Effects of Child Abuse and Neglect

EFFECTS OF CHILD ABUSE AND NEGLECT
The Effects of Child Abuse and Neglect
Rebecca Klitzner
Lesley University – Cambridge, MA

EFFECTS OF CHILD ABUSE AND NEGLECT
ABSTRACT
Child abuse and neglect are serious problems across the country and around the world.
Many children are abused and/or neglected either at home or by someone they know; sometimes
it is both of these. It doesn’t matter what race, religion or economic status the families hold
when it comes to child abuse and neglect. The effects of child abuse and neglect often last well
into a child’s adult life. In terms of how child abuse and neglect effects children and adults, it
varies from person to person. Some of the effects can be and are very mild, while others are
more severe and can have devastating effects on both the child and the adult survivor. Everyone
has different coping mechanisms that help them deal with the abuse and neglect that they
received.

EFFECTS OF CHILD ABUSE AND NEGLECT

EFFECTS OF CHILD ABUSE AND NEGLECT
DEFINITIONS OF ABUSE AND NEGLECT
The definition of child abuse can be found on both the federal and the state level. On the
federal level, child abuse is defined under the Child Abuse and Prevention and Treatment Act
(CAPTA). On the state levels, the definition can be found in both the criminal and civil statutes.
The Child Abuse and Prevention Treatment Act defines child abuse as “any recent act or failure
to act on the part of a parent or caretaker, which results in death, serious physical or emotional
harm, sexual abuse or exploitation, or an act or failure to act which presents an imminent risk of
serious harm.” Child Welfare Information Gateway (2013).
Neglect is defined as “the failure of a parent, guardian or other caregiver to provide for a
child’s basic needs.” Child Welfare Information Gateway (2013)
TYPES OF ABUSE
Often times, children go through more than one type of abuse at the same time. The most
common types of abuse are physical abuse, emotional abuse, sexual abuse and neglect.
Everyone acts differently to the abuse that they have received. There are any number of reasons
as to how and why people react the way that they do (Banaschak, et al., 2015). These reasons
can be but aren’t limited to the age of the child when the abuse occurred and what stage of
development they are at, the type of abuse that is being done to them, how often the abuse
occurred and how mild or severe the abuse was, and the relationship that the child has with the
person who is abusing him or her (Biehal, et al., 2014).
While there are a number of different ways that children are abused, the most common
areas are physical abuse, emotional or psychological abuse, sexual abuse and neglect. Some of