Important Points to Remember - Chapter 4

• Bonding and attachment is the ability of the human being to form and maintain a relationship with others.
• The most important capacity of humankind is the ability to form attachments with others.  Our survival depends on this ability.
• Each person’s ability to form emotional attachments is different.  Early emotional experiences have a profound effect not only on attachment, but on the child’s social and emotional development as well.
• There are critical periods of brain development during which bonding experiences must be present for the brain systems responsible for normal emotional development to grow.
• Children with serious social and emotional problems usually have not received adequate bonding experiences in early childhood.
• Factors that can affect attachment include the caregiver’s behavior, the fit between the personality of the caregiver and the child, the temperament of the child, or environmental influences.
• Teachers can help children with emotional deficits by nurturing, understanding the behavior before punishing it, and treating the child by their emotional age.
• Children with attachment problems need to be taught appropriate social behaviors in a consistent, predictable environment.
• Children who have been abused or neglected almost always have low self-esteem.
• Socially maltreated teens have difficulty establishing positive relationships with their peers.  These youth often grow into parents who abuse or neglect their own children.
• Foster Placement has negative psychological and emotional consequences for both the child and the family.
• 80% of youth who have been abused or neglected develop a diagnosable mental health disorder by age 21. For maltreated children, the most frequent disorders are depression, anxiety, and PTSD.
• If depression is left untreated, it can develop into suicidal tendencies. Suicide is the second leading cause of death in teens.
• In all cases of physical or sexual child abuse, psychological abuse is involved as well. This leads to a low self-esteem and feelings of isolation and unworthiness.
• Cognitive signs of depression include difficulty organizing thoughts, feelings of worthlessness and guilt, feeling helpless and hopeless, feelings of isolation, and a negative, pessimistic view. These feelings may lead to thoughts of suicide and death. 
• Physical signs of depression in children and youth include changes in appetite and weight, sleep disturbances, sluggishness and lack of desire to play or participate in activities they enjoyed before, or agitation. 
• Behavioral signs include avoidance or withdrawal from previously enjoyable activities, being clingy or demanding, restlessness or acting out behaviors not characteristic of the child, or self-harm such as causing themselves physical pain or engaging in risky behaviors.
• Young children may have suicidal thoughts. These are shown through being pre-occupied with death, speaking directly about wanting to die, or they may withdraw into a world of their own. Grief may also trigger depression in children and teens
• Teen depression is complicated by the hormonal changes that occur as teens develop, by their adjustment to their developing sexual identity, their thrust towards more independence while still needing supportive adults in their lives, and by increased academic expectations and peer pressure.
• One out of three youth who commit suicide have previously attempted to take their life.
• Common warning signs can include

  a) excessive sadness;

  b) hopelessness;

  c) sleep problems;

  d) sudden calmness after a period of depression or moodiness;

  e) withdrawal;

  f)  changes in personality and appearance;

  g) dangerous or self-harmful behaviors and;

  h) a recent trauma or life crisis.

• Many youth considering suicide will begin to put their personal business in order. They may engage in behaviors such as giving away personal possessions, buying a firearm or pills, saying good-bye to friends, commenting about their lack of a future, etc. 
• If you think a youth is suicidal do the following:

a) get help from a mental health professional immediately;

b) do not leave them alone;

c) ask if they have a plan and method;

d) take away access to any dangerous objects;

e) notify parents and

f)  stay calm.

• Teens may abuse alcohol, tobacco, or drugs because they are trying to escape life’s realities, due to peer pressure, due to risk taking/impulsive behaviors, to calm feelings of depression or anxiety, or rebel against their parents.
• Specific risk factors for teen substance abuse include:

  a) parental history of a drug or alcohol problem

  b) history of abuse or neglect

  c) accessibility of drugs or alcohol in the home environment/neighborhood

  d) depression or other mental health disorder such as anxiety, ADHD, or PTSD

  e) history of trauma

  f)  history of poor impulse control and/or low self-esteem

• Nine out of 10 people who abuse nicotine, alcohol, or other drugs began using them before they were age 18. Teens who begin using addictive substances before age 15 are 7 times as likely to develop an addiction problem. 
• Use of addictive substances during adolescence interferes with brain development, reduces academic performance and increases the risk of accidents, homicides, suicides and serious health conditions. Use of any addictive substance while the brain is still developing increases the chances of future use of that and other addictive substances.
• Direct and indirect warning signs of substance abuse include the following:

  a) Alcohol, smoke, or other chemical odors on their breath or clothing;

  b) Red eyes with constricted or dilated pupils and difficulty focusing;

  c) Obvious intoxication, dizziness, or bizarre behavior;

  d) Changes in behavior after being out with friends such as being loud, obnoxious, clumsy, laughing uncontrollably, sullen/ withdrawn, etc.;

  e) Changes in dress and grooming habits;

  f)  Drug paraphernalia in their possession;

  g) Changes in choice of friends + deceit or secretiveness;

  h)  Engaging in risky behaviors such as unprotected sex or dangerous driving;

  i)  Frequent arguments, sudden mood changes, and unexplained violent action;

  j)  Changes in eating and sleeping patterns;

  k) Sudden weight gain or loss;

  l)  Loss of interest in usual activities or hobbies;

  m)  School problems such as declining or failing grades, poor attendance, and recent discipline problems;

  n) Trauma or frequent injuries

  o) Runaway and delinquent behavior

  p) Depressed mood or talk about depression or suicide; suicide attempt

• The most commonly abused substances for teens are alcohol, tobacco, marijuana, and prescription drugs.
• There is a high correlation between experiencing child maltreatment and juvenile delinquency. Also, there is a high correlation between teen substance abuse and juvenile delinquency.
• Juvenile delinquency is defined as committing a crime before age 18. 
• Children who experience violence in childhood are at a higher risk of becoming a perpetrator of violence, developing mental health problems, attempting suicide, abusing alcohol or drugs, having a lower rate of employment as an adult, and having decreased levels of cognitive and intellectual functioning. Child maltreatment doubles the probability that an individual will engage in criminal activity. Having a gun in the home increases the likelihood of committing a crime by 30%.
• Experiences of abuse, neglect, and domestic violence are associated with the development of long-lasting criminal thinking patterns and altered information processing of social situations. This results in increased tendencies to focus on threatening stimuli and to interpret neutral or ambiguous actions as hostile and therefore resolve conflict in an aggressive manner. They also tend to minimize the seriousness of criminal acts and attribute blame to others.
• Common risk factors for juvenile delinquency include: exposure to violence in the home or neighborhood, poverty, substance abuse, poor school engagement, peer pressure, having an impulsive and risk taking personality, a history of anti-social behaviors, a family history of parental substance abuse or criminal activity, and poor parenting and communication skills.
• Different forms of maltreatment are associated with different types of criminal activity.
• Child trafficking occurs when a child under the age of 18 is taken away from safety and exploited for either labor or commercial sex. Child labor trafficking is linked to the demand for cheap labor. Child sexual trafficking is linked first to poverty and also to sexual exploitation or prostitution.
• Worldwide human trafficking of all types is the 3rd largest criminal industry behind illegal drugs and gun sales. The US is the second highest destination for trafficked young woman. The root causes are poverty, a demand for commercial sex, criminal activity and corruption, displacement due to an emergency, and gender inequality.
• Youth who are particularly vulnerable for trafficking are LGBQT oriented youth, youth who have run away or who are homeless, and young girls who are isolated from adult/peer supports.
• Risk factors for a child becoming a trafficking victim are

  a) childhood sexual abuse

  b) isolation, lack of social supports, and lack of personal safety

  c) homelessness and poverty

  d)  family dysfunction, family substance abuse, and/or family mental illness

  e)  displacement after a disaster

  f) emotional distress or personal mental illness

  g)  a learning disability or developmental delay

  h) family sexual exploitation

  i)  sexual orientation and maturation

• Pimps and traffickers often display the following behaviors:

  b) are jealous, controlling, demanding, and violent

  c) promise things that are too good to be true

  d) encourage victims to engage in illegal activities to achieve their goals

  e) are emotionally manipulative

  f)  buy the victim expensive gifts or own expensive items beyond what their normal job would provide

  g) are vague about their profession and friends

  h) are pushy or demanding about sex and/or encourages inappropriate sexual behaviors

  i)  makes the victim feel responsible for his financial stability and emotional happiness.

• Obstacles in pursuing charges include the need to show that the buyer knew the child is underage and is being commercially sold, the fact that the child may not make a credible witness, and the issue of whether the case is strong enough to warrant putting the victim through the trauma of being a witness at the trial.