Sociological Theory Of Child Abuse Essay

Every year more than 3 million reports of child abuse are made in the United States involving more than 6 million children. The amount doubles due to the fact that a report can include multiple children. The U.S has one of the worst records among industrialized nations, thus losing an average between 4 and 7 children everyday to abuse and neglect. The sociological theories that can be used to research the issue of child abuse in the U.S are symbolic interactionism, and the conflict theory. Physical abuse of a child is when a parent or caregiver causes any non-accidental physical injury to a child. Physical abuse includes striking, kicking, burning, biting, hair pulling, choking, throwing, shoving, whipping or any other action that injures
a child. Even if the caregiver didn’t mean to cause injury, when the child is injured it is abuse. Physical discipline from a parent that does not injure or impair a child is not considered abuse; however non-violent alternatives are always available. There are signs that a parent or caregiver is causing physical harm to the child, and they include but are not limited to a history of violence/abuse, keeps child away from school,church, or clubs, delays or prevents medical care for the child, takes child to different doctors or hospitals, displays aggression towards the child or is overly anxious about the child behavior, and lastly cant or won't explain the injures of the child, or attempt to explain it in a false way. There are also signs the child can give that may indicate they are subject to abuse. Classified under two categories: physical and behavioral. The physical signs include: an injury to a child who is not yet able to crawl, and timing and history of injuries. It is a sign of abuse if the injuries frequent after weekends, vacations and school absences. Some behavioral signs include: immaturely acting out, appearing to be afraid of parents or other adults, aggression towards peers, pets, and other animals, self-destructive behavior or attitudes, fear, withdrawal, depression, anxiety, nightmares, insomnia, talks of injury or severe discipline, violent themes in art, and may wear long sleeves out of season. 28.3% of adults report being physically abused as a child. Sexual abuse occurs when an adult uses a child for sexual purposes or involves a child in sexual acts. It also includes when a child who is older or more powerful uses another child for sexual gratification or excitement. More examples of sexual abuse of children include: non-contact abuse, exploitation, child prostitution and pornography, making a child view a sex act, making a child view or show sex organs, inappropriate sexual talk, fondling and oral sex, and penetration. Parents and or caregivers may give off clues of sexual abuse of child when they fail to supervise the child, unstable adult presence, jealous/possessive parent, sexual relationships troubled or dysfunctional, and when the parent relies on the child for emotional support. Children also give both physical and behavioral signs of sexual abuse. Physical signs include: difficulty sitting, walking, bowel problems, torn, stained or bloody undergarments, needing, bruises, pain, swelling or itching of genital area, frequent urinary tract infections, and any sexually transmitted disease or symptom. Behavioral signs include: child does not want to change clothes, withdrawn, depressed, anxious, eating disorders, aggression, delinquency, poor peer relationships, poor self-image, poor self-care, lack of confidence, sudden absents in class, decline in school performance, substance abuse, running away, recklessness, suicide attempts, sleep disturbance, fear of bedtime, nightmares, bed wetting, sexually acting out, excessive masturbation, unusual or repetitive soothing behaviors, sexual behavior or knowledge that is advanced or unusual, and finally reporting sexual abuse. 20.7% of adults report being sexually abused as a child. Emotional abuse is when a parent or caregiver harms a child’s mental and social development, or causes severe emotional harm. While a single incident may be abuse, most often emotional abuse is a pattern of behavior that causes damage over time. Emotional abuse can include: rejecting or ignoring, telling a child he or she is unwanted or unloved, showing little interest in child, not initiating or returning affection, not listening to the child, not validating the child’s feelings, breaking promises, cutting child off in conversation, shaming or humiliating, calling a child names, criticizing, belittling, demeaning, mocking, using language or taking action that takes aim at child’s feelings of self-worth, terrorizing, accusing, blaming, insulting, punishing with or threatening abandonment, harm or death, setting a child up for failure, manipulating, taking advantage of a child’s weakness or reliance on adults, slandering, screaming, yelling, isolating, keeping child from peers and positive activities, confining child to small area, forbidding play or other stimulating experiences, corrupting, engaging child in criminal acts, telling lies to justify actions or ideas, and encouraging misbehavior. If a parent or caregiver is emotionally abusing the child you may see some signs including: routinely criticizing, ignoring or yelling at child, having a history of abuse or violence, playing favorites amongst the siblings, untreated alcoholism, substance abuse or mental illness, anger management issues, and disrespect to authority. The physical and behavioral signs of emotional abuse from the child are weight issues, health issues such as ulcers or skin disorders, speech problems, delays in development causing bed and pants wetting, having developmental delays and learning difficulties, defensive, compliant, extreme aggression, withdrawal, anxiety, sleep disorders, antisocial, violence, cruelty, vandalism, stealing, behavior that comes across too adult or too infantile for the child, and suede attempts or thoughts. 10.6% of adults report being emotionally abused as a child. Child neglect is when a parent or caregiver does not give the care, supervision, affection and support needed for a child’s health, safety and well-being.
As a child, they require and adult to care for them so they can be healthy and safe. They should be able to provide clothing, food, and love. Child neglect can be broken down into four categories, physical, emotional, medical, and educational neglect. Some examples of physical neglect include: not giving the child enough healthy food or drinks, not supplying them with the appropriate clothing according to the whether, leaving the child in the custody of someone else for days or weeks at a time repeatedly, and exposing the child to unsafe environments. Emotional neglect can include: not giving the child attention, support or affection, not allowing the child around friends or loved ones. Medical neglect can include not following doctors instructions for the child, not providing medical/dental care, not brining the child to a hospital when needed. Lastly educational neglect can include: allowing the child to stay home for school when not necessary, not enrolling the child in school, and not helping the child when leaning disabilities are discovered. Some signs of neglect from the parent or caregiver are lack of interest towards the child, blames the child for their problems, and if they view the child in a negative way. Some signs from the child include: having hygiene issue, body odor, low body weight for age, showing
signs of malnutrition, clothing is dirty and often the wrong size. A report of a child being abused in some way is made every 10 seconds.
In that time there is also 11,500 google searches and Facebook updates, and 2.8 million emails sent. Every year, referrals to state child protective services involve 6.3 million children, and around 3 million are subject to an investigated report. In 2012, state agencies found an estimated 686,000 victims of child maltreatment. Some statistics to back up that number are 28.3% are physically abused, 20.7% are sexually abused, 10.6% are emotionally abused, 9.9% are physically neglected, and 14.8% are emotionally neglected. Abuse in any way affects the child long into their adult lives. There are several health issues, people who report having six or more abusive incidences in their lives had an average life expectancy two decades shorter than those who reported none. They also have an increased chance of having Ischemic heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and liver
disease.