Parents or others who care for the child are the abusers in more than 80 percent\u00a0of the cases of neglect and abuse which result in physical or developmental trauma.<\/p>\n
As\u00a0mentioned before, parents themselves are most often the ones who have abused a\u00a0child. Social scientists are not really sure why parents in some circumstances abuse\u00a0their children while other parents in the same circumstances do not resort to child\u00a0abuse. Recent studies reveal these findings about the abused child, the abusive\u00a0parent, and the family unit itself.<\/p>\n
a. The Abused Child.<\/strong><\/p>\n (1) Age. The abused child is usually under 4 years of age.<\/p>\n (2) Handicapped, retarded, hyperactive, or birth defects. A child with any of\u00a0these problems will add stress to the family’s daily life, stress the parents may not be\u00a0able to handle. Parents of such children may also be disappointed and feel guilty,\u00a0resentful, and angry that the child is not normal.<\/p>\n (3) Premature birth or neonatal separation. Premature babies, being\u00a0smaller at birth, needing to be fed more often, and sleeping shorter periods of time, also\u00a0place stress on a family unit. Some parents cannot cope with that stress. Also, if a\u00a0newborn baby, premature or not, must stay in the hospital for a period of time after birth\u00a0to overcome physical problems, proper bonding between the baby and the parents may\u00a0not take place.<\/p>\n b. The Abusive Parent<\/strong>. As social scientists are not sure how many children\u00a0are abused, these researchers are not exactly sure why some parents are child\u00a0abusers. The following characteristics, however, have been identified in parents who\u00a0abuse their children:<\/p>\n (1) Low self-esteem. A parent who is insecure himself may build his self-esteem\u00a0by abusing his children. He can control his own children through abuse, but he\u00a0may not be able to control his boss or others with whom he comes in contact in\u00a0everyday life.<\/p>\n (2) Unhappy, depressed, and\/or frustrated. The parent with any or all of\u00a0these feelings often feels guilty about the past and self-hatred for the way his life is\u00a0going in the present. Believing himself to be useless, no good, and unlovable, this\u00a0parent sees his child as useless, unlovable, etc. He takes out his own feelings of\u00a0worthlessness by abusing his children.<\/p>\n (3) Substance abuser. Parents who misuse alcohol or drugs have a limited\u00a0ability to deal with their children.<\/p>\n (4) Violent temper. Parents who do not control a violent temper often direct\u00a0that violence at their children. Also, parents who are violent with each other are usually\u00a0violent toward their children.<\/p>\n (5) Abused child, himself. Parents who were mistreated as children\u00a0frequently abuse their own children.<\/p>\n (6) History of mental illness or criminal activity. Although not all child\u00a0abusers are mentally ill, those who are mentally ill do sometimes abuse their children.\u00a0Individuals engaged in criminal activity may have been abused as children themselves.\u00a0Additionally, the force of laws against child abuse is no deterrent to the child abuser\u00a0who is involved in criminal activity.<\/p>\n (7) Rigid\/unrealistic expectations of the child. Some parents expect children\u00a0to behave perfectly at all times. Toilet training accidents, for example, frequently trigger\u00a0child abuse incidents.<\/p>\n (8) Young\/immature parent. There is no specific training for parenthood.\u00a0Very young, immature parents do not always understand that caring for a child is a 24\u00a0hour a day, 20 year task. The frustration of constant child care can lead to child abuse.<\/p>\n c. The Family Uni<\/strong>t. Characteristics of the family unit of an abused child include\u00a0some of the following:<\/p>\n (1) Money problems, often including unemployment.<\/p>\n (2) Adult family members who are isolated with very few friends.<\/p>\n (3) Family which moves frequently, living in many different places.<\/p>\n (4) Marital problems.<\/p>\n (5) Pattern of husband or wife abuse in the family.<\/p>\n (6) Poor parent-child relationships.<\/p>\n (7) Unwanted pregnancies, illegitimate children, youthful marriage.<\/p>\n d. Situations Triggering Child Abuse<\/strong>. Usually, something triggers an incident\u00a0of child abuse. Situations which bring about child abuse include the following:<\/p>\n (1) A family argument.<\/p>\n (2) A discipline problem.<\/p>\n (3) Substance abuse (alcohol or drugs).<\/p>\n (4) Loss of a job.<\/p>\n (5) Eviction notice.<\/p>\n (6) Illness.<\/p>\n (7) Other stresses to a family member or to the family unit.<\/p>\n NOTE: These profiles of the abusive parent and the abused child’s family unit paint a\u00a0picture of child abuse in only one segment of American society (the lower end\u00a0of the socioeconomic structure). <\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n Remember that child abuse occurs in all\u00a0parts of society in the United States. The abuser may be rich or poor,\u00a0educated or uneducated, socially prominent or virtually unknown in a town,\u00a0immaculately dressed in the latest style or slovenly and dirty, etc. People are\u00a0very good at concealing what they really do and how they really act from\u00a0outsiders. <\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n It is, therefore, doubly important that you as a health care provider\u00a0be observant and thorough in examining an injured child and that you report\u00a0to the proper authorities according to local standing operating procedure\u00a0(SOP) any suspicions of child abuse.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Parents or others who care for the child are the abusers in more than 80 percent\u00a0of the cases of neglect and abuse which result in physical or developmental trauma. As\u00a0mentioned before, parents themselves are most often the ones who have abused a\u00a0child. Social scientists are not really sure why parents in some circumstances abuse\u00a0their children … Continue reading 4-04. PROFILE OF THE ABUSED CHILD<\/span>