properly taken care of” (Meyers, 2008). Although services are not perfect,

there is now a system in place in an attempt to protect children from what used to be considered

a “family” matter.

Early childhood is an important area in children’s biological, cognitive, and emotional

development. Prior to this stage, a foundation has been laid developmentally so that important

skills can be improved on through symbolic, social, and constructive play (Santrock, 2014). Play

is a large source of information for children at this stage, especially from peers. By this time in a

child’s life, they should be able to interact with others by understanding and reacting to accepted

social cues, should be able to show empathy for others, and should be able to express feelings in

PHYSICAL ABUSE EFFECT ON DEVELOPMENT IN EARLY CHILDHOOD 3

a manner that is appropriate to the situation (Santrock, 2014) such as when they are upset, they

should be able to tell a grown up so that the situation can be fixed instead of throwing an object

and screaming.

There are many factors as to why a parent or caregiver would abuse a child. One could be

stress from work and financial issues. There is also the likelihood that the parent was raised in an

abusive home and does not realize that there are other ways to respond to children and teach

them. Once abuse starts, there are other factors that can potentially affect development and these

factors can be life changing for the child. Children’s first line of help is their doctors, daycare

workers, and teachers, and all are mandatory reporters of suspected child abuse (Mandatory,

2014). The sooner abuse is suspected and reported, the sooner the child can be removed from the

situation. Once removed from a potentially abusive or neglectful environment, the child is then

placed with a foster family and the process of healing for the child, and rehabilitation for the

parents, can begin (Foster, 2008). If the child is young enough and the abuse or neglect was

caught early then development should not be too badly affected and can be brought up to speed

over time. If the child is older, or the abuse has lasted longer, then the effects of the abuse can be

lifelong.

According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC) in 2008, there were roughly 772,000

children that were reported as mistreated and 1,740 of those children under the age of 17 died

that year (Cost of Child Abuse, 2014). Abuse is not only costly in the mental, physical, and

emotional aspect of what it does; abuse is also very costly to the average taxpayer as well. The

CDC did a study where it was found that the lifetime estimated costs of one year’s worth of

confirmed maltreatment cases was roughly $124 billion (Cost of Child Abuse, 2014). Physical

PHYSICAL ABUSE EFFECT ON DEVELOPMENT IN EARLY CHILDHOOD 4

abuse and neglect has proven too “costly” for a child’s development over their lifetime in more

ways than one.

There are many potential possibilities for research in childhood abuse and neglect. The

more research that is done focusing on causes of abuse and neglect and the effect of abuse

towards children, both short term and long term into adulthood, the better we understand the

issue. If we are able to understand better the potential causes of abuse and neglect, then as a

society, we should be better equipped to look for abuse and prevent it as much as possible. By

incorporating current and future research into prevention programs, as well as finding ways to

get much needed education and resources to the caregivers and parents, it is possible to

potentially see a decrease in child maltreatment in general.

In a report done by the National Research Council Panel on Child Abuse and Neglect,

“physical abuse … can lead to brain dysfunction and sometimes death” with most victims who

die being under the age of five years old (Understanding, 1993). Shaking a child violently (also

known as Shaken Baby Syndrome) is more than enough to sustain bleeding in the cranial cavity

and sufficient bleeding on the brain to cause death although it typically never leaves a mark on

the child’s skin. Even neglecting the child, not just hitting or shaking them, can cause major

issues. Children of neglect will most likely have delayed growth and in later life those who were

diagnosed as “nonorganic failure to thrive” infants have the potential to become “defiant and

hostile” (Understanding, 1993). Abuse can also cause mild neurologic signs that point to the

abuse or even significant neuromotor handicaps that cause major problems for the child

throughout their lives (Understanding, 1993). These can range from severe physical handicaps to

difficulties speaking to serious central nervous system damage.

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Another study focused on physically abused and non-abused children who were exposed

to a pre-recorded argument while working on tasks assigned to them. Children in the study that

had been abused were more consistently aware of their surroundings and what was happening in

them than the non-abused children once the hostility was introduced (Pollack, Vardi, Putzer

Bechner, & Curtin, 2005). The researchers felt that the abused children were putting themselves

“on alert” out of fear that the argument they were overhearing would get more heated. The

researchers found that “abused children appear to cope with their stressful environments by

becoming experts at threat detection” (Pollack, Vardi, Putzer Bechner, & Curtin, 2005). By

becoming an expert at threat detection, the children not only learn to maintain their attention on

the task at hand but also to be more aware of their surrounding environment. This heightened

awareness would serve them in being able to prepare for potential abuse and how to avoid it if

possible.

One study conducted by J.C. Young and C. S. Widom (2014), researchers learned that

adults with a documented history of having been abused or neglected as children were less likely

to recognize positive emotion in pictures than negative emotions. This finding could be due to

these particular adults having “developed negative worldviews” (Young & Widom, 2014). With

a negative view of the world, it is easier for these adults to recognize and understand negativity

in others more readily than positive emotions. They are also more likely to react negatively to

situations even if those situations are positive in nature.

My belief is that physical abuse and neglect have a negative effect on early childhood

development that is potentially difficult to overcome but is not impossible. If physical abuse is

allowed to continue without intervention from authorities abused children may become

physically delayed (Understanding, 1993) potentially opening the child up to ridicule from peers

PHYSICAL ABUSE EFFECT ON DEVELOPMENT IN EARLY CHILDHOOD 6

for being “smaller” or “weaker”. The child will also most likely not be able to establish bonds of

trust with other adults such as their teachers and may potentially fall into other abusive

relationships as they get older. These children will most likely develop potentially hostile

responses (Understanding, 1993) to authority figures and trouble with law enforcement.

Children who have been physically abused may be unable to develop stable attachments

with adults and peers, possibly leading to lower self-esteem (Understanding, 1993) because they

begin to doubt who they are and how valuable they can be. Those who have been abused are

more likely to develop depression, attempt suicide, and have a greater difficulty with emotions

(Understanding, 1993) all stemming from the lower self-esteem caused by the abuse they

received. Because of their lack of understanding, children who have been abuse are at higher risk

of being delayed socially, be less likely to display prosocial behaviors, or be unable to emphasize

with their peers (Young & Widom, 2014). These children may experience a domino effect

because of the abuse they endure. They start by feeling like they are worthless which creates

lower self-esteem. The lowered self-esteem then leads to depression and difficulties being able

to understand emotions. This creates the inability to adapt socially and the child potentially

becomes incapable of empathy. The difficulties the children experience during this process can

make them even further depressed and they may then contemplate or even attempt suicide.

Even the smallest amount of abuse and neglect will leave a lasting impression on a child

making them unsure if they can trust that a caregiver will treat them with love and respect or be

able to take care of them (Pollack, Vardi, Putzer Bechner, & Curtin, 2005). If the abuse or

neglect is committed early in the child’s life or has not been going on for very long, then the

effects can be mostly reversed given enough time, therapy, and a safe environment (Hosier,

2015). Those same children will most likely learn to trust that the adults around them will protect

PHYSICAL ABUSE EFFECT ON DEVELOPMENT IN EARLY CHILDHOOD 7

them and not harm them. Given enough time, love, and patience these children will learn that

they are wonderful humans and that they are capable of leading perfectly normal lives. That

what happened to them was not their fault and that they deserve to be happy like everyone else.

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References:

All You Need To Know About Child Abuse History. (2015, January 1). Retrieved April 12,

2015, from http://children-laws.laws.com/child-abuse/child-abuse-history

Barriere, D. (2014, March 22). History of Child Abuse. Retrieved April 12, 2015, from

http://www.child-abuse-effects.com/history.html

Cost of Child Abuse and Neglect Rival Other Major Public Health Problems. (2014, January 14).

Retrieved April 12, 2015, from

http://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/childmaltreatment/EconomicCost.html

Foster Care Frequently Asked Questions. (2008, January 1). Retrieved April 12, 2015, from

http://www.fosterarkansas.org/fcfaq.htm

Hosier, D. (2015, March 13). Neuroplasticity: Functional and Structural. Retrieved April 12,

2015, from http://childhoodtraumarecovery.com/category/neuroplasticity/

Mandatory Reporters of Child Abuse and Neglect. (2014, January 1). Retrieved April 12, 2015,

from https://www.childwelfare.gov/topics/systemwide/laws-

policies/statutes/manda/?hasBeenRedirected=1

Meyers, J. (2008, January 1). A Short History of Child Protection in America. Retrieved April

12, 2015, from

http://www.americanbar.org/content/dam/aba/publishing/insights_law_society/ChildProte

ctionHistory.authcheckdam.pdf

Pollack, S. D., Vardi, S., Putzer Bechner, A. M., & Curtin, J. J. (2005). Physically Abused

Children’s Regulation of Attention in Response to Hostility. Child Development, 76(5),

968-977. Doi:10.1111/j.1467-8624.2005.00890.x

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Santrock, J. (2014). Peers and the Sociocultural World. In A topical approach to life-span

development (7th ed., pp. 529 - 531). New York City, New York: McGraw-Hill.

Understanding Child Abuse and Neglect. (1993, January 1). Retrieved March 29, 2015, from

http://www.nap.edu/catalog/2117.html

Young, J. C., & Widom, C. S. (2014). Long-term effects of child abuse and neglect on emotion

processing in adulthood. Child Abuse & Neglect, 38(8), 1369-1381.

doi:10.1016/j.chiabu.2014.03.008