Child Abuse 1

Child Abuse: Cause and Prevention

Krysten Leston University of Central Florida

Child Abuse 2 Krysten Leston Professor Wolcott ENC 1102 March 24, 2014 Child Abuse: Cause and Prevention

A report of child abuse is made every ten seconds. Child abuse occurs at every socioeconomic level, across ethnic and cultural lines, within all religions and at all levels of education. This literature review is intended for anybody interested in the Criminal Justice System involving children. I have highlighted the major concepts, effects, and outcomes through a synthesis of articles. Through reading this, you should be able to discover the methodology, credibility, and results from different studies as I compare and contrast relevant points. A career in criminal justice usually involves upholding the law in cases that require enforcement of strict justice systems. It involves proper procedures of legalities through the people who practice and obey it. I am interested in the children who become involved in the criminal justice system. The Increased prosecution is one result of greater societal awareness of child abuse. It is clear, however, that thousands of criminal cases are filed each year and virtually all experts agree that prosecution is often necessary. Strategies and techniques have improved policy and guidance have been improved. There is a lot to learn from past studies that may be beneficial to those who are interested in our criminal justice system. Children from lower socioeconomic levels are much more likely to be abused. And with that said, the following literature reviews attempt to support this hypothesis.

Child Abuse 3 Child Abuse: Cause and Prevention

There have been many studies about the effects of child abuse and neglect, and I would like to examine some of those studies. In a research article by Nikulina, Valentina and Widom, they evaluate the long term of effects of abuse and neglect on executive functioning. This study examined whether childhood abuse and neglect predicts components of executive functioning and nonverbal reasoning ability in middle adulthood and whether PTSD moderates this relationship. Their method was using a large sample from court cases of childhood physical abuse, sexual abuse, neglect, and maltreatment from ages 0-11 years and matched with adults with the age of around 41 years old. Data was analyzed using ordinary square regressions, controlling for age, sex, and race, and of IQ, depression, and excessive alcohol use. Childhood neglect and maltreatment predicted the poorest executive functioning over time and, physical and sexual abuse did not. PTSD did not moderate the results or have an affect. The conclusion is that childhood neglect and maltreatment have more of a long-term effect and impact on adult functioning. In a second article by Welch and Bonner, they say that abuse and neglect has continued to increase; yet the mechanisms of the death incident and risk factors for these deaths remain unclear. This study systematically examined the types of neglect that resulted in childrens deaths as determined by child welfare and review board. They began by reviewing 22 years of data of child fatalities taken from a larger sample with variables such as age, ethnicity, and birth order. Results found an overwhelming presence of supervisory neglect in fatalities. The results indicated no significant differences between children in rural and urban areas. This study underscores

Child Abuse 4 the critical need for prevention and educational programming related to appropriate adult supervision and adequate safety measures to prevent a child's death because of neglect.

Another circumstance that is related in this field is the location of child abuse. Many believe geographic location has an impact on abuse, neglect and maltreatment. Researchers Lahlah, van der Knaap, and Bogaerts from Tilburg Law School decided to examine ethnic differences in being exposed to child abuse exist between boys in different countries and, if they do, whether they are related to differences in the extent of the violence between the different groups. The results were that Moroccan- Dutch boys are more likely to report abuse and violence than Dutch boys. Differences in exposure to child abuse are of sufficient magnitude to partially explain the observed differences in levels of violent offending between Dutch and Moroccan boys. Through this study we find that there is a need for social services and criminal justice professionals to provide prevention of these crimes, also to provide intervention strategies for abused young boys. Another article by Wright, Fagan, and Pinchevsky is a longitudinal study from the Project on Human Development in Chicago Neighborhoods. They wanted to examine and evaluate the effects of exposure to school violence, community violence, child abuse, and parental partner violence in families. They also included on youths subsequent alcohol and marijuana use. They also combined the cumulative effects of being exposed to violence across these domains. There were 1,655 adolescents used for the study, they found that exposure to violence in a one-year period increased the use of substance 3 years later. The findings also suggest that the context in which exposure to violence occurs should be considered in future

Child Abuse 5 research, since the more domains in which youth are exposed to violence, the fewer safe havens they have available. Finally, a better understanding of the types of violence youth encounter and the contexts in which these experiences occur can help inform intervention efforts aimed at reducing victimization and its negative consequences. Finally in this last scholarly article they really examine the effects of a neighborhoodbased system, and the risks of child abuse. Levine, Marlene has many organizations and agencies concerning the maltreatment of children all over the world, but there is a need for strategies on the different types of atmosphere of abuse and recovery. Levine studied three groups and wanted to see which group was more at risk for abuse. The first group was provided with a family support coordinator. The second group was strictly neighborhood based, and the final group was strictly a control group. She chose families from a large metropolitan area and examined them for 6 months.

Afterwards they were interviewed and she found the results for which group was more at risk for abuse and neglect. The second group was definitely the most at risk, not having any visitors and not being dependent upon home guests. The other two groups didnt differ as much from their standard living. This study suggests a lot about child abuse, the fact that different environments can come so much in play in someones life is significant.

For the final point I want to highlight the causes and how people seek justice. Munro, Taylor, and Bradbury-Jones deal with the Child Protection Research Centre. Their study was examining the current understandings regarding the causes of child maltreatment and its prediction and prevention. Their goal was to find the answers to why

Child Abuse 6 some people hurt children, when others in similar situations choose not to. They began studying philosophy and the complexity of casual pathways of maltreatment. This resulted in the INUS condition. INUS is the acronym for insufficient but nonredundant part of a condition that is itself unnecessary but sufficient for the result. This theory has relevance for discovering social phenomena and how complex it is. They finished by discussing the lessons for research, policy and practice that arise from this way of conceptualizing the causality of child maltreatment. In this second article Ted Cross had study was to understand how non-offending caregivers of child abuse victims perceive justice. Cross wanted the reader to be able to wrap their head around how it was that the caregivers coped after the disclosure of the crime. A survey was administered to non-offending caregivers of child sexual abuse victims with cases referred to the criminal justice system concerning what they wanted for interventions after the case was done and if their satisfaction with the actual interventions in their childs case. The issue of what factors consider when making their decisions and beliefs of justice after their experience. They evaluate the views of criminal justice system in the context of social justice theory. I couldnt find a clear result of this study except the caregivers view mostly diminished about the criminal justice system.

Child Abuse 7 Works Cited

Nikulina, Valentina and Widom, Cathy S. Child Abuse and Neglect Components Child Abuse Review 21 Sage 2013.

Welch, Ginger and Bonner, Barbara Fatal Child Neglect: Characteristics, Causation, and Strategies for Prevention Child Abuse and Neglect vol 37 issue 10 pp 745-752 Elsevier 2013.

Esmah Lahlah, Leontien et al Dangerous Boys or Boys in Danger? Examining the Relationship between Ethnicity, Child Abuse and Violent Offending European Journal of Criminology. Sage 2013.

Baratvand, Mahmood and Asadollahi, Abdolrahim Sexual Abuse and Drug Abuse Among Homeless Children in Ahvaz, Iran Child Abuse Review 22: 408418. doi: 10.1002/car.2263.

Wright, Emily; Fagan, Abigail and Pinchevsky, Gillian The Effects of Exposure to Violence and Victimization Across Life Domains on Adolescent Substance Use Child Abuse & Neglect vol. 37 issue 11 pp. 899-909 Web 2013.

Levine, Marlene The Effects of a Neighborhood-Based Integrated Service Delivery System on the Risk for Child Abuse and Neglect UMI Michigan 2002.

Munro, Eileen Taylor, Julie S. Bradbury-Jones, Caroline Understanding the Casual Pathways to Child Maltreatment: Implications for Health and Social Care Policy

Child Abuse 8 and Practice Child Abuse Review vol 23 issue 1 pp 61-74 Web 2014.

Cross, Ted Perceptions of Justice in the Criminal Justice System: The Experience of Non-Offending Caregivers of Child Sexual Abuse Victims Web 2009.

Child Abuse 9 Krysten Leston Professor Wolcott ENC 1102 March 27, 2014

Project Proposal Child abuse is a very serious crime that I feel is neglected a lot in our society. According to Child-Help USA, a report of child abuse is made every ten seconds. That seems very significant, so why not make it a bigger deal? In at least one study, about 80% of 21 year olds that were abused as children met criteria for at least one psychological disorder. This indicates it is very significant in the long run also, therefore must be reduced in young people to prevent future problems. I also found that more than four people die everyday as the result of child abuse (Child-Help USA). It is heart breaking to think that children are helpless in this situation and most of the time they are too scared to speak out about it or dont know about it. I believe that many people are abused and arent even aware of it. I would like to devise a survey at a college campus with specific questions to really grasp how many are abused and how many were completely unaware of it.

In 2008, Safe Horizon conducted an unprecedented survey on bystanders and child abuse, which revealed that most Americans have been directly or indirectly affected by child abuse but simply lack the knowledge to stop it (Safe Horizon). I would be really interested in conducting something similar to Safe Horizon except for strictly on college

Child Abuse 10 students. After reading their results I was extremely intrigued in the study. One out of every five Americans surveyed (21%) said they have been a victim of child abuse, and 59% said that they knew someone who had personally experienced child abuse (Safe Horizon).

Nearly all Americans (95%) said they were concerned about child abuse. However, the survey revealed that Americans do not report suspected child abuse or get involved because they lack knowledge about the signs of abuse, fear the consequences of getting involved or are uncertain about the facts (Safe Horizon).

I believe by conducting this survey, not only will it make child abuse more aware at a college campus, but the results might affect and make it more known. It may speak to those students who already have children or too any who plan on starting and having a family. I also believe that there will be a shocking percentage of students who were completely obliviously to the fact of being abused. This may raise concern and benefit students to know the signs and consequences of it all.

Fear of consequences is a key reason why Americans do not get involved. 38% of Americans cite fear as a reason why people might be reluctant to report suspected cases of child abuse: fear of reprisals/or being sued (16%); fear they could be wrong and/or labeled as an abuser (16%); and a general fear of what would happen if they did get involved (6%) (Safe Horizon).

Child Abuse 11 Along with the fear of consequences is uncertainty of the process. Uncertainty about the process of reporting also stops people from getting involved. 46% of Americans surveyed incorrectly believed that children reported to child protection authorities are normally taken away from their families.38% did not know that people can report suspected child abuse anonymously. However, 80% said that knowing they could report suspected child abuse anonymously made them more likely to report (Safe Horizon). Not only will this survey provide feedback, it will give a better understanding and help those affected or not affected. Either way it is always useful information to know and be able to reach to those who are affiliated in these situations.

Child Abuse 12 Works Cited Safe Horizon. http://www.safehorizon.org/index/what-we-do-2/child-abuse--incest55/safe-horizons-bystander-and-child-abuse-survey-309.html New York. 2014. Web. Child Help. http://www.childhelp-usa.com/pages/statistics 2013. Web.