Physical child abuse pertains to any injury or trauma that a child incurs during unfortunate events that are usually borne out of anger. This was called battered child syndrome too. However, the definition of child abuse had been altered and expanded through the years.
What are the Causes
The biggest driving factor behind child abuse is stress. Majority of the people who commit child abuse are those who were abused themselves when they were children. They are often misled and they fail to realize that hurting their child is not the right way to discipline. Some people who commit child abuse also have poor impulse control. They are unable to think rationally about what can result from their actions.
There are many cases of child abuse occurring today and the most common one is neglect. It is prevalent in all kinds of race, ethnic background or social status – even in the Hispanic community. The appearance or background of a person is not enough to tell if he or she is an abuser.
Risk Factors of Child Abuse
- Alcoholism
- Drug use
- Domestic Violence
- Poor education
- Poverty
Signs of Child Abuse
- Bruises that are shaped like hands, fingers or objects
- Unusual broken bones
- Bulging fontanelle
- Burn marks such as cigarette burns
- Circular marks around the wrists or legs
- Bite marks
- Lash marks
- And many more…
Note that many adults bring their child to the emergency room with strange explanations about how the child incurred the injury. That’s one sign that a child is experiencing child abuse.
Treatments
Always make sure to report any incident of abuse and neglect to the authorities immediately. Most states have their own child abuse hotline and there are support groups that are always willing to help.
Parents of abused children will be subject to undergo counseling or other type of intervention. What usually happens is that the child will be temporarily or permanently removed from the house to prevent further abuse from taking place.
The authorities will base their action on the situation. If they think the abuse upon the child is something permanent and life-threatening, they will file a case against the parent.
Counseling such as play therapy is one of the treatments use for child abuse. Children who have undergone traumatic experiences will need all the help that they can get to move on from the pain and fear inflicted upon them. If they fail to undergo such therapies, they will develop serious psychological problems growing up.
The appropriate organization will make the final decision concerning the child. They can look for an outside caregiver or return the child to the parents. Everything will be discussed in court, depending on which state.