Child abuse is a serious issue that severely affects the physical and mental health of children.... This phenomenon occurs in different societies and includes all kinds of harmful behaviors, including physical, mental and sexual abuse.

Child abuse happens by parents or other guardians of the child, close relatives, teachers and even strangers.... This article from GCORP LLC magazine is dedicated to examining the consequences of child abuse and ways to deal with it.... stay with us.

What is child abuse?

From a psychological point of view, child abuse means harming the physical, mental and emotional health of children. Physical abuse is usually recognized quickly because of the symptoms it leaves behind... But not all signs of child abuse are equally obvious.

Ignoring children's needs, putting them in dangerous situations, or making them feel worthless is also a form of abuse... because it can lead to deep and lasting damage.

Recognizing different types of child abuse

Child abuse happens by father, mother or other adults who may be acquaintances or strangers.... This phenomenon has different forms, all of which affect the child's mental health and ultimately lead to a feeling of insecurity and loneliness.. We will introduce the types of child abuse in the following.

1... mental or emotional child abuse

Sometimes bullying a child takes the form of verbal abuse, psychological abuse or emotional abuse.... In this situation, the abuser uses words to harm the child's mental health and social development. Examples of this type of abuse are:

• Humiliation, insult and destruction of character
• Giving humiliating names to the child and comparing him negatively with others
• Telling the child negative things (eg you are not good or worthless)
• Repeated yelling, threats or bullying
• Not talking to the child or ignoring his requests as punishment
• Limiting physical contact with the child such as hugging, kissing, or other affectionate behaviors
• Exposing the child to the violence of others or pets

2... Neglecting the child

Child neglect means not providing for a child's basic needs, including adequate feeding, clothing, hygiene, or supervision. Unfortunately, it is not always easy to recognize child abuse in the form of neglect or neglect, because its destructive effects are gradual and often lack obvious physical symptoms.

When we talk about neglect, this type of child abuse usually happens by the mother, father or other guardians of the child... However, sometimes the parents may not be able to care for the child physically or emotionally... For example, they are unable to do so because of illness or injury... In other cases, alcohol or drug abuse can impair the parent's ability to support the child.

3.... physical abuse

Physical abuse is a form of brutal child abuse that results in physical harm.. This phenomenon may occur as a result of a deliberate attempt to harm the child or because of excessive punishment.. Many abusive parents insist that their actions are merely polite to their child.... The following are the characteristics of physical abuse:

• Unpredictability: The child does not know what can make the parents angry... Because there are no clear boundaries and rules.
• Sudden anger: Parents act out of anger and have no motivation to educate and raise their children with love.... The more parents get angry, the more intense the violence becomes.
• Using fear to control children's behavior: Parents believe that their child should be afraid of them...so they use physical abuse to keep him polite.

4... sexual abuse

Sexual abuse of children due to feelings of shame and guilt is one of the complex types of abuse.... It is important to mention that sexual abuse is not always accompanied by physical contact.... Even exposing a child to sexual scenes can be considered a form of abuse.... Sexual abuse is associated with destructive consequences.... For example:

• Children who are sexually abused often feel shame and guilt.
• Children may blame themselves for the incident.... This can lead to feelings of self-loathing and sexual problems in adulthood.

The shame of sexual abuse makes it very difficult to talk about it. Children may worry that others will not believe them or be angry with them. Because of this, false accusations of sexual abuse are not common.. Also, if you want to know more about rape and abuse, read the article "What is rape".

Warning signs of child abuse

Symptoms of emotional abuse include:

• Being driven, too afraid or anxious about doing the wrong thing
• Excessive behavior (passivity, extreme aggression, etc.)
• It doesn't depend on your parents or guardians
• Having adult-like behaviors (taking care of other children) or infants (finger-sucking)

Symptoms of physical abuse include:

• Frequent bruising, swelling or physical injuries
• always being on high alert, as if something unpleasant were going to happen
• Injuries that look like a hand or belt effect
• Avoid being touched or unwilling to go home
• Using inappropriate clothing to cover injuries (for example, wearing long-sleeved shirts on hot days)

Among the signs of child neglect, the following can be mentioned:

• Wearing clothes that are inappropriate, dirty or inappropriate for the weather
• Poor hygiene (dirty hair or unpleasant body odor)
• You suffer from untreated diseases
• Playing in unsafe and unsupervised conditions
• absence from school or arriving late to school

Sexual harassment also has specific symptoms, which include:

• Difficulty walking or sitting
• Awareness of sexual acts or even having seductive behaviors
• Seriously trying to stay away from a certain person for no apparent reason
• Pregnancy or having sexually transmitted infections (especially in people under 14 years old)
• Running away from home

Learn more: Late Child Speech

Consequences and effects of child abuse

Harassment and neglect usually leave permanent damage in the child's mind.... Some of these damages may be physical.... but emotional damages have more and longer effects... so that in the future they hurt the child's feelings and relationships and affect his performance at home, work or school.... These effects usually show themselves as the following:

• Lack of trust in others and difficulty communicating with them
• Feeling worthless
Difficulty managing emotions and suffering from anxiety and depression in adulthood

Learn more: What is meditation?

Risk factors of child abuse

Children are more vulnerable in certain situations. The most common risk factors are:

• Encouraging parents to abuse alcohol or drugs
• Parents who suffer from untreated mental illnesses such as depression and bipolar disorder
• Lack of parenting skills to properly raise children
• The life of parents is stressful due to marital problems, financial problems, etc.

Misconceptions about child abuse

There are some common misconceptions about child abuse, some of which are listed below:

1... Only violent behavior is considered harassment

Physical violence and abuse is only one type of child abuse.. Child neglect and sexual or emotional abuse can be just as damaging as violent behavior..

2... Only bad people abuse their children

Not all parents or guardians intentionally harm children....Many have been abused in the past and do not know any other way to deal with a child....They may also struggle with mental health issues or substance abuse disorders.

3... Misbehavior does not happen in good families

Abuse and neglect does not occur only in poor families or certain neighborhoods of the city.... This behavior occurs in all racial, economic and cultural groups.

4... Most child abusers are strangers

Although abuse by strangers also happens.. but most of the abusers are family members or close family members.

5.... Abused children always become an abused person

Abandoned children are likely to repeat the same cycle as adults, unconsciously doing what they experienced as children... but many are highly motivated to protect their children and make excellent parents.

How to recognize our wrong behaviors as parents?

Raising children is one of life's biggest challenges... so much so that it can cause anger and frustration in even the calmest of parents.... Here are some important signs that you may not be treating your child well:

• You can't control your anger. In this situation, a gentle blow to the child's back may turn into harder and stronger blows. You may also gradually scream louder and be unable to stop yourself.
• You are emotionally detached from your child. You feel so helpless that you don't want to do anything with your child.... You just want to be left alone and your child is quiet.
• Providing the child's daily needs seems impossible for you. Everyone may face challenges in providing the child's basic needs including food, clothing, going to school, etc... But if you are unable to do these things for a long time, you may harm your child.
• Others express concern all the time. You may feel upset when others express concern about your child... However, it is best to think carefully about what people you trust and respect say.

How to break the cycle of abuse and child abuse

If you have been abused as a child in the past, the birth of your child can bring back memories and create strong emotions in you... In this situation, you may be shocked by your anger and feel that you cannot control it... However, remember that you are the most important person in your child's life and with various solutions you can get rid of old behavior patterns and control your emotions... Accordingly, following the following tips can help. be:

• Learn what is and isn't appropriate for your child's age. Having realistic expectations of what children can do at certain ages will help you avoid exasperating your child's natural behaviors. For example, babies cannot sleep through the night without crying, and toddlers cannot sit still for long periods of time.
• Learn parenting skills. Try to learn proper parenting techniques... There are various classes, books and seminars on this topic.
• Take care of yourself. If you don't get enough rest, you are more prone to anger.. Lack of sleep increases your irritability and leads to violent behavior.
• Get help from a psychologist. If patterns of abuse and misbehavior are ingrained in you, it is very difficult to deal with them... If you can't control your emotions and behaviors on your own, it's time to see a mental health professional.

Learn more: Positive Parenting

How to help an abused child?

If you think a child is being bullied, do the following:

• Support the child and reassure him. Talking about this is very difficult for both you and the child..
• Avoid denial and keep your cool.If you deny what the child says or are disgusted by what he says, the child may stop talking....so try to be as calm and patient as possible.
• Don't interrogate.The child should explain to you in his/her own words what happened....Don't question the child during the conversation....it may confuse the child and make it difficult for him to explain the rest of the story.
• Tell the child that he did not do anything wrong. Reassure the child that you take his words seriously and do not blame him for what happened.
• Don't forget about safety. If you feel that your safety or the child's safety will be jeopardized if you intervene, leave it to professionals.

Endword

In this article, we tried to familiarize you with the consequences of child abuse and the warning signs of this phenomenon.... To get more information about ways to deal with child abuse, it is better to consult a psychologist.... You can visit the website GCORP LLC and consult with the best specialist doctors, including an online psychologist.... Also, GCORP LLC provides you with the possibility to make an appointment with the psychologist of your choice through the online appointment system in order to visit the psychologist in person.

Frequently Asked Questions

Source: .helpguide