Physically abused by parents

15 Signs You Have Abusive Parents

Published: September 27, 2021 Updated: September 15, 2022

Published: 09/27/2021 Updated: 09/15/2022

Parental abuse can come in many forms, including physical, sexual, verbal, or emotional. Certain types of abuse, like physical abuse, are easier to recognize.¹Emotionally abusive parents fail to meet their child’s needs for love and support. All forms of abuse are harmful and can have negative effects on a child’s physical and emotional wellbeing. Approximately one in seven children experience abuse.²

Healing from parental abuse is not something you need to do by yourself. BetterHelp has over 20,000 licensed therapists who provide convenient and affordable online therapy. BetterHelp starts at $60 per week. Complete a brief questionnaire and get matched with the right therapist for you.

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There is often a cycle of abuse that occurs where there is a period of building tension, followed by an abusive act, and then a “honeymoon” period. ³ During the honeymoon period, the abuser may be especially nice to the child in an effort to make up for what happened. Abusive parents often threaten their children to keep the abuse secret, preventing other people from stepping in.

Here are fifteen signs of abusive parents:

1. The Parent Physically Injures a Child

Parents who commit physical abuse are unable to control their anger and turn to violence, including hitting, kicking, or choking. Children may develop broken bones or bruises. Abusive parents often tell their children that they would lie if their injuries were ever questioned. Teachers, coaches, and pediatricians all play an important role in detecting physical abuse, since they may be the first ones to notice the signs.

2. The Parent Uses Violence as a Form of Punishment

The use of violence to punish a child is called corporal punishment. When a child displays negative behavior, these parents turn to physical action to show their disapproval. Studies on corporal punishment show that it is not an effective form of punishment and can be detrimental to children’s physical and emotional health.⁴

Emotional and verbal abuse are much harder to detect than physical abuse, but it can be just as harmful. An emotionally abusive parent may put down a child on a regular basis. For example, they may call the child “stupid” for getting a poor grade. In abusive families, these types of comments happen on a regular basis and leave a child feeling worthless.

4. The Parent Humiliates the Child in Front of Other People

Emotionally abusive parents may use shame and humiliation as a way to hurt their children. They may tell embarrassing stories or engage in name-calling in front of other people. This is typically done in front of the child’s peers, leaving them to feel embarrassed and hurt.

5. The Parent Is Sexually Inappropriate With the Child

Parents who commit sexual abuse engage in sexual behaviors with their children. The parent usually threatens the child to keep the abuse a secret. Sexual abuse can be hard to notice, but some children may display their own signs. For example, a child that is sexually abused may act out sexually with other children.

6. The Parent Exposes Their Child to Inappropriate Sexual Content

Showing children inappropriate sexual content is a form of sexual abuse. A perpetrator may become aroused by looking at or watching this content with children. This is just as much a form of pedophilia as touching or performing sexual acts with a child.

7. The Parent Treats Their Child Like a Romantic Partner

Emotional incest is a type of emotional abuse where a parent expects their child to take on the role of romantic partner.⁵ They depend on them for emotional support, putting children in a difficult position since they aren’t equipped to fulfill this role. Parents who commit emotional incest may take their children on dates or share personal information about their sex lives.

8. The Parent Withholds Love

Emotionally abusive parents may withhold love and affection as a way to punish children or change their behavior. While children do need firm limits and discipline at times, punishing children by withholding love can hurt a child’s sense of self-worth.

9. The Parent Uses Manipulation to Get What They Want From Their Child

Toxic parents can resort to manipulation to get what they want from their children, and can often include gaslighting their kids to further create doubt in their minds. While any family dynamic can involve manipulation, it is especially common in divorced families.6 For example, one parent may try to alienate the child from the other parent during a divorce by speaking negatively of them. This is also referred to as parental alienation.

10. The Parent’s Anger Is Unpredictable

Abusive parents have trouble managing their anger and can have angry outbursts that may feel like they come out of nowhere. Children of abusive parents may describe feeling like they have to “walk on eggshells” to keep their parents from getting angry. This creates significant stress and anxiety for children, who feel constant pressure to be on their best behavior.

11. The Parent Withholds Basic Necessities

Neglect is also a type of abuse. Neglectful parents may withhold basic necessities, like food, water, or clothing, from children. This withholding can be used as a form of punishment. Children may become malnourished, dehydrated, and lack proper hygiene. Often this form of abuse is accompanied by other types, like physical and verbal abuse.

12. The Parent Targets Siblings Against One Another

“Choosing favorites” is another type of emotional abuse where parents may put one child on a pedestal. These parents may provide praise, love, and gifts to the idealized child and withhold these things from the devalued child. This can cause feelings of shame, inadequacy, and anger in the devalued child and significant tension or even abuse between the siblings.

13. The Parent Takes Financial Advantage of Their Child

Parents may financially abuse children who earn their own money. Many famous cases of this involve children who grew up working in the entertainment industry. Parents may claim to have a separate bank account for the child, but actually keep the money for themselves. When children are old enough to access their accounts, they may find that their money is missing.

14. They Control Their Child’s Behavior

Controlling parents attempt to monitor their child’s every move, even as they get older and are ready for more independence and autonomy. They may forbid play dates or demand that a child continue an activity or sport despite wanting to stop. This is a form of emotional abuse that limits children’s abilities to live freely and develop important skills as they age.

15. The Parent Uses Religion to Control a Child

Religion and spirituality can serve an important and healthy function in families by providing beliefs and values to live by. However, in some rare cases, religion may be used in a harmful way, and may be considered religious abuse. For example, some religious groups have used their beliefs to justify sexual and other forms of abuse toward children.

Help For Trauma / PTSD

Talk Therapy – Get help recovering from trauma from a licensed therapist. Betterhelp offers online therapy starting at $60 per week. Get matched With A Therapist

Medication – Find out if PTSD medication is a good fit for you. Brightside offers a free assessment. Treatments start at $95 per month. Free Assessment

Guided Psychedelic Journeys – Ketamine is a prescription medication that clinicians can prescribe off-label to treat depression, anxiety, and other mental health diagnoses. Mindbloom pairs ketamine with clinician support. Find out if you’re a good candidate: Learn More

Choosing Therapy partners with leading mental health companies and is compensated for referrals by BetterHelp, Brightside, and Mindbloom.

Impacts of Mentally Abusive Parents

Many therapists believe that “trauma is in the eye of the beholder,” meaning each person experiences and copes with trauma differently. Two people can experience the same abuse, like siblings growing up with the same parents, yet they exhibit different reactions. The effect of abuse on a child can depend on factors like the type of abuse, how long it lasted, and whether or not the child received support.

Impacts of being raised by an abusive parent include:

Cognitive limitations, like impairments with learning, attention, and memory^2,6
Depression⁷
Anxiety⁷
Low self-esteem⁷
Post-traumatic stress²
Eating disorders⁸
Anger⁹
Codependency¹⁰
An insecure attachment style¹¹

5 Ways Deal With Emotionally Abusive Parents

Relationships between abusive parents and their children are often complicated. There may be mixed feelings of love, anger, and hurt. You may even experience trauma bonding, which happens when an abuser and trauma survivor develop a close bond with one another, which can make it difficult to walk away.

Here are five ways to deal with abusive parents:

Try talking to them about your feelings and how their behavior affects you
Suggest attending family therapy together
Consider setting boundaries if they are resistant to change
Find an individual or group therapist to work with to try to heal on your own
Contact your local child welfare agency if you are concerned that they are currently abusing a child

How to Heal From Emotionally Abusive Parents

Many people raised by emotionally abusive parents turn to therapy to heal. Therapy involves meeting with a therapist, either individually, in a group, or as a family, to talk about the issues concerning you. Therapists may work differently depending on their approach. For example, some therapists may focus on your past, while others may focus more on your present thoughts and feelings.

Several types of therapy are used to treat abuse survivors, such as trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy (TF-CBT) and cognitive processing therapy (CPT).¹² You can ask a therapist to explain their approach to treatment to help you get a better idea.

To begin the process of finding a therapist, ask your healthcare provider for referrals, contact your health insurance company, or ask family or friends for recommendations. Choosing Therapy’s online therapist directory is another way to approach finding a therapist. It allows you to search for local or telehealth therapists who specialize in treating victims of emotional abuse.

Final Thoughts on Emotionally Abusive Parents

If you’ve experienced emotional abuse from a parent, you are not alone. You can heal and move forward from your abusive past. Any form of abuse is difficult to cope with, but therapy, social support, and self-care can help you recover.

Additional Resources

Education is just the first step on our path to improved mental health and emotional wellness. To help our readers take the next step in their journey, Choosing Therapy has partnered with leaders in mental health and wellness. Choosing Therapy may be compensated for referrals by the companies mentioned below.

BetterHelp (Online Therapy) – Trauma and abuse can leave a lasting impact. Therapy can help with recovery. BetterHelp has over 20,000 licensed therapists who provide convenient and affordable online therapy. BetterHelp starts at $60 per week. Complete a brief questionnaire and get matched with the right therapist for you. Get Started

Brightside Health (Online Therapy & Psychiatry) – If you’re struggling recovering from trauma, therapy and medication can make a difference. Brightside Health treatment plans start at $95 per month. Cigna and Aetna accepted. Free Assessment

Hims / Hers (Online Psychiatry) – If you’re living with PTSD, finding the right medication match may make all the difference. Get FDA approved medication prescribed by your dedicated Hims / Hers Healthcare Provider and delivered right to your door. Plans start at $25 per month (first month). Get Started

Choosing Therapy partners with leading mental health companies and is compensated for referrals by BetterHelp, Brightside, and Hims / Hers

For Further Reading

Prevent Child Abuse America
Fight! Child Abuse
National Child Abuse Coalition
The National Child Traumatic Stress Network
Healthy Children

12 sources

Choosing Therapy strives to provide our readers with mental health content that is accurate and actionable. We have high standards for what can be cited within our articles. Acceptable sources include government agencies, universities and colleges, scholarly journals, industry and professional associations, and other high-integrity sources of mental health journalism. Learn more by reviewing our full editorial policy.

Child Welfare Information Gateway. (2019, April). What is child abuse and neglect? Recognizing the signs and symptoms. Retrieved from: https://www.childwelfare.gov/pubpdfs/whatiscan.pdf
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2021, March). Preventing child abuse and neglect. Retrieved from: https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/childabuseandneglect/fastfact.html
Skaine, R. (Ed.). (2015). Abuse: An encyclopedia of causes, consequences, and treatments. ABC-CLIO.
Durrant, J., & Ensom, R. (2012). Physical punishment of children: Lessons from 20 years of research. CMAJ, 184(12), 1373-1377.
Love, P., & Robinson, J. (1991). The emotional incest syndrome: What to do when a parents love rules your life. New York: Bantam Books.
Gould, F., Clarke, J., Heim, C., Harvey, P. D., Majer, M., & Nemeroff, C. B. (2012). The effects of child abuse and neglect on cognitive functioning in adulthood. Journal of Psychiatric Research, 46(4), 500–506.
Berber Çelik, Ç., & Odacı, H. (2020). Does child abuse have an impact on self-esteem, depression, anxiety and stress conditions of individuals?. International Journal of Social Psychiatry, 66(2), 171-178.
Allison, K. C., Grilo, C. M., Masheb, R. M., & Stunkard, A. J. (2007). High self-reported rates of neglect and emotional abuse, by persons with binge eating disorder and night eating syndrome. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 45(12), 2874–2883.
Johnsona, R. M., Kotch, J. B., Catellier, D. J., Winsor, J. R., Dufort, V., Hunter, W., & Amaya-Jackson, L. (2002). Adverse behavioral and emotional outcomes from child abuse and witnessed violence. Child Maltreatment, 7(3), 179-186.
Reyome, N. D., Ward, K. S., & Witkiewitz, K. (2010). Psychosocial variables as mediators of the relationship between childhood history of emotional maltreatment, codependency, and self-silencing. Journal of Aggression, Maltreatment & Trauma, 19(2), 159-179.
Stirling, J., & Amaya-Jackson, L. (2008). Understanding the behavioral and emotional consequences of child abuse. Pediatrics, 122(3), 667-673.
Watkins, L. E., Sprang, K. R., & Rothbaum, B. O. (2018). Treating PTSD: A review of evidence-based psychotherapy interventions. Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience, 12, 258.

If you are in need of immediate medical help:

Medical
Emergency
911

Suicide Hotline
800-273-8255

Child Abuse (for Parents) - Nemours KidsHealth

What Is Child Abuse?

Child abuse happens when someone caring for a child hurts a child's feelings or body. It can happen to boys or girls in any family. Often, hurt feelings (or emotional trauma) last long after a hurt body has healed.

Knowing the dangers of abuse and what to do if you suspect it is key to keeping all children safe.

What Are the Types of Child Abuse?

Physical abuse is when a child's body has been hurt. Hitting hard with a hand or an object like a belt can leave bruises or cuts and cause pain. Shaking, pushing, choking, punching, painful grabbing, and kicking also can be physical abuse.

Sexual abuse is sexual contact (like sexual acts) or non-contact sexual activities (like taking or sharing sexual photos and sexual talk) between:

an adult and someone younger than 18
an older child or teen and a much younger child
one person who has power over another, no matter their ages

Most cases of sexual abuse involve a close trusted adult or family member who abuses the child's trust. Often, the child is pressured or talked into the activity, offered gifts, or asked to keep secrets, not physically forced into it.

Neglect is when an adult doesn't do what is needed to take care of a child. This means not giving the child enough:

food, housing or clothing
medical care
supervision
attention (called emotional neglect, when a child is ignored)
education/schooling

Emotional abuse (or psychological abuse) happens when adults caring for a child judge, threaten, put down or reject kids or teens, withholding love so the child feels bad about themselves or worthless.

Substance abuse, when adults use drugs or too much alcohol, can put a child in danger. It can cause adults to neglect, physically, sexually, or emotional hurt a child. When adults use drugs or overuse alcohol around a child, many state laws say this is child abuse, even if no one neglected or physically hurt the child.

In some states, it's child abuse if:

adults let a child drink alcohol or take illegal drugs
adults make, take, or sell illegal drugs in the presence of a child
a woman uses illegal drugs while pregnant

Medical child abuse is when adult caregivers harm a child with too much medical care, such as medicines, appointments, surgeries, or lab tests that are not needed.

Who Causes Child Abuse?

There is not one type of person who causes child abuse. Most of the time a child knows the abuser well. Sometimes people who abuse children were abused when they were children.

Sometimes, people who abuse kids can show some signs. For example, parents who abuse their children may:

Always talk negatively about the child or call the child worthless.
Try to keep the child away from others.
Have a hard time talking about their children's injuries or behavioral problems.
Show little concern or affection for the child.

What Are the Signs of Child Abuse?

Kids and teens often have a hard time speaking up about abuse. So knowing the signs of child abuse can help.

Kids who are being abused might:

have frequent bruises, especially in places kids don't usually get bruises from play
have stories to explain injuries that don't make sense or keep changing
not want to go home
avoid being with the abuser
avoid being with others
show signs of emotional trauma, like fear, anger, or trouble relating to or trusting others
be sad or depressed
bully others
hurt themselves, like cutting
have nightmares or trouble sleeping
act out in class, have trouble paying attention, or be hyperactive
use drugs

Kids who see abuse (but are not the victims themselves) or see violence between adults caring for them sometimes show similar signs.

These signs don't always point to abuse. Kids going through stressful times — like their parents' separation or divorce, a move, or the death of a loved one — also might be sad, angry, or withdrawn. But if physical signs (like bruises) happen along with behavior problems, that's a stronger sign of abuse.

What Should I Do if I Suspect Child Abuse?

If you think a child is being abused or a child tells you about abuse, contact your local:

child protective services agency
police
hospital

You also can contact the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-CHILD (1-800-422-4453). You don't have to give your name.

You might not be sure of the abuse, but having a concern is enough. The authorities will look into things and find out if abuse is happening. It is better to report and have no abuse found than to not act on your concern while a child continues to be hurt.

Never threaten a person or take the law into your own hands. Let the legal system do its work.

If you are worried that you might hurt a child in your care, make sure the child is somewhere safe, and then speak with a friend, relative, or health care professional. You also can contact the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-CHILD (1-800-422-4453). You might just need someone to talk to or you may want to seek counseling.

What Else Should I Know?

Not all suspicions of child abuse turn out to be true. But all deserve serious attention and fast action.

The earlier abuse is identified and stopped, the earlier medical care, therapy, and counseling can help children and families heal.

So if you suspect abuse, speak up. If a child tells you about abuse, take it seriously. All children deserve to be heard, protected, and helped.

Child abuse

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Child abuse

WHO/S. Becker

Magnitude of the problem

\nChild maltreatment is a global problem with serious lifelong consequences. Although studies have recently been carried out in some low- and middle-income countries, much data is still lacking.

\nChild maltreatment is a complex and difficult issue to study. Available estimates vary widely depending on the country and the research method used. Grades depend on the following aspects:

applicable definitions of child abuse;\t
type of child abuse being studied;
coverage and quality of official statistics;
coverage and quality of surveys that require reports from victims themselves, parents or caregivers.

\nHowever, international studies show that one quarter of all adults were physically abused as children, and that 1 in 5 women and 1 in 13 men were sexually abused as children. In addition, many children are victims of emotional (psychological) abuse and neglect.

\nAn estimated 41,000 murders of children under the age of 15 occur each year. This figure underestimates the true extent of the problem, as a significant proportion of child abuse deaths are incorrectly attributed to falls, burns, drowning, and other causes.

\nIn armed conflict and refugee camps, girls are particularly vulnerable to sexual violence, exploitation and abuse by the military, security forces, other members of their communities, humanitarian workers and others.

Consequences of child abuse

\nChild abuse hurts children and families and can have long-term consequences. Abuse leads to stress, which is associated with impaired early brain development. Extreme stress can disrupt the development of the nervous and immune systems. As a result, in adulthood, people who were abused as children are at increased risk of behavioral and physical and mental health problems, such as:

committing or being a victim of violence;\t
depression;
smoking;
obesity;\n
high risk sexual behavior;
unplanned pregnancy;
Harmful use of alcohol and drugs.

\nAs a result of these behavioral and mental health consequences, abuse can lead to heart disease, cancer, suicide, and sexually transmitted infections.

\nIn addition to the health and societal impacts, child maltreatment also has economic impacts, including hospitalization costs, mental health care, child care, and long-term health costs.

Risk factors

\nRisk factors for child abuse have been identified. These risk factors are not present in all social and cultural settings, but they give a general idea when trying to understand the causes of child abuse.

Child

\nIt is important to emphasize that children are victims and should never be blamed for abuse. Some individual characteristics of a child may increase the likelihood of abuse:

a child under 4 years of age or a teenager;\n
a child who is unwanted or does not live up to parental expectations;
a child who has special needs, who cries constantly, or who has abnormal physical features.

Parents or caregivers

\nSome characteristics of a parent or caregiver may increase the risk of child abuse. Among them are the following:

difficulties associated with the newborn;\n
leaving the child unattended;
childhood abuse;
ignorance of child development or unrealistic expectations;
harmful use of alcohol or drugs, including during pregnancy;
involvement in criminal activity;
experiencing financial difficulties. \n

Relationships

\nA number of factors in relationships within families or between sexual partners, friends, and peers can increase the risk of child abuse, such as :

problems in the field of physical or mental health or development of any family member;\n
discord in the family or violence between other family members;
isolation from the community or lack of a supportive circle;
lack of support in raising a child from other family members.

Community and social factors

\nA number of characteristics of individual communities and communities can increase the risk of child abuse. They include:

gender and social inequality;
lack of adequate housing or family support services and institutions;
high levels of unemployment and poverty;
easy access to alcohol and drugs;
inappropriate policies and programs to prevent child abuse, child pornography, child prostitution, and child labor;\n
social and cultural norms that support or glorify violence against others, favor the use of corporal punishment, require strong gender roles or belittling the status of the child in the relationship between parents and children;
social, economic, health, and educational policies that lead to poor living standards or socioeconomic inequality or instability.

Prevention

\nPrevention of child abuse requires a multisectoral approach. Effective programs are those that support parents and instill positive parenting skills. They include:

Nursing home visits to parents and children for support, education, and information;\n
Parent education, usually in groups, to improve child-rearing skills, increase knowledge of child development, and encourage positive child-care strategies ; and
multi-component activities, typically including parent support and education, early childhood education, and child care.

\nOther prevention programs are also promising in some respects.

Abuse head injury prevention programs (also called shaken baby syndrome and traumatic brain injury). These are usually hospital-level programs targeting young parents prior to their discharge, educating them about the dangers of shaken baby syndrome and recommending interventions for inconsolably crying babies.
Child sexual abuse prevention programs. They are usually held in schools and teach children about the following areas:

ownership of one's body;\t
the difference between good and bad touch;
how to recognize threatening situations;
how to say \"no\";
how to tell a trusted adult about abuse.

\nSuch programs are effective in increasing protective factors against child sexual abuse (for example, knowledge about sexual abuse and protective behaviors), but data on whether such programs reduce others types of violence are absent.

\nThe earlier in a child's life such interventions are carried out, the more beneficial they are for the child (eg, cognitive development, behavioral and social competence, educational training) and for society (eg, reduced delinquency and crime).

\nIn addition, early recognition of cases, combined with ongoing care for child victims of abuse and their families, can help reduce re-abuse and its consequences.

\nFor maximum impact, prevention and care interventions are recommended by WHO as part of a four-pronged public health approach:

identifying the problem;\n
identifying causes and risk factors;
development and testing of measures aimed at minimizing risk factors;
disseminate information on the effectiveness of interventions and scale up proven effective interventions.\n

WHO activities

\nWHO in collaboration with a number of partners in the following areas:

\ n

provides technical and regulatory guidance for evidence-based child abuse prevention;\n
calls for greater international support for and investment in evidence-based child abuse prevention;
provides technical support for evidence-based child abuse prevention programs in certain low- and middle-income countries.

","datePublished":"2022-09-19T19:00:00.0000000+00:00","image":"https://cdn.who.int/media/images/default-source/ imported/children-running-jpg.jpg?sfvrsn=50512cc9_2","publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"World Health Organization: WHO","logo":{"@type" :"ImageObject","url":"https://www.who.int/Images/SchemaOrg/schemaOrgLogo.jpg","width":250,"height":60}},"dateModified":"2022- 09-19T19:00:00.0000000+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":"https://www.who.int/ru/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/child-maltreatment","@context": "http://schema.org","@type":"Article"};

Key facts

One in 5 women and 1 in 13 men report being sexually abused as children.
The consequences of child maltreatment include lifelong physical and mental health damage, and its social and professional consequences can ultimately slow down the economic and social development of a country.
Child maltreatment can be prevented - this requires a multisectoral approach.
Effective prevention programs can support parents and teach them positive parenting skills.
Continued care for children and families can help reduce the risk of re-abuse and minimize its consequences.

Child abuse is the mistreatment and neglect of children under the age of 18. It covers all types of physical and/or emotional abuse, sexual abuse, neglect, neglect and commercial or other exploitation that results in actual or potential harm to the health, survival, development or dignity of the child in the context of a relationship of responsibility, trust or power. . Intimate partner violence is also sometimes considered a form of child abuse.

Magnitude of the problem

Child abuse is a global problem with serious lifelong consequences. Although studies have recently been carried out in some low- and middle-income countries, much data is still lacking.

Child abuse is a complex and difficult issue to study. Available estimates vary widely depending on the country and the research method used. Grades depend on the following aspects:

applicable definitions of child abuse;
type of child abuse being studied;
coverage and quality of official statistics;
coverage and quality of surveys that require reports from victims themselves, parents or caregivers.

However, international studies show that one quarter of all adults were physically abused as children, and that 1 in 5 women and 1 in 13 men were sexually abused as children. In addition, many children are victims of emotional (psychological) abuse and neglect.

An estimated 41,000 murders of children under the age of 15 occur each year. This figure underestimates the true extent of the problem, as a significant proportion of child abuse deaths are incorrectly attributed to falls, burns, drowning, and other causes.

In armed conflict and refugee camps, girls are particularly vulnerable to sexual violence, exploitation and abuse by the military, security forces, other members of their communities, humanitarian workers and others.

Consequences of abuse

Child abuse causes suffering to children and families and can have long-term consequences. Abuse leads to stress, which is associated with impaired early brain development. Extreme stress can disrupt the development of the nervous and immune systems. As a result, in adulthood, people who were abused as children are at increased risk of behavioral and physical and mental health problems, such as:

committing violence or becoming a victim of violence;
depression;
smoking;
obesity;
high risk sexual behavior;
unplanned pregnancy;
harmful use of alcohol and drugs.

As a result of these behavioral and mental health consequences, abuse can lead to heart disease, cancer, suicide, and sexually transmitted infections.

In addition to health and societal impacts, child maltreatment also has economic impacts, including the cost of hospitalization, mental health treatment, child care, and long-term health costs.

Risk factors

Risk factors for child abuse have been identified. These risk factors are not present in all social and cultural settings, but they give a general idea when trying to understand the causes of child abuse.

Child

It is important to emphasize that children are victims and should never be blamed for abuse. Certain individual characteristics of a child may increase the likelihood of abuse:

child under 4 years of age or adolescent;
an unwanted child or a child that does not live up to the expectations of the parents;
a child with special needs, constant crying or abnormal physical features.

Parents or caregivers

Certain characteristics of parents or caregivers may increase the risk of child abuse. Among them are the following:

difficulties associated with the newborn;
leaving a child unattended;
childhood abuse;
ignorance of child development or unrealistic expectations;
harmful use of alcohol or drugs, including during pregnancy;
involvement in criminal activity;
experiencing financial difficulties.

Relationships

A number of factors in family relationships or between sexual partners, friends and peers can increase the risk of child abuse, for example:

a family member's physical or mental health or developmental problems;
discord in the family or violence between other family members;
isolation in the community or lack of a support circle;
lack of support in raising a child from other family members.

Community and social factors

A number of characteristics of individual communities and communities can increase the risk of child abuse. They include:

gender and social inequality;
Lack of adequate housing or family support services and institutions;
high levels of unemployment and poverty;
easy access to alcohol and drugs;
inadequate policies and programs to prevent child abuse, child pornography, child prostitution and child labor;
social and cultural norms that support or glorify violence against others, favor the use of corporal punishment, require rigid gender roles, or degrade the status of the child in parent-child relationships;
social, economic, health and educational policies that lead to poor living standards or socioeconomic inequality or instability.

Prophylaxis

A multisectoral approach is needed to prevent child maltreatment. Effective programs are those that support parents and instill positive parenting skills. These include:

Nursing home visits to parents and children for support, education and information;
Parent education, usually in groups, to improve child-rearing skills, increase knowledge of child development, and encourage positive child-care strategies; and
multi-component activities, usually including parent support and education, early childhood education and childcare.

Other prevention programs are also promising in some respects.

Abuse head injury prevention programs (also called shaken baby syndrome and traumatic brain injury). These are usually hospital-level programs targeting young parents prior to their discharge, educating them about the dangers of shaken baby syndrome and recommending interventions for inconsolably crying babies.
Child sexual abuse prevention programs. They are usually held in schools and educate children in the following areas:

ownership of one's body;
difference between good and bad touches;
how to recognize threatening situations;
how to say "no";
how to talk about abuse to a trustworthy adult.

Such programs are effective in increasing protective factors against child sexual abuse (eg, knowledge about sexual abuse and protective behaviours), but there is no data on whether such programs reduce other types of violence.

The earlier in a child's life such interventions are, the more beneficial they are for the child (eg cognitive development, behavioral and social competence, educational training) and society (eg reduction in delinquency and crime).

In addition, early recognition of cases, combined with continued care for child victims of violence and families, can help reduce re-abuse and its consequences.

For maximum impact, prevention and care interventions are recommended by WHO as part of a four-step public health approach:

problem definition;
determination of causes and risk factors;
development and testing of measures aimed at minimizing risk factors;
disseminate information on the effectiveness of interventions and scale up proven effective interventions.

WHO activities

WHO is collaborating with a number of partners in the following areas:

provides evidence-based technical and normative guidance on child maltreatment prevention;
calls for increased international support for and investment in evidence-based child abuse prevention;
provides technical support for evidence-based child abuse prevention programs in selected low- and middle-income countries.

Domestic violence against a child: what is it?

Studies show that, despite the information breakthrough and a huge abundance of literature on the upbringing of children, centuries-old habits are still strong, according to which it is not shameful to solve educational problems with a belt and rude words towards a child.

A child is easily harmed. Children's vulnerability to violence is due to their physical, mental and social immaturity, as well as their dependent, subordinate position in relation to adults, whether they are parents or guardians. A large role in the spread of cruelty to children is played by the ignorance of parents or persons replacing them about what measures of influence are unacceptable in relation to a child, a lack of understanding that not every punishment is good for him. Of no small importance is the low legal culture of the population, insufficient knowledge of legislative norms that protect the rights of the child and guarantee the punishment of rapists, including violations of fundamental human and child rights. Every year, 150,000 to 160,000 children are registered in Russia who, fleeing bullying, run away from their families, but it is impossible to calculate how many children in families suffer from the fact that parents and caregivers insult and humiliate their own children.

It is necessary to convey to the general public that in the 21st century, when our country ratified the Convention on the Rights of the Child, many traditional forms are unacceptable in the modern world. It is practically unknown to the general population what is psychological and moral abuse of a child, and it is these forms that become the basis of physical abuse.

Domestic violence is a repeated and increasing cycle of physical, verbal, spiritual and economic abuse for the purpose of control, intimidation, instilling a sense of fear. These are situations in which one person controls or tries to control the behavior and feelings of another. A special topic is violence against children. Single topic - physical abuse. Physical abuse occurs when parents lack the intelligence to find the right words for their child, and also lack the ability to restrain their emotions, and they use physical punishment. No less scary moral violence, held under the slogan "My child is my thing", "The child must be brought up while lying across the bench", "Golden tear will not roll out" and much more. Often it is hidden behind the sign of "strict upbringing." And its psychological roots are the same: such parents, as a rule, do not feel their own human dignity, they have neither personal happiness nor social significance - so they take it out on children. Humiliating their own children, they themselves become, as it were, higher and stronger. In the same row - the desire to constantly control the child, limit his rights and opportunities. This is nothing more than holding power over the offspring. Moreover, if parents “out of good intentions” overprotect and pamper their child, this is also a kind of violence: in this way, they accustom their child to the fact that without strong parents it is “complete insignificance”, and without their participation and help, it’s just will die of hunger. And as a result, they artificially tie the child to themselves, forcing them to hold on to the parental powerful hand all their lives. After all, this is a great way to rise in your own eyes, to know that someone cannot exist without you.

Physical abuse is not only the infliction of physical injuries, various bodily injuries to a child by parents or persons replacing them, educators or any other persons that cause damage to the child's health, disrupt his development and take his life. It is also the kind of physical punishment that some families use as disciplinary measures, ranging from slaps and slaps to belting. It must be recognized that physical abuse is indeed a physical assault and is almost always accompanied by verbal abuse and psychological trauma.

From a psychological point of view, emotional abuse of children is understood as constant or periodic verbal abuse of a child, threats from parents, guardians, humiliation of his human dignity, blaming him for what he is not guilty of, demonstration of dislike, hostility towards the child.

This type of violence also includes constant lies, deception of the child (as a result of which he loses trust in an adult), as well as demands made on the child that do not correspond to age capabilities.

Abused children often lag behind their peers in height, weight, or both. They begin to walk, talk later, laugh less often, they do much worse at school than their peers. These children often have "bad habits": thumb sucking, nail biting, rocking, masturbation. And outwardly, children living in conditions of neglect of their interests, physical and emotional needs, look different than children living in normal conditions: they have swollen, "sleepy" eyes, a pale face, disheveled hair, untidy clothes, etc. signs of hygienic neglect - pediculosis, rash, bad smell from clothes and body. Almost all children who have suffered from abuse and neglect have experienced psychological trauma, as a result of which they develop further with certain personal, emotional and behavioral characteristics that negatively affect their future life. They become embittered, become aggressive, which is expressed in unmotivated cruelty in adolescence to strangers, in their desire for destructive actions. And the explanation for this is simple: the cruelty of parents gives rise to the cruelty of children - a vicious circle closes. In other cases, children, trying to somehow adapt to a difficult situation, to avoid the cruelty of their elders, are forced to look for sophisticated means of self-defense. The most common of them are lies, cunning, hypocrisy, which later become stable character traits.

Thus, the long-term impact of an unfavorable family environment on a child plays a leading role in the life of personality deformations and subsequent deviations in behavior. The consequences and manifestations of social maladaptation are early alcoholization, child drug addiction and substance abuse, running away from home and vagrancy, prostitution, and suicide. These phenomena are becoming more widespread and are turning into a serious social problem.

Violence does not educate, it harms and humiliates children. Violence is seen as a suitable educational tool only by those parents who do not know any other way to explain to their children what is bad and what is good, and teach them the rules of behavior.