...The Impact of Foster Care on Child Development Demeka F. Gaddy Liberty University Abstract The foster care system was designed to provide a safe temporary placement for children who can no longer stay in the care of their parents or guardian. The overall goal of foster care is for the children to return home to their caregiver. If the caregiver fails to regain custody the child is placed in other living arrangements, to include foster homes. However there is a controversy over the effectiveness of the foster care system in regards to child development. Foster care has been linked to negative impacts in child development to include; physical and sexual abuse, attachment disorders, and behavioral problems that eventually lead to children being placed in multiple placements and in some cases the juvenile justice system,. Children who are in foster care are a vulnerable group due to the being removed from their home, in some cases abruptly. It has been proven that the longer children living in foster care are subject to negative development more than children who do not live in foster care. Based on these factors the foster care system needs to focus more on the needs of the child so that positive development can occur. Keywords: child welfare, abuse, child development The Negative Impacts of Foster Care on Child Development The foster care system was designed to provide a safety net for children and families and to reunite children with their biological parents if possible...
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...How Child Abuse Effects a Student’s Education To look into the eyes of a child and witness a fearful and emotionless gaze due to child abuse is devastating. All children deserve their innocence yet there are many who have it ripped from them. Many would agree that a child’s education is something of value and that someday they will be controlling and determining our future. However, there are several who beg to differ and decide to detrimentally effect a child’s education. Child abuse is the physical, emotional, or sexual mistreatment of a child and is a leading case in the United States. A child is physically, psychologically, emotionally, behaviorally and cognitively effected due to child abuse. It is not a simple problem but there are many solutions to diminish the likelihood of its reoccurrence. The effects of child abuse depend on how severe the abuse is, however, regardless of the severity, the child’s educational outlook is most definitely effected. The probability of encountering an abused child is very likely in the education field which makes it imperative for educators to educate themselves and their students on the topic of abuse. “The seven dimensions of children’s well-being are: health, education, identity, family and social relationships, emotional and behavioral development, self presentation and self care skills” (Stevenson, 2005). When either of these dimensions is negatively altered it is considered child abuse or neglect. A child who is noticeably...
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...| Child Abuse and Neglect | Daymar InstituteInstructor: Mona Hoyle | Lauren Kiddoo | 9/7/2014 | PSY202 – Principles of Psychology SU14FS – Section M1 | Lauren Kiddoo Kiddoo 1 Mona Hoyle PSY 202;Section M1 September 7, 2014 Development Across Life Span: Child Abuse and Neglect While studying the chapter in our book, Development Across Life Span, I found myself wondering what the impact of abuse and neglect had on children when they grew older. My goal for this paper is to discuss what abuse and neglect is and what psychological impact it may take on an individual when they become older. What kind of behaviors may manifest after years of abuse and/or neglect and what can be done to prevent future generations of children from experiencing trauma? WHAT IS CHILD ABUSE/NEGLECT? There are four (4) types of child abuse: emotional abuse, sexual abuse, physical abuse and neglect. The CDC (Center for Disease Control and Prevention) defines child abuse as "child maltreatment as any act of series of acts of commission or omission by a parent or other caregiver that results in harm, potential for harm, or threat of harm to a child". Physical abuse is an act by a parent or caregiver in which non-accidental injury is inflicted, such as hitting, burning, drowning, shaking, suffocating or poisoning. Sexual abuse refers to sexual activity with a child where the child is being...
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...The Affects of Abuse and Neglect Later in Life Word Count: 2,036 Literature Review The purpose of this study is to determine if child abuse and neglect affect social status, grade point averages (GPA), or psychological imbalances of individuals later in life. This study is important to address to the public of the long-term affects of abuse and neglect in relation to such topics. The subjects surveyed are college-aged students ranging from ages 18 to 25. This survey is based on abuse or neglect from the subject’s parents or guardians at any point from birth to age 16 or 18. The cut off age group is dependant upon how old the subject was once they moved out of the household. This study defines abuse as any form of intense ongoing verbal battery, unnecessary physical harm, or illegal sexual encounters directed to the subject via the parent or guardian. “The official federal definition of child abuse, state in the Federal Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act of 1974, states, ‘…the physical or mental injury, sexual abuse, negligent treatment, or maltreatment of a child under the age of eighteen by a person who is responsible for the child’s welfare under circumstances which would indicate that the child’s health or welfare is harmed or threatened thereby’” (Gelles 1985). This study defines neglect as any form of lack of physical, cognitive, or affective care and support for the subject via parent or guardian. Physical care and support is based on the behavioral...
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...Killer Child Abuse Rhonda Swazer SOC203 Instructor James Knapp April 14, 2012 The Silent Killer Child Abuse Child abuse is the physical, sexual or emotional mistreatment or neglect of a child (Britannica). In the United States, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and he Department for Children and Families (DCF) define child maltreatment as any act or series of acts commission or omission by a parent or other caregiver that result in harm, potential for harm, or threat of harm to a child (Leeb , Paulozzi, Melanson, Simon, Arias, 2008). The abuse of children has come to be a major social problem and a main cause of many people suffering and personal problems. Child abuse is a social problem that affects millions of children each year. Not only does child abuse have multiple society effects, but it also effect has individual effects that can create lifelong scars. There are many forms of child abuse, sexual, physical, verbal, and emotional. The most widespread form of child is sexual child abuse also known as incest. A study showed that about 27% of the women in every state of the union, and 16% of the men said they been sexually abuse as children. Child abuse is not always obvious, but the earlier it is caught the better the changes of recovery and appropriate treatment for the child. Knowing some of the warning signs of child abuse and neglect, a person can catch the problem as early as possible and get both the child and...
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...CHILD ABUSE Definition: Child abuse is the physical, sexual or emotional mistreatment of children. In the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) define child maltreatment as any act or series of acts of commission or omission by a parent or other caregiver that results in harm, potential for harm, or threat of harm to a child. Most child abuse occurs in a child's home, with a smaller amount occurring in the organizations, schools or communities the child interacts with. There are four major categories of child abuse: neglect, physical abuse, psychological/emotional abuse and child sexual abuse. Different jurisdictions have developed their own definitions of what constitutes child abuse for the purposes of removing a child from his/her family and/or prosecuting a criminal charge. According to the Journal of Child Abuse and Neglect, child abuse is "any recent act or failure to act on the part of a parent or caretaker which results in death, serious physical or emotional harm, sexual abuse or exploitation, an act or failure to act which presents an imminent risk of serious harm". Causes Child abuse is a complex phenomenon with multiple causes. Understanding the causes of abuse is crucial to addressing the problem of child abuse. Parents who physically abuse their spouses are more likely than others to physically abuse their children. However...
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...Child Abuse and Its Effects on the Child’s Ability to Form Attachments The moment that a child is conceived begins a lifelong journey of attachment. Studies have shown that embryos begin bonding in the womb when they feel movement, hear voices, and through the stimulation of smell and taste. This attachment with a caregiver grows even stronger when the child is born and as they move into childhood develops further into other relationships. The intensity associated with the importance of this development is best described by Perry (2001), “The most important property of humankind is the capacity to form and maintain relationships. These relationships are absolutely necessary for any of us to survive, learn, work, love and procreate” (p. 1). That is, as long as the proper environment and development is exposed to the child. Exposure to constant distress or inflicted abuse and/or neglect to a child can result in reactive attachment disorder, along with many other socioemotional problems and disorders. This will affect all relationships, as well as their ability to accomplish goals and lead a directed, goal-oriented life. When and if others intervene within the abusive situation, will determine how the child will deal with an attachment disorder. If intervention does not occur, attachment disorders associated with abuse and/or neglect can lead to violence in children and adults. There are ways to help children cope with this disorder, but it will become a struggle they will have...
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...Impact and Relationship of Substance Abuse and Child Maltreatment: Risk and Resiliency Factors What Research Tells Us Martha Morrison Dore, Ph.D. Columbia University School of Social Work 622 West 113th Street New York, New York 10027 212/854-5461 Paper prepared for presentation at the conference entitled “Protecting Children in Substance Abusing Families,” September 28, 1998, sponsored by the Center for Advanced Studies in Child Welfare, University of Minnesota School of Social Work, Minneapolis, MN. Researchers are just beginning to demonstrate empirically what child protective services workers have been observing for nearly two decades now: many, if not most, families who come to the attention of the child welfare system are involved with drugs or alcohol or both. Founded cases of child abuse and neglect have risen exponentially since the mid-1980s, when the crack form of cocaine, a cheap, easily used form of the drug, became widely available. Studies conducted since that time have identified substance abuse as a contributing factor in 40% to 80% of substantiated cases of child maltreatment (Curtis & McCullough, 1993; Magura & Laudet, 1996; Murphy, Jellinek, Quinn, Smith, Poitrast, & Goshko, 1991). Further, studies of substance abusing parents have found child-rearing beliefs and attitudes that heighten risk for child abuse (Williams-Peterson et al., 1994), as well as elevated rates of first-time reports to child protective services (Jaudes & Ekwo, 1995), re-reports...
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...Psy of Personality Child Abuse Child abuse is the physical, psychological, or sexual abuse, or neglect of a child by a caregiver responsible for the child’s welfare (Fryer 80). Although it is easy to see the harms child abuse causes to a child physically, many fail to realize the social and emotional damages that are triggered in early childhood development and continued throughout adolescence and adulthood. Victims of child abuse mature into troubled adults with lasting emotional and psychological problems, along with a sense of rejection and frustration which is passed on to future generations. Child abuse victims need to be treated to prevent not only the possible permanent physical or psychological scarring, but to also break the violence breeding generation cycle (Fontana 9). Children have been beaten, violated, and murdered, and sadly these cases have been increasing during past decades (Fontana 3). This maltreatment occurs among all types of families and is not limited to any particular racial, religious, economic, intellectual, or social group (Fryer 15). There are various forms of child abuse; though the four most prevalent types include physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional/psychological abuse, and neglect, all of which place very damaging effects upon its victims (Fryer 14). Over the past several decades, however, major concern has shifted from the physical damages of child abuse to the permanent psychological damages that affect the child for the remainder of...
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...Neurological Disturbances Found in the Brain Due to Childhood Traumas. Emotional disturbances have such an impact to the brain that it can affect various important changes if that trauma continues. In the journal European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience by Ana Martin Blanco, et. al., discusses how the Hypothalamus Pituitary-Adrenal gland is an important component in patients with personality disorders. In the study conduct by the researchers for the journal was to analyze the dysfunction of the Hypothalamus-Pituitary-Adrenal gland and its effects of childhood trauma in a large sample of Dissociative Personality Disorder patients. The DID patients underwent a proper medical interview classifying them with a true diagnosis of...
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...B.D., Colwell, K. and Schick, S. Child Neglect in: Encyclopedia of Crime and Punishment Vol 1.(David Levinson, Ed.) Sage Publications, Thousand Oaks pp 192-196, 2002 Introduction Child neglect is the most common form of child maltreatment (a broad category of behavior that also includes sexual, physical and emotional abuse). The National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System (NCANDS), a review of abuse and neglect data from all states, reported over 1,000,000 substantiated cases of abuse in its last review (annual year 1994). Fifty two percent of these cases were from neglect. The majority of the 2000 or more documented abuserelated deaths each year are due to neglect. These statistics are likely an underestimate of the actual occurrence of neglect. Neglect is the least studied and most poorly characterized form of child maltreatment. This is due to multiple factors including the difficulty in defining and documenting neglect in children. Definitions Neglect can occur in several forms. A broad definition of neglect is any failure to provide for the basic needs of the child. In practice, neglect is defined somewhat differently depending upon local statutory definitions. Common statutory categories include: (1) Medical neglectsuch as failure to provide visits to the doctor for routine checkups, not getting medical attention for injuries, failure to ensure compliance with necessary medical treatments such as providing insulin for a diabetic child....
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...Abuse can come in many forms: emotional, psychical, verbal, neglect, and everything in between. Although these types of abuse and who it affects varies, the consequences can potentially be universally harmful for any victim. When someone is abused during childhood and adolescence, it can have immediate, and sometimes long-term physical and developmental effects. Examining the different consequences of abuse on people’s development may emphasize the importance of not only treatment for victims, but of intervention when and where abuse may begin. Abuse, maltreatment, and neglect are not limited to any one type and can occur at different periods in one’s life. It is not confined to the walls of a person’s home, the boundaries of their school,...
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...ISSUE BRIEF November 2009 Understanding the Effects of Maltreatment on Brain Development What’s Inside: • How the Brain Develops This issue brief provides basic information on brain development and the effects of abuse and neglect on that development. The information is designed to help professionals understand the emotional, mental, and behavioral impact of early abuse and neglect in children who come to the attention of the child welfare system. • Effects of Maltreatment on Brain Development • Implications for Practice and Policy • Summary U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Children and Families Administration on Children, Youth and Families Children’s Bureau Child Welfare Information Gateway Children’s Bureau/ACYF 1250 Maryland Avenue, SW Eighth Floor Washington, DC 20024 800.394.3366 Email: info@childwelfare.gov www.childwelfare.gov Understanding the Effects of Maltreatment on Brain Development www.childwelfare.gov In recent years, there has been a surge of research into early brain development. New technologies, such as neuroimaging (e.g., magnetic resonance imaging or MRI), provide increased insight into how the brain develops and how early experiences affect that development. One area that has been receiving increasing research attention involves the effects of abuse and neglect on the developing brain, especially during infancy and early childhood. Much of this research is providing biological explanations for what practitioners...
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...Many children suffer from different forms of child abuse such as physical, mental, and sexual abuse. The definition of child abuse according to (child help.org) “is when a parent or caregiver, fails to act, causes injury, death, emotional harm or risk of serious harm to a child”. There are two types of child abuse that takes place every day, physical and sexual abuse, but the major form of child abuse based on years of research and study is physical abuse. According to (childhelp.org) physical abuse is define as “when a parent or caregiver causes any non-accidental physical injury to a child. Physical abuse can have detrimental effects on children. “The effects of child physical abuse may last a lifetime and can include brain damage and hearing...
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...of Childhood Sexual Abuse Shobila Kaligounder Marymount University Introduction As per UNICEF’s (2014) definition, sexual violence against children comprises any sexual activities imposed by an adult on a child against which the child is entitled to protection by criminal law. This includes: (a) The inducement or coercion of a child to engage in any unlawful or psychologically harmful sexual activity; (b) The use of children in commercial sexual exploitation; (c) The use of children in audio or visual images of child sexual abuse; and (d) Child prostitution, sexual slavery, sexual exploitation in travel and tourism, trafficking for purposes of sexual exploitation (within and between countries), sale of children for sexual purposes and forced marriage. Sexual activities are also considered as abuse when committed against a child by another child if the offender is significantly older than the victim or uses power, threat or other means of pressure. Consensual sexual activities between children are not considered as sexual abuse if the children are older than the age limit defined by the State Party. In spite of a clear definition for child sexual abuse violence in the lives of children is so real and as an international community we do very little to protect them. There is also a dearth of data to prove the prevalence of violence due to the hidden nature of the abuse and gives a false notion that it is a rare occurrence. Children are vulnerable to sexual victimization...
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