Child Physical Abuse

What is child physical abuse?

Child maltreatment is considered to be any intentional harm that is directed at children or adolescents under the age of 18. This is a major problem because most children who are physically abused are abused in their own home or by someone they know. Normally, the child will love this person or be afraid of him or her, so they will not say anything to anyone.

Variants of child abuse include the following:

• Physical abuse: occurs when a person willfully harms or endangers the physical integrity of a child.
• Sexual abuse: is all sexual activity with the child, from touching, to sexual intercourse, to exposure.
• Emotional abuse: emotional child abuse is when the abuser attacks the child’s emotional well-being or self-esteem.
• Medical abuse: false information is given regarding an illness in the child that needs medical attention, subjecting the child to risk of injury.
• Neglect: no medical care, food, shelter, affection or education is provided for the child.

Prognosis of physical child abuse

Some children, those with social support and resilience skills, can adapt and overcome these bad experiences. However, in many others the maltreatment can lead to physical, mental and behavioral problems years later.

• Physical problems:
  • Premature death
  • Physical and learning disabilities
  • Substance abuse
• Behavioral problems:
  • Violent or criminal behavior
  • Abuse of others
  • Isolation
  • Attempts at self-harm or suicide
  • Limited social skills
  • Problems at work or keeping a job
• Emotional problems
  • Low self-esteem
  • Difficulty in establishing and maintaining relationships
  • Negative idea about motherhood
  • Inability to cope with situations
  • Violence is normal in their relationships
• Mental disorders
  • Eating disorders
  • Personality disorders
  • Behavioral disorder
  • Anxiety disorder
  • Depression
  • Sleep disturbances
  • Post-traumatic stress disorder

Symptoms of physical child abuse

The abused child may feel shame, confusion, or even some guilt. They may be afraid to tell about the abuse, especially if the abuser is a parent, relative, or family friend. However, there are a number of warning signs to watch out for:

• The child tends to isolate him/herself from friends or routine activities.
• Changes in behavior: anger, aggression, hostility, changes in school performance?
• Depression or anxiety. Loss of self-confidence.
• Lack of supervision
• Habitual absences from school
• Refusal to leave school activities. Gives the feeling that he/she does not want to return home
• Attempts to run away from home
• Is defiant
• Self-harm or may even attempt suicide.
• In the case of physical abuse:
  • Injuries that are unexplained and do not match the explanation given.
  • If sexual abuse:
  • Behavior or cognition is not normal for the child’s age.
  • Pregnancy or STD
  • Inappropriate sexual contact with other children
  • Blood in underwear
  • Claims that someone abused him/her
• If it is emotional abuse:
  • Emotional development will be inappropriate or delayed
  • Depression
  • Social isolation
  • Loses self-confidence
  • Desperate search for affection
  • Loses interest in school
  • Loses previously acquired developmental skills
  • If it is parental neglect:
  • Poor growth
  • Poor hygiene
  • Lack of clothing or supplies
  • Hiding food for “later
  • Truancy

At other times, it is the parent’s own behavior or conduct that signals child abuse. The following should be noted:

• The parent does not appear to care about the child
• Does not recognize the child’s distress
• Blames the child for possible problems
• Constantly belittles or berates the child
• Harsh physical discipline
• Demands an inadequate level of academic or physical performance
• Limits the child’s contact with others
• Jealous when the child listens to other family members
• Your explanations for the child’s injuries are not convincing.

Causes of physical child abuse

There are a number of risk factors that can make a person more likely to engage in child-abusive behavior. They are as follows:

• History of child abuse or neglect
• Physical or mental illness
• Family stress or crisis
• Unemployment, economic problems
• Social isolation
• Misunderstanding of child development skills
• Alcoholism or substance abuse

Treatment for child physical abuse

These treatments can help both children and parents in these situations. The main goal is to ensure the safety and protection of abused children.

• Physical therapy: there are two therapies that have been shown to be effective in this field:
  • Trauma-focused cognitive-behavioral therapy: helps the child who was a victim of maltreatment to better manage the feelings evoked by the trauma.
  • Parent-child psychotherapy: improves the relationship between parents and child and creates a stronger bond between them.

In turn, psychotherapy helps parents discover the causes of the abuse and how to cope with the inevitable frustrations of life.

Which specialist treats physical child abuse?

Pediatricians, family physicians and psychologists are responsible for diagnosing and treating child abuse problems.