Jackson Fass Mrs. Mennes
Noor Chreidi Period 5
Alejandra Alvarez April 14, 2015
Amin Hamiditabar
Child Abuse Long Term Effects
In the novel, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks written by Rebecca Skloot, Henrietta’s children were abused by her cousin Galen, and his wife Ethel. Galen sexually abused Deborah, while Ethel was an abusive caregiver to all the children. She would beat the children, and would rarely feed them; if they were fed, they either got a cold biscuit or a slice of bologna. These kids grew up into adults, and experienced the negative long term effects of child abuse.
There are three types of abuse, emotional, physical, and sexual, all of which leaves the victim emotionally, mentally, and physically …show more content…
Depression is constant throughout many child abuse victims. “High levels of depression were more frequent among children who were abused in their first 5 years of their lives than among maltreated children who weren’t abused early in life or children who weren’t maltreated at all” (“Nauert, Rick”). A hormone called cortisol adjusts the body’s stress, and if the stress increases to a point where it cannot be resolved, the victim may develop depression and other illnesses, such as PTSD. PTSD stands for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and is a long term effect caused by both physical and sexual abuse. “40% of victims either had full or partial PTSD. They are also more vulnerable to developing chronic diseases like diabetes, high blood pressure, heart attack and stroke, or high blood pressure” (“How Child Abuse Primes the Brain for Future Mental Illness”). The phrase “flight or fight” ties along with stress. When a victim is found in an uncomfortable situation, they are most likely to flee the scene, and go somewhere they believe is safe. “Children who experience maltreatment, including physical, sexual, and emotional abuse or neglect, grow up with a lot of stress” (“Nauert, Rick”). Chronic or acute stress may also lead to the development of alcohol or drug …show more content…
However, Adrian Peterson crossed the line when he whooped is 4-year old son, leaving gruesome marks on his body. Not only did Peterson beat his child, he used a switch branch, also known as a thin, but sturdy tree branch, to do the job. Abusing a child physically is not the most sensible and safe way to discipline them. Instead of spanking the child, the parent could take something that has value to them or talking about what they did wrong and how they can learn from their mistakes. The child will be traumatized from the spanking especially if the parent leaves horrendous marks or scars on their body. A victim of child abuse will face many struggles in their life and will be negatively affected for a long period of time. They may be scarred emotionally, mentally, and or physically. In addition, they could develop mental disorders or illnesses and alcohol or drug related problems. There are numerous ways to prevent and stop child abuse, if you or someone you know is being abused, notify someone before it gets out of
Noor Chreidi Period 5
Alejandra Alvarez April 14, 2015
Amin Hamiditabar
Child Abuse Long Term Effects
In the novel, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks written by Rebecca Skloot, Henrietta’s children were abused by her cousin Galen, and his wife Ethel. Galen sexually abused Deborah, while Ethel was an abusive caregiver to all the children. She would beat the children, and would rarely feed them; if they were fed, they either got a cold biscuit or a slice of bologna. These kids grew up into adults, and experienced the negative long term effects of child abuse.
There are three types of abuse, emotional, physical, and sexual, all of which leaves the victim emotionally, mentally, and physically …show more content…
Depression is constant throughout many child abuse victims. “High levels of depression were more frequent among children who were abused in their first 5 years of their lives than among maltreated children who weren’t abused early in life or children who weren’t maltreated at all” (“Nauert, Rick”). A hormone called cortisol adjusts the body’s stress, and if the stress increases to a point where it cannot be resolved, the victim may develop depression and other illnesses, such as PTSD. PTSD stands for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and is a long term effect caused by both physical and sexual abuse. “40% of victims either had full or partial PTSD. They are also more vulnerable to developing chronic diseases like diabetes, high blood pressure, heart attack and stroke, or high blood pressure” (“How Child Abuse Primes the Brain for Future Mental Illness”). The phrase “flight or fight” ties along with stress. When a victim is found in an uncomfortable situation, they are most likely to flee the scene, and go somewhere they believe is safe. “Children who experience maltreatment, including physical, sexual, and emotional abuse or neglect, grow up with a lot of stress” (“Nauert, Rick”). Chronic or acute stress may also lead to the development of alcohol or drug …show more content…
However, Adrian Peterson crossed the line when he whooped is 4-year old son, leaving gruesome marks on his body. Not only did Peterson beat his child, he used a switch branch, also known as a thin, but sturdy tree branch, to do the job. Abusing a child physically is not the most sensible and safe way to discipline them. Instead of spanking the child, the parent could take something that has value to them or talking about what they did wrong and how they can learn from their mistakes. The child will be traumatized from the spanking especially if the parent leaves horrendous marks or scars on their body. A victim of child abuse will face many struggles in their life and will be negatively affected for a long period of time. They may be scarred emotionally, mentally, and or physically. In addition, they could develop mental disorders or illnesses and alcohol or drug related problems. There are numerous ways to prevent and stop child abuse, if you or someone you know is being abused, notify someone before it gets out of