Defining Child Maltreatment
According to the U.S Department of Health and Human Services and the Office on Child Abuse and Neglect’s Child Abuse and Neglect User Manual: The Foundation for Practice (2003), child abuse and neglect mean “any recent act or failure to act on the part of a parent or caretaker that results in death, serious physical or emotional harm, sexual abuse, or exploitation” (pg. 13). This same report outlines the four commonly recognized forms of child maltreatment as physical abuse, sexual abuse, child neglect, and psychological abuse. Furthermore, the Office on Child Abuse and Neglect defines physical abuse as being characterized by physical injuries such as bruises and fractures that result from acts such as punching, …show more content…
Sexual abuse has been defined by the Office on Child Abuse and Neglect as “sexual acts, sexually motivated behaviors involving children or sexual exploitation of children” (pg. 16). Moreover, sexual abuse can include a wide range of behaviors including oral, anal, or genital penetration, genital contact with no intrusion, fondling of a child’s breast or buttocks, indecent exposure, or inadequate or inappropriate supervision of a child’s voluntary sexual activities (Office on Child Abuse and Neglect, 2003). Furthermore, also inclusive in the definition of child maltreatment is child neglect. The Office on Child Abuse and Neglect characterizes child neglect as “the failure to provide for the child’s basic needs including deprivation of adequate food, clothing, shelter, supervision, or medical care” (pg. 17). Psychological Abuse, also known as emotional abuse, is defined by the Office on Child Abuse and Neglect as a “repeated pattern of caregiver behavior or extreme incidents that convey to children that they are worthless, flawed, unloved, unwanted, endangered, or only of value in …show more content…
182). Furthermore the study found that “parents who experience themselves as overwhelmed by multiple stressors are more likely to resort to physical violence in an attempt to regain control over their environment” (pg. 182). Therefore, as expected stress within family systems can increase the risk of child maltreatment. In addition, Tucker and Rodriguez also discovered through their study that “the quality of family relationships contributed, beyond the influence of stress, to predict abuse risk” (pg. 182). In other words, “abuse risk increased as family relationships became more dysfunctional” (pg. 182). Furthermore, the study also showed a trend that “stress was exacerbated by family dysfunction” (pg. 182) which increased the risk of child abuse and neglect. In addition, research conducted by Jonathan Kotch, Dorothy Browne, Christopher Ringwalt, Vincent Dufort, and Ellen Ruina (1997), indicated similar results as found in Tucker and Rodriguez in regards to stress and child
According to the U.S Department of Health and Human Services and the Office on Child Abuse and Neglect’s Child Abuse and Neglect User Manual: The Foundation for Practice (2003), child abuse and neglect mean “any recent act or failure to act on the part of a parent or caretaker that results in death, serious physical or emotional harm, sexual abuse, or exploitation” (pg. 13). This same report outlines the four commonly recognized forms of child maltreatment as physical abuse, sexual abuse, child neglect, and psychological abuse. Furthermore, the Office on Child Abuse and Neglect defines physical abuse as being characterized by physical injuries such as bruises and fractures that result from acts such as punching, …show more content…
Sexual abuse has been defined by the Office on Child Abuse and Neglect as “sexual acts, sexually motivated behaviors involving children or sexual exploitation of children” (pg. 16). Moreover, sexual abuse can include a wide range of behaviors including oral, anal, or genital penetration, genital contact with no intrusion, fondling of a child’s breast or buttocks, indecent exposure, or inadequate or inappropriate supervision of a child’s voluntary sexual activities (Office on Child Abuse and Neglect, 2003). Furthermore, also inclusive in the definition of child maltreatment is child neglect. The Office on Child Abuse and Neglect characterizes child neglect as “the failure to provide for the child’s basic needs including deprivation of adequate food, clothing, shelter, supervision, or medical care” (pg. 17). Psychological Abuse, also known as emotional abuse, is defined by the Office on Child Abuse and Neglect as a “repeated pattern of caregiver behavior or extreme incidents that convey to children that they are worthless, flawed, unloved, unwanted, endangered, or only of value in …show more content…
182). Furthermore the study found that “parents who experience themselves as overwhelmed by multiple stressors are more likely to resort to physical violence in an attempt to regain control over their environment” (pg. 182). Therefore, as expected stress within family systems can increase the risk of child maltreatment. In addition, Tucker and Rodriguez also discovered through their study that “the quality of family relationships contributed, beyond the influence of stress, to predict abuse risk” (pg. 182). In other words, “abuse risk increased as family relationships became more dysfunctional” (pg. 182). Furthermore, the study also showed a trend that “stress was exacerbated by family dysfunction” (pg. 182) which increased the risk of child abuse and neglect. In addition, research conducted by Jonathan Kotch, Dorothy Browne, Christopher Ringwalt, Vincent Dufort, and Ellen Ruina (1997), indicated similar results as found in Tucker and Rodriguez in regards to stress and child