...Parental Substance Misuse: An Exploration of the Impact of Substance Abuse on Children 1.0 Introduction 1.1 Background and Problem Definition It is beyond debаte thаt the use or misuse of substаnce hаs severe impаct on the well being of children. The term substаnce refers to both the illicit аnd non illicit forms of drugs. The use of substаnce by а pаrent becomes misuse when the pаrent in question uses it to the level where the usаge becomes hаzаrdous for both the behаviour аnd heаlth of the pаrent аs well аs the life of the children involved. The hаrmful behаviour in the pаrent hinders the pаrent’s аbility to tаke good cаre of their children which is the children’s fundаmentаl right (Forrester 2011, p. 4). The pаrentаl substаnce misuse hаs physicаl, behаviourаl, sociаl аnd emotionаl or mentаl consequences for the children. Parental substance Misuse is a major issue that has captured the attention of social worker and professional as well as policy makers with regard to wellbeing and needs of a child (Murphy & Harbin, 2003, p.354). The National Treatment Agency (2012, p.3) notes that over 50% of the total adults undergoing drug treatment in 2012 were parents of which a third (66,193) were living with children under the age of 18. Out of these, those who live with their children are 40,852 while those who live with children who are not theirs are 25,341. While not all parents with substance misuse problems harm their children, past research evidence has indicated...
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...Child abuse Child abuse is the physical, sexual or emotional mistreatment or neglect of a child or children. 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. Child abuse can occur in a child's home, or 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". Types Child abuse can take several forms: The four main types are physical, sexual, psychological, and neglect. There are many effects of child neglect, such as children not being able to interact with other children around them. The continuous refusal of a child's basic needs is considered chronic neglect. Physical abuse Physical abuse involves physical aggression directed at a child by an adult. Most nations with child-abuse laws consider the deliberate infliction of...
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...In majority of these cases, they are nonviolent offenders. One of the several frontline tactics used during the War on Drugs, is the stop and frisk procedure. This policy allows police officers to stop and frisk a citizen if the police officer has reasonable suspicion that the citizen has committed a crime. Police officers can use stop and frisk for a variety of reasons including: being within close proximity to a crime scene, suspicious behavior, high crime area, or it being a certain time of day (Avdija, 2013). Studies have shown that these types of War on Drugs policing tactics do little to reduce street level drug activity within the communities, but do increase police brutality (Cooper, 2015). Police brutality can be defined as the use of excessive physical force or verbal assault and psychological intimidation (Chaney & Robertson, 2013). Between the years of 2002-2014, five million New Yorkers were stopped and frisked with between 82% to 90% having not committed an offense (Cooper,...
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...Article Review Summary Spousal emotional abuse is ongoing, significant problem, impacting nearly 35% of women. Emotional abuse by a spouse or romantic partner can often lead to negative psychological outcomes, including depression, anxiety, low self-esteem, posttraumatic stress disorder, learned helplessness, and resentment of the abuser that persists even when the abuse ends. There have not been designated therapies designed to help these women. Gayle L. Reed and Robert D. Enright (2006) examine the roles forgiveness therapy has on emotionally abused women in the article The Effects of Forgiveness Therapy on Depression, Anxiety, and Posttraumatic Stress for Women After Spousal Emotional Abuse. According to Reed and Enright (2006), forgiveness therapy is designed to help the client let go of the anger and resentment that stems from a justifiable wrongdoing. The researchers believe that forgiveness therapy will be beneficial to the women who were emotionally abused by their spouse because it targets the resentment the woman has for the abuser. These emotionally abused women often times experience learned helplessness and accusatory suffering. Learned helplessness often occurs when women develop self-blame in response to their abusive spouse’s criticism and ridicule. Whereas accusatory suffering is when the emotional abused spouse continues to feel like the victim and hold onto the resent. Because of the nature of emotional spousal abuse, forgiveness therapy can be very beneficial...
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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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...with a history of emotional abuse by a spouse or romantic partner. This review of Reed & Enright (2006) includes a summary of the article, a personal reflection of the material, and application points for future consideration. The article in review employed a case study format that puts forgiveness therapy and will be referred throughout this paper as FT and Alternative Treatment which will also be referred throughout this paper as AT under comparison in women who has experienced emotional and psychological abuse whom have been separated for 2 or more years with no interest on reconciliation. The main goals of the article were first to provide data that proves that FT is more beneficial for women as a therapeutic approach (Read & Enright, 2006). The two therapeutic strategies discussed in this article include: (a) Forgiveness Therapy, and (b) Alternative Treatment. The method of study was conducted of 20 women who fall into the description of psychologically abused between the ages of 32-54 from different ethnic, educational, racial and family dynamics. The design consisted of a control group that had limited contact with their former partner varied regardless of pre-existing children, were divided into 10 groups and one from each group was selected for FT and the rest was sent to AT. Control groups were screened using a posttraumatic stress symptom checklist. There was exclusion based on current involvement, history of childhood abuse, or ongoing psychiatric illness...
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...Childhood Sexual Abuse Daniel Green Liberty University August 4, 2012 Abstract Child sexual abuse (CSA) represents a growing crisis that affects children, families, and communities worldwide. Though CSA does not severely damage everyone who has had this experience, a very significant number of individuals experience short and long-term developmental difficulties resulting from the initial abuse. Psychological issues such as depression, posttraumatic stress disorder, and other related anxiety issues are common problems associated with CSA. This paper will discus some of the causes, effects, interventions and treatments of CSA, along with a biblical, Christ-centered perspective that may aid in providing hope for those living through the crisis of CSA. The Crisis of Childhood Sexual Abuse Without a doubt, child sexual abuse (CSA) represents a growing crisis that affects children, families, and communities worldwide. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (2010), as many as one in four children are sexually abused. In the United States alone, 80,000 cases of CSA are reported each year (American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 2008). However, despite national efforts, many cases go unreported because prevalence rates are only accurate to the extent that victims of CSA are willing to disclose. Based on retrospective studies of adult survivors of CSA, it has been estimated that only 1 in 20 cases of sexual abuse is ever reported...
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...Abuse From the day that we are born the everyday events that occur in our lives play an important role on the foundation of our memory as well as our physical, mental, and emotion development. Most of us are filled with memories of a good and happy childhood, but unfortunatly that is not the case in all children. Many children undergo much abuse during their childhood. From the physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, physical neglect, emotional neglect, to that of edcational neglect, child maltreatment not only affects the child’s childhood years, it affects the indivudual’s adult life as well. Child abuse comes in many different forms and types. The one we are most familiar with is that of physical abuse. Such abuse includes deliberate acts of violence that injure children. Verbal abuse, in forms of shouting, humiliation, threats, and severe put-downs are forms of emotional abuse. Such abuse lowers individual’s self-esteem and disrupts a healthy emotional development. Another type of child abuse would be that of sexual abuse. Sexual acts of any form on a young child are all examples of child maltreatment. For victims of sexual abuse the symptoms are even more severe. A child who is the victim of prolonged sexual abuse usually develops low self- esteem, a feeling of worthlessness and an abnormal perspective on sexuality. The child may become withdrawn and mistrustful of adults, and can become suicidal. Physical and emotional neglect are...
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...EMPIRICAL STUDIES doi: 10.1111/j.1471-6712.2012.01049.x Repressed and silent suffering: consequences of childhood sexual abuse for women’s health and well-being Sigrun Sigurdardottir RN, MS (Director) (PhD Student)1,2 and Sigridur Halldorsdottir RN, MSN, PhD (Med Dr) (Professor and Chairman)3 1 The Icelandic Research Center Against Violence, Akureyri, Iceland, 2Public Health Sciences, School of Health Sciences, University of Iceland, Reykjavik, Iceland and 3Faculty of Graduate Studies, School of Health Sciences, University of Akureyri, Akureyri, Iceland Scand J Caring Sci; 2013; 27; 422–432 Repressed and silent suffering: consequences of childhood sexual abuse for women’s health and well-being Research results indicate that psychological trauma in childhood caused by child sexual abuse can have serious and widespread consequences for health and well-being. The purpose of this study was to examine the consequences of childhood sexual abuse for women’s health and well-being. The research methodology was phenomenology. Seven women with a history of childhood sexual abuse were interviewed twice with 1–6 months interval. For all the women, the abuse started when they were between 4 and 5. All of them were repeatedly violated and traumatized ever since then and were even still being victimized at the time of the interviews. The main result of the study is that time does not heal all wounds. All the women described great repressed and silent suffering in all aspects of...
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...Christian Charria December 15, 2014 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...
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...dependence. Other drugs, such as cocaine, cause addiction without leading to physical dependence. Tolerance to a drug (needing a higher dose to attain the same effect) is usually part of addiction. Causes, incidence, and risk factors: Drug abuse can lead to drug dependence or addiction. People who use drugs for pain relief may become dependent, although this is rare in those who don't have a history of addiction. The exact cause of drug abuse and dependence is not known. However, a person's genes, the action of the drug, peer pressure, emotional distress, anxiety, depression, and environmental stress all can be factors. Peer pressure can lead to drug use or abuse, but at least half of those who become addicted have depression, attention deficit disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, or another mental health problem. Children who grow up in an environment of illicit drug use may first see their parents using drugs. This may put them at a higher risk for developing an addiction later in life for both environmental and genetic reasons. People who are more likely to abuse or become dependent on drugs include those who: • Have depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety disorders, and schizophrenia • Have easy access to drugs • Have low self-esteem, or problems with relationships • Live a stressful lifestyle, economic or...
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...Emotional abuse on Women There are various types of violence against women. When someone defines acts of violence towards a woman, majority of the time, physical and sexual assaults comes to our mind. However, violence needs to be narrowed to nonviolent acts such as psychological and emotional abuse. Most people don’t consider emotional abuse a serious matter in comparison to physical abuse. Unfortunately, the wounds from verbal abuse can run just as deep and take longer to heal than the black eyes, bruises or broken bones of physical abuse. It is harder to identify for the victim, the abuser and the environment. The thesis of my presentation is how to understand and recognize emotional abuse on women. Today I will be talking on what emotional abuse is, physical and psychological effects of emotional abuse and the pattern of emotional abuse. What is emotional abuse? Like other forms of violence in relationships, emotional abuse is based on power and control. Most people think emotional abuse is criticizing each other but it is much more than verbal abuse. One could define Emotional abuse as any nonphysical behavior or attitude that is designed to control, intimidate, overpower, demean, punish, or isolate another person through the use of degradation, humiliation, or fear. Emotionally abusive behavior ranges from verbal abuse to more subtle methods like intimidation, manipulation and refusal to be pleased. Emotional abuse accompanies other forms of abuse, but also...
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...Sexual Abuse in Children Heather Sellers Composition and Communications II Abstract Sexual abuse in children has been discussed many times. However, not a lot of people really pay attention to what is being said. In this paper I plan to discuss how many cases of abuse is actually reported. I also plan to discuss how many perpetrators are known by the victim, why a person would become a sex offender and how a victim’s life is changed. I will discuss how the cycle of abuse works, and the different disorders that are caused. By the end of this paper I plan to have informed you all of the dangers of sexual abuse. I also plan to have you all more aware of the people you and your family and friends spend their time with. Sexual abuse has always been a problem in the world, but many people believe the worst is sexual abuse in children. Sexual abuse in children has become a major issue over the years and has proven to cause many disorders, future problems in relationships, and trust issues. There are also many different reasons someone will become an abuser and there are many effects that can come from being sexually assaulted. According to www.victimsofcrime.org studies by David Finkelhor, Director of the Crimes Against Children Research Center,...
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...Elder Abuse The fastest growing sector of our population is our seniors. It is estimated that in the next 15 years the number of seniors will double because of the aging of the baby boomer generation and the fact that we are simply living longer. As the numbers of our seniors increases so does the risk for elder abuse. Our society is scrambling to meet the needs of this new shift in the population and with it a subsequent awareness of elder abuse and neglect. Elder abuse can be defined as any abuse or neglect of older adults by a caregiver or another person in a relationship involving an expectation of trust (Center for Disease Control, 2014). Abuse can take many different forms and be interpreted in different ways but most authorities and agency recognize these as the most common forms of elder maltreatment. They are: Physical Abuse, Sexual Abuse, Psychological or Emotional Abuse, Neglect, Abandonment, and Financial Abuse or Exploitation. Often someone will suffer from more than one of these types of abuses. A less commonly recognized form of abuse is Self-Neglect. “Self-neglect is characterized as the behavior of an elderly person that threatens his/her own health or safety. Self-neglect generally manifests itself in an older person as a refusal or failure to provide himself/herself with adequate food, water, clothing, shelter, personal hygiene, medication (when indicated), and safety precautions” (Department of Health and Human Services). Even with more awareness about...
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...1 Case Study Analysis (Domestic Violence) Jason Rulon ENG/215 2 Case Study Analysis (Domestic Violence) Domestic violence and abuse can happen to anyone, yet the problem is often overlooked, excused, or denied. This is especially true when the abuse is psychological, rather than physical. Noticing and acknowledging the signs of an abusive relationship is the first step to ending it. No one should live in fear of the person they love. If you recognize yourself or someone you know in the following warning signs and descriptions of abuse, reach out. There is help available. In the United States, Domestic Violence is the leading cause of injury to women ranging from the ages of 15 and 44, more than car accidents, muggings, and rapes combined. Statistics say that one in every four women will experience domestic violence in her lifetime. More than three to four million women in the United States are beaten in their homes each year by their husbands, ex-husbands, or male lovers. The questions rendering in people’s minds is that, why would anyone do such a thing. Is it worth destroying the relationship in the household by causing physical harm, sexual assault, or fear of physical harm? This problem has been going on for...
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