Effects of Child Abuse

Essay by Mehmood March 2007

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Child abuse is a prevailing problem in society that must be addressed at the soonest possible time. However, it is one of the most difficult problems to address as well since there are only certain ways by which it can be monitored. What makes it even harder is the fact that the parents themselves are sometimes the abusers. Thus, it sometimes difficult to help the child since his primary guardian is the abuser himself.

Child abuse by parents can be extremely detrimental to children. The effects of such abuse may become evident during their childhood or when the child grows up and enters adulthood. (Hiba, 2007) The long-term consequences of child abuse are sometimes grave enough that they ruin the life of the adult.

Experiences of child abuse as a child affect not just the personality of the adult but his relationship with his parents as well. For obvious reasons, when parents abuse their children, they strain their relationship with the children.

One cannot expect an adult, who was abused by his parent as a child, to maintain a close relationship with them.

Child abuse has psychological effects that may hinder the development of the person's character and identity. This is especially true the abuser is the parent. For instance, the abused child is expected to have low self-esteem that stems from the fact that his own parents do not love him. Abusing him is a clear sign to him that they do not love him. (Hiba, 2007) Thus, without his parents' love, the individual may lack the self confidence and self esteem to function in society.

The abuse causes the child to distance himself from the parent. Later on, as he grows up, this often translates to difficulty in forming attachments with other adults and his peers. The child's...