What is abuse? Abuse is any action that is harmful or controlling and that affects the well being of another person. Many people use the term “abuse” to signify physical abuse, but there are many more ways of abusing someone than beating them. But, physical abuse is the most noticeable of them all, but it is only one of the many types of abuse. What is child abuse? It is the physical or emotional abuse of a child by a parent, guardian, or another person. Parents who take out their anger on their children not only place them in a dangerous position physically, but they harm them emotionally and mentally as well. Child abuse can be described as many different things. This could include a mother that doesn’t pay attention to a sick or hurt child, or even a guardian that doesn’t share happiness with his or her child. Child abuse by a parent or caretaker causes a child to hurt, maimed, or killed. Patterns of abusive behavior may result in the physical or mental impairment of the child or even death. There are four different types of abuse suffered everyday by children all across the world. The four different types of abuse are physical, sexual, emotional, and psychological. Physical abuse is one of the many forms of abuse. It can involve hitting, spanking, and sexual abuse. Physical abuses are reported annually with child abuse, which covers a wide range of parental actions that result in harm being imposed on children of all ages. The kind of abuse, however, varies with age. Infants and pre-school are most likely to suffer from fractures, burns, and bruises. This is known as the battered child syndrome. Sexual abuse is the kind of abuse that includes molestation, rape, prostitution, or a use of a child for pornographic purposes. Neglect can be physical in nature (failure to seek needed health care), educational (failure to see that a child is attending school), or emotional (abuse of another child in the child’s presence). Inappropriate punishment and verbal abuse are all forms of emotional or psychological child abuse. Children are not only hurt in the present time of growing up, but in the future as well. This problem of abuse harms many individuals each day, and the reactions are felt by all of the society. The children who are involved live very unhappy loves and the effects of the abuse can surface as the child’s life progress. Today’s society has a need to worry about these incidences because child abuse affects it as well. With the way society is developing, there is a strong chance that a child who was abused will grow up to commit criminal acts. There are some other factors that cause child abuse. These factors would be high levels of martial conflict, inter-spousal physical abuse, and jobless. Many instances of child abuse have much to do with how much the parent expects from his or her child. Characteristics or circumstances of the abuser, the child, and the family may all contribute. In most cases, the abuser was abused as a child. Substance abuse is the kind of abuse that has been identified as a key factor in a growing number of cases. Children who are ill, disabled, are most likely to be the targets of abuse. The abuse occurs in homes where the bruises can be hidden. The emotional and physical scars are hidden behind clothes, make-up, and lies. Abuse leaves scars with children for the rest of their lives as physical scars, but the ones that cause the most pain are the emotional scars, the scars that last forever. It is very tough for many people to understand why anyone would abuse a child, but it happens more than people think. The best way to prevent child abuse is to start family planning at an early age. Most people think of child abuse as being physical abuse only, but usually child abuse is a mental abuse. Children that are abused can be difficult for them to choose between right and wrong. Neglected children often find family structure with heir friends. They will try to find friends that will make them feel secure. Children who are sexually abused face larger problems as they grow up. They will show an unusual interest in sexual organs. Some children who are abused do not turn bad, in fact, majority turns out fine. High intelligence, good scholastic achievement, good temperament, and having close personal relationships can bypass abused children from a life of crime. A good nurse will use forensic and focused assessment skills to determine who, where, and when is doing the abusing. The mother may not know that the boyfriend or neighbor is abusing their child. The nurse will use focused questions before examining the child and reviewing the evidence.
Technorati Tags:
Child Abuse, Child Neglect, Forensic Nursing, Forensic Nursing Chronicles, Forensic Nursing Theories, Forensic Nursing Diagnosis
Tags: Child Abuse, Child Neglect
Forensic Nursing Chronicles 