Abuse & Neglect Flashcards
Who are the most vulnerable to family violence?
Women and children
Physical/emotional abuse that occurs with the family structure.
Family violence
Why are families violent?
- The amount of time families spend together
- Power Differentials
- Size of family
Any act to a child that results in a non-accidental injury
Child Physical Abuse
Physical indicators of child physical abuse.
- Unexplained bruises/welts in various stages of healing
- Unexplained burns in the shape of objects
- Unexplained lacerations to mouth, lips, arms, legs, and torso.
- Missing or lessened teeth
- Human bite marks
- Bald spots
- Unexplained abrasions
- Appearances of injuries after school absence, weekend, or vacation
- Unexplained skeletal injuries
Behavioral indicators of child physical abuse
- Easily frightened or fearful of adults/ parents, physical contact, or when other children cry.
- Destructive to self / others
- Extremes of behavior
- Poor social relations
- Runaway / delinquent behavior
- Learning problems
- Reporting unbelievable reasons for injuries
- Complains of soreness or moves awkwardly
- Accident prone
- Wears clothing that is clearly meant to cover the body when not appropriate
- Seems afraid to go home
Guides for detection of abuse
- Location
- Repetition of injury
- Appearance of the injury
- Correlation
A fictitious disorder in which an adult seeks medical treatment for a fake illness that the child is suffering from
Munchausen
Characteristics of abusers
- Anger control problems
- Depression
- Low self-esteem
- Inappropriate expectations
- Lack of empathy
- Belief in physical punishment
- Parent - child role reversal
- Social Isolation
- Difficulty experiencing pleasure
- Deprived childhood
- They did not have a consistent, loving, nurturing environment when they were young.
Behavioral symptoms of abusive parents
- not volunteering info. about their child’s injury / illess
- being evasive or contradicting themselves regarding the circumstances under which the injury occurred
- being critical of the child and angry with him / her for being injured
- giving no indication of feeling guilty / remorseful about the child’s injury
- showing no concern about treatment
- often disappearing from the hospital during the examination
- tending not to visit the child in the hospital during the examination
- seldom touching or looking at the child
- changing the story of how the injuries occurred as many as 3 or 4 times
- blaming anybody but themselves
- constantly criticizing the child
Same as binding
Tethering
Hitting in the stomach
Pummeling
Incredibly rare; usually because of twisting a limb
Spiral fracture
Most common type; very uncommon for children under the age of 3
Rib fracture
Frustration over crying leads to this
Gagging
“Cauliflower ear”
Ear injuries
Mostly from shaking
Neck injuries
- water burns are associated with potty training
- cigarettes and immersion
- there is a pattern left from a microwave burn
Burn
A failure to care for a child’s basic needs
Child neglect
Physical indicators of child neglect
- poor growth pattern
- constant hunger / malnutrition
- poor hygiene, body odor, and life; inappropriate clothing
- constant lack of supervision, especially for long periods or in dangerous conditions
- unexplained bruises or injuries as a result of poor supervision
- unattended physical problems or medical needs such as lack of proper immunizations, gross dental problems, needs glasses / hearing aids
Behavioral indicators of neglect
- child begs or steals food
- child assumes an excessive amount of responsibility or relies heavily on another child
- child attends school irregularly, including excessive tardiness
- child remind at home for excessive hours
- child abuses drugs and alcohol
- child falls asleep, is fatigued, or is listless at school
- child engages in delinquent or status offender behavior or has other contact with juvenile or other law enforcement authorities
- extended stays in school
- child states there is no care takers
- child is unable to form appropriate relationships with peers and adults
- eating disorders
Long- term effects of neglect
- social and attachment issues
- development delays
- intellectual ability
- emotional and behavioral problems
- physical consequences
Repeated pattern of behavior that conveys to children to children that they are worthless, uncalled, and not wanted.
Emotional abuse
Six categories of child psych maltreatment
- spurning
- terrorizing
- exploiting / corrupting
- denying emotional responsiveness
- isolating
- mental health / medical / educational neglect
Verbal and nonverbal hostile rejecting / degrading behaviors
Spurning
Caregiver behaviors that harm or threaten harm to a child or a child’s loved ones or possessions
Terrorizing
Encouraging inappropriate behaviors in a child
Exploiting / corrupting
Ignoring a child’s needs or failing to express positive affect towards a child
Denying emotional responsiveness
Denying a child opportunities to interact / communicate with others
Isolating
Failing to provide for a child’s needs in these areas
Mental health / medical / educational neglect
Self-destructive forms of emotional abuse
- obesity
- drug addiction
- anorexia / bulimia
- alcoholism
- domestic violence
- child abuse
- attempted suicide
- depression
- fits of rage
Involves the perpetrating of physical, emotional, or threat of abuse or murder by at least one person of an unmarried couple
Dating violence
Takes many more forms including sexual coercion, unwanted sexual behavior, and outright rape against an unmarried date or acquaintance
Sexual assault
A series of actions such as harassing, following, or communicating in particular ways that cause the victim to fear for his or her bodily safety
Stalking
Gamma hydroxybutyrate
GHB
Special K; powerful animal tranquilizer
Ketamine
Date rape drug that can be found in Jell-O shots
Rohypnol
Characteristics that might lead to DV, SA, and ST
- direct or indirect exposure to family violence
- power / control issues
- feeling powerless in relationships
- romanticism: “love conquers all”
- peer influences
- alcohol/ drug abuse
- relationship problems
- gender role socialization and insecure attachments
Violence and abuse that occurs between adult partners who are at least 18 years old, sexually intimate, married or unmarried, and currently or formerly living together
IPV
( intimate partner violence )
Theories of why people abuse
- patriarch
- acceptance of violence
- social stress
- power
- dependency
- alcohol
A condition in which a subject does not attempt to escape from a painful situation after learning in a previous, similar situation that escape is not possible
Learned helplessness
One who has been a victim of physical, sexual, or serious psychological abuse by a man with whom she has an intimate relationship
Battered woman syndrome
- the victim begins to praise and idolize the abuser
- they don’t actually have to be hostages, but are made to feel like hostages in their own home
Hostage / Stockholm syndrome
Why do women stay?
- Fear helplessness, guilt, feelings of failure, lack of resources
- they are at an increased risk for violence when they attempt or claim that they will leave
- most of the time, the law fails to protect the victim.
Common types of physical abuse:
- striking acts
- throwing or destruction of property
- control or choking acts
- repeated beating using objects
- humiliation
