Child Abuse

1 Pages 326 Words

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Legally, child abuse is defined as physical of psychological injury that results from adult’s intentional exposure of a child to potentially harmful physical stimuli, sexual acts, or neglect (Sulkes, 1998). Studies have proven that most child abuse cases are higher in most homes that are single-parent and step-parent homes. Most people do not see it as child abuse they might see it as discipline. Child abuse rates in America are very high. Sadly, about 2,000 infants and children die as a result of abuse and/or neglect each year in the United States (Sulkes 1998).

Within child abuse there are models for explaining what it pertains. One useful model for explaining abuse classifies its causes into four broad categories: socio-cultural factors, characteristics of the child, characteristics of the abuser, and family stresses (Bittner& Newberger, 1981). The main idea of this model is that episodes of abuse are typically precipitated by everyday interactions between parents and children. In most cases children with mental disabilities and those who have temperaments are more likely to be abused than others.

On another aspect of child abuse; the majority child abuse cases, about two-thirds, involve physical injuries (Sulkes, 1998). Stats in the United States never lie. In the United

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States alone, most cases of child abuse involve children between the ages of 2 and 9 (US. Bureau of the Census, 1997). Now, in these cases of child abuse they may start to have mental issues.

In conclusion, I have personally learned a lot. I feel that we as a society can put child abuse to an end. People in this really need to recognize what they are doing to their children and really analyze the long term affect that this will be causing them. We as a nation can do this we just need to come together!...