Important Points to Remember- Chapter 2

Indications and Types of Abuse

1. There are 3 basic types of abuse: physical abuse, sexual abuse, and psychological abuse.
2. Abuse may be recognized due to physical indicators, behavioral/emotional indicators, or disclosure by the victim.
3. Physical Abuse is defined as any non-accidental injury caused by the child’s caretaker. Physical abuse can be caused by overzealous discipline or a loss of self-control on the part of the caretaker. The physical indicators of abuse may be recognized by the presence of: bruises, burns, unexplained fractures, abdominal injuries, dental injuries, central nervous system injuries, and/or unexplained lacerations or abrasions. An important clue is the appearance of an injury on a part of the body not usually injured by a child’s normal play activities, such as the head, face or mouth, the back, the back of the legs, or the buttocks. There are key emotional and behavioral indicators of physical abuse, including a child’s: wariness of adult contact, becoming apprehensive easily, displaying behavior extremes, giving social clues, being afraid of parents, giving personal clues, and providing evidence of a variety of developmental delays.
4. Sexual Abuse is defined as the exploitation of a child for the sexual gratification of an adult or significantly older person. Legally, it is considered to be the intentional touching of a child’s genitals, anus, or breasts, either directly or through the clothing, for reasons other than hygiene, childcare, or medical purposes. Sexual abuse is considered a crime. The child knows the offender 80-90% of the time. Sexual abuse has the potential to interfere with the child’s normal development, both physically and emotionally. Often, sexually victimized children experience severe emotional disturbances from their own feelings of guilt and shame as they become old enough to understand what was done to them.
5. Psychological/Emotional abuse is one of the most common and harmful forms of child abuse. However, it is also the hardest type of child abuse to prove. It is defined as the systematic tearing down of another human being. Alone, it represents approximately 4% of all substantiated cases. However, it almost always co-exists with physical and sexual child abuse, making it the most prevalent type of abuse. Usually, adults tend to verbally abuse their child before or during physical and/or sexual abuse. The acts of physical or sexual abuse are also psychologically abusive to the child. Emotional abuse is considered to be a pattern of behavior that can seriously interfere with a child’s emotional and social development. It attacks the child’s self-concept, emotional development, feelings of competence, and self-worth. The victim comes to see him or her self as unworthy of love or affection. Children who are constantly put down, shamed, terrorized, humiliated, made fun of or called names, or rejected suffer just as much, if not more, as if they had been physically abused.