Child Maltreatment Flashcards
Children’s Characteristics of Maltreatment
- feel they deserve the treatment
- another persona of the parent
- hide food
- longing to play
Prevalence of Maltreatment is mainly unknown due to the
underreporting and not recognized
esp. sexual abuse and emotional abuse is hard to prove
___ in _____ children are victims of child abuse and neglect
1 in 5
The prevalence of the different child maltreatment in order
1 - Physical Neglect
#2 - Physical Abuse
#3 - Sexual Abuse
#4 - Emotional Abuse/NEGLECT (psychological maltreatment)
S/S of child abuse/neglect
Changes in behavior
Changes in school performance and attendance
Unexplained injuries
Changes in eating
Insomnia
Lack of personal care or hygiene
Comes to school early, stays late, and does not want to go home
Risk-taking behaviors
Fear of certain places or people
Returning to earlier behaviors (regression with stress)
Inappropriately dressed for the weather
Inappropriate sexual behaviors
Physical Neglect is
Deprivation Of Necessities
Food
Clothing
Shelter
Supervision
Medical Care
Education
Most common form of maltreatment
Physical neglect
Physical neglect could be due to
lack of knowledge of the child’s needs, lack of resources, and caregiver substance abuse
Emotional Neglect:
FAILURE to meet the needs of affection, attention, and emotional nurturance
Emotional Abuse:
DELIBERATE attempt to destroy or significantly impair a child’s self-esteem or competence
Verbal abusive words is a type of
emotional abuse
Forms of Emotional Abuse
Rejecting
Isolation (basement)
Terrorizing – bleach on garbage for him to pass out
Ignoring
Verbally assaulting
Overly pressuring the child
Physical Abuse
deliberate infliction of physical injury on a child,
- usually by the child’s caregiver
Anticipatory Guidance:
The rule of thumb for parents who believe in spanking as a form of discipline is that they should
only use an open hand (no objects such as a wooden spoon, paddle, etc.) and only on the seat of the pants (or buttocks area) with clothes on.
- no bruising
Injuries from abuse can occur from
Punching
Beating
Shaking
Kicking
Biting
Throwing
Burning
Injuries from abuse result in
Bruises
Bites
Burns
Lacerations
Pinch Marks
Swelling
Tenderness
Sexual Abuse
Persuading Any Child To Engage In, Or Assisting Another Person To Engage In, Sexual Conduct Or Simulation Of Such Conduct
Sexual abuse has significant
increased in the past decade due to increased awareness and increased reporting
Incest
between family members
Molestation
Touching, fondling, kissing, masturbation, oral sex
Exhibitionism
“Indecent exposure” by an adult man to kids/women
Child pornography
Photographing sexual acts involving children
Child prostitution
Involving children in sex acts for profit
Pedophilia
Preference of an adult for pre-pubertal children as a means of achieving sexual excitement
Sexual abuse is typically is the abuser of someone
male who the victim knows but could be women and siblings
usually family members (father, step father, relatives)
Methods used to pressure children into sex
Children are offered gifts or privileges
The child is told that it is “okay to do”
They may meet the child’s need for love & affection
Pressures them into secrecy by describing it as “a secret between us”
The offender plays on the child’s fear (of punishment, repercussions, abandonment)
Physical S/S of Sexual Abuse
Injury to external genitalia, anus, mouth or throat
Painful urination
Recurrent UTI’s
Constipation or stool incontinence
Sexually transmitted infections
Difficulty walking or sitting
Pregnancy
Emotional and Psychological s/s of Sexual Abuse
Sexual comments, behaviors, or play
- hypersexual for developmental age
Regressive behavior i.e., bed-wetting
Personality change (withdrawn)
May resist in removing clothes for exam
Phobias (dark, strangers, leaving the house)
Reports nightmares
Sudden change in appetite
Factors for Child Maltreatment
exact cause unknown
- child, parent, environmental
- not predictive of abuse
The interaction of these contributing factors does
increase the risk of abuse occurring in particular families
Child’s unintentional Characteristics of Factors with Maltreatment
- Temperament (difficult)
- Ordinal position/birth order (1st born expect more, youngest is the accident child so not excited)
Age – Birth to 1 year - Prematurity, behavioral disorder, unwanted pregnancy, cognitive impairment, hyperactivity or a physical disability or chronic illness
- parents have more responsibilities with needs to be met
What age has the highest risk for maltreatment?
Birth to 1 year - egocentristic
birth to 2 years (25%)
Usually how many children are the victim of abuse in a household
1
Difficult developmental stages concerning maltreatment
colic
Purple crying
potty training
teens
Removal of the child from the family will generally put
other siblings at risk
Parental Characteristics of Child Maltreatment
Hx of abuse /neglect – “Parenting Imprint”
Uncontrolling aggression
Substance abuse (alcohol and drugs)
Inadequate support systems (few supportive relationships)
Usually one parent that is the abuser, the other permits it
Younger parents (anticipatory programs )
Socially isolated
Marital problems
Single-parent families may include an unrelated partner
Low-income
Little education
Low self-esteem
”Parenting Imprint”
concept that the way you were raised and disciplined as a child can leave a lasting imprint on you and affect how you parent. We know that parents who were abused as a child are at an increased risk of abusing their children
- I will never do that to my child but it might slip up
- angry they want to remove themselves before dealing with it (with abuse they don’t walk away)
The biggest cause of child maltreatment
Inadequate knowledge of appropriate parenting skills /inappropriate or unrealistic expectations for child’s developmental level
Examples of unrealistic expectations related to development
A parent almost severed their 8-month-old’s penis due to incontinence when the parent was trying to potty train them.
You can not potty train an 8-month
An infant with a severed frenulum who refused to take their bottle.
A toddler’s legs and wrists were tied and mouths gagged because they would not stop walking and talking.
They are curious and want to be busy
Jodi Frankie case
Anticipatory guidance
parents about normal growth and development are so important and should be part of a child’s well-checks at the pediatrician’s office or clinic.
to help with lack of knowledge
Environmental Characteristics of Child Maltreatment
Chronic stress
Poverty
Unemployment
Poor housing/crowded living conditions
Frequent relocation
Divorce
Daycare providers and babysitters (especially if they have not been fully evaluated)
Assessment findings of maltreatment
Inconsistent with injury
For example, a concussion, broken arm, and bruises all over thebody from fallingoff ofthe couch onto a carpeted floor
Incompatible with development
A 6-month-old turning on the hot water of thebathtubandclimbing in and getting burned
Delay in medical treatment (afraid of consequences)
Hx changes with repetition
Asking over and over and look for changes
Contradictory histories
Parent says one thing the another says something else
Non-accidental injuries, i.e.,loop mark bruises
Index of suspicion
type and location of the injury do not add up