Child Abuse: Physical Abuse

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Child Abuse Physical Abuse
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Responses to Reading
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Child Abuse Prevention Treatment Act of 1974
Definition

• Physical or mental injury, sexual abuse or
  exploitation, negligent treatment or maltreatment
  of a child under the age of eighteen

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Current Knowledge
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Current Knowledge continued National
Clearinghouse on Child Abuse and Neglect
Information, 2005

• No single profile of child abuse perpetrator
• Frequently, (not always) the perpetrator fits
  some of all of the following description
• Mid 20s
• No high school diploma
• At or below the poverty level
• Difficulty coping with stressful demands
• Males are generally held responsible for physical
  abuse fatalities, females are generally held
  responsible for neglect fatalities

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Highlights of the Chapter (Kemp, 1998)

• Consequences of Childhood Physical Abuse
• Medical physical problems
• Psychiatric disturbances
• Attachment self-esteem problems
• Developmental problems
• School difficulties
• Behavioral problems
• Social and adjustment difficulties

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Highlights continued

• Development of the child
• We should consider which developmental milestone
  the child is achieving when considering how
  he/she has been affected by the abuse (e.g. very
  young children who are working to develop trust)

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Highlights continued

• Intergenerational Theory
• Explains some but not all abuse (perhaps 30)
• Risk Factors are key in assessing

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Risk Factors

• Patriarchy (meso level)
• Low family SES (meso/macro level)
• Social Isolation (macro level)
• Poor parent/child interactions (macro level)
• Higher use of corporal punishment (macro level)
• Parental external locus of control (micro level)
• Parental perceptions of childs behavior (micro)
• Parental expectations of the child (micro level)
• Alcohol substance abuse (moderate relation)

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Physical Indicators of Abuse Wallace, 2005

• Unexplained bruises or welts in various stages of
  healing, in clusters of unusual patterns, or on
  several different areas
• Unexplained burns in the shapes of cigarette,
  rope, iron, or caused by immersion
• Unexplained lacerations to the mouth, lip, arms,
  leg or torso
• Missing or loosened teeth
• Human bite marks
• Unexplained abrasions
• Appearance of injuries after school absence,
  weekend or vacation

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Implication of Abuse by caretakers Wallace, 2005

• Unexplained injuries
• Impossible explanations
• Different versions of the incident
• Different explanations
• Delay in seeking medical attention

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Stages of Bruising Wallace, 2005

• 0 5 days red/purple/blue
• 5 7 days green
• 7 10 days yellow
• 10 14 days brown
• 2 4 weeks clear
• Note Mongolian spots are irregular areas of deep
  blue, pigmentation, found predominately on
  newborns of African, Asian, or Latin descent,
  usually in the lower back or buttocks regions.
  They usually disappear as the child grows.

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Trafficking

• Trafficking tricking, coercing, or forcing
  individuals into involuntary servitude, forced
  labor or sexual practices (i.e. prostitution)
• Estimated 600,000 800,000 people are trafficked
  each year

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Trafficking

• 70 are female, 50 are children
• Much trafficking benefits the prostitution
  business
• Child sex tourism is growing
• http//www.state.gov/g/tip/

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The Unquiet Death of Eli Creekmore