Impact of Maltreatment on the Developing Child (From Social Work Treatment With Abused and Neglected Children, P 100-124, 1985, Chris M Mouzakitis and Raju Varghese, ed. - See NCJ-98826)

• NCJ Number: 98828
• Author(s): S Monopolis; R M Sarles
• Date Published: 1985
• Length: 25 pages
• Sale Source: Charles C. Thomas
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

The direct impact of physical and sexual abuse on child development is examined in this review of the scientific and professional literature.

Abstract

Parental neglect, in the form of deprivation, inadequate care, or malnutrition has been well-documented to have significant consequences for the child's physical developmental (as in failure to thrive) and mental health (e.g., fear, anxiety, guilt, depression, neurosis), and also may contribute to neurologic deficit. Similarly, physical abuse may have significant consequences for the child's psychological and social development. Chronic abuse may lead to primary identification with the aggressor, acting-out and impaired impulse control, and a proneness toward violence. An elaborate study of abused children found three distinct behavior patterns characterized by: destructiveness, limited ego function, legal involvement, poor peer relationships, and a variety of problem behaviors; withdrawal, anxiety, and passivity; and manipulativeness, cognitive precocity, poor peer relationships, and few or mild behavior problems. In addition to neurological sequelae of physical abuse, there may be a compromised ability for learning; in infants and toddlers, attachment to the mother may be seriously affected. Studies of the long-term effects of child sexual abuse have produced equivocal findings, as sexual abuse often coexists with physical abuse, familial alcoholism, and other dysfunctions. A number of studies of short-term effects have found little impact, while others have reported regressive symptoms, anxiety neuroses, and phobias and dysfuctions in psychosexual development. Psychological disturbances and psychosomatic complaints have been found to be associated with rape. Effects of child prostitution are unclear and not well documented. Similarly, effects of child pornography are not clearly defined, although some research has reported such symptoms as sleep disturbance, mood swings, and withdrawal. Overall, research and clinical data suggest that child abuse puts victims at greater risk of impairment in physical and emotional growth and development, and that the experience of violence in childhood often begets violence in adulthood. Despite the multitude of confounding factors, maltreatment cannot be good for children. Included are 191 references.