Child Abuse Has No Age Limits Or Boundaries
Child abuse has no age limits or boundaries, in school age children the most common types of abuse are emotional, physical and sexual abuse. These make up over 89% of the abuse cases seen in emerge4ncy rooms (Perry,1983). When a child is presented to a nurse in the emergency room or clinic there are several tell-tails that can be present. Most commonly is a child that will not speak for themselves without looking for the approval of the parent with them. They may look at the floor, celling, or any where but direct eye contact with the medical provider. Next if they do speak they may have come up with an outrageous explanation that does not exhibit the signs and symptoms of the injury.
Child abuse just does not go away once the abuser has been removed there are long term effects that the abuse causes such as depression, lack of trust, and future abuse to their own children, and PTSD (Jakupcevic, 2011). Long term social and psychiatric help and consulting will be need for most cases and the need for hospitalization for psychiatric care for extreme cases.
With this said we may as nurses may think that some children are being abused physically when presented in front of us but it is a type of healing to some cultures. Such ways include but not limited to coining and cupping. These leave marks on the child to look as if they were abused, but in fact it is way some cultures believe that one can be healed.
In the community that I work it is a must that we as nurses report to the local authorities and CPS even if it is suspected case of abuse we can not report it.
References
Perry, M. A., Doran, L. D., & Wells, E. A. (1983). Developmental and Behavioral Characteristics of the Physically Abused Child. Journal Of Clinical Child Psychology, 12(3), 320.
Jakupčević, K. K., & Ajduković, M. (2011). Risk factors of child physical abuse by parents with mixed anxiety-depressive disorder or posttraumatic stress disorder. Croatian Medical Journal, 52(1), 25-24.
Child abuse just does not go away once the abuser has been removed there are long term effects that the abuse causes such as depression, lack of trust, and future abuse to their own children, and PTSD (Jakupcevic, 2011). Long term social and psychiatric help and consulting will be need for most cases and the need for hospitalization for psychiatric care for extreme cases.
With this said we may as nurses may think that some children are being abused physically when presented in front of us but it is a type of healing to some cultures. Such ways include but not limited to coining and cupping. These leave marks on the child to look as if they were abused, but in fact it is way some cultures believe that one can be healed.
In the community that I work it is a must that we as nurses report to the local authorities and CPS even if it is suspected case of abuse we can not report it.
References
Perry, M. A., Doran, L. D., & Wells, E. A. (1983). Developmental and Behavioral Characteristics of the Physically Abused Child. Journal Of Clinical Child Psychology, 12(3), 320.
Jakupčević, K. K., & Ajduković, M. (2011). Risk factors of child physical abuse by parents with mixed anxiety-depressive disorder or posttraumatic stress disorder. Croatian Medical Journal, 52(1), 25-24.
References: Perry, M. A., Doran, L. D., & Wells, E. A. (1983). Developmental and Behavioral Characteristics of the Physically Abused Child. Journal Of Clinical Child Psychology, 12(3), 320. Jakupčević, K. K., & Ajduković, M. (2011). Risk factors of child physical abuse by parents with mixed anxiety-depressive disorder or posttraumatic stress disorder. Croatian Medical Journal, 52(1), 25-24. doi:10.3325/cmj.2011.52.25