Child Abuse Mid Term Review

Categories of Child Abuse

• Physical

• Psychological / Emotional

• Sexual

• Neglect

NCANDS

• National Child Abuse & Neglect Data Statistics

  • CPS uses it & finds it best for data

Child Protective Services

• Does not have to always report to law enforcement b/c not all child abuse is considered a crime

Poly-Victimization

• Child is abused in more than one act

Most Common Form of Child Abuse

• Psychological / Emotional BUT it is the least reported

• Associated with every other form of abuse

Which Gender is More Likely to be Abused?

• Girls are more likely

  • Sexual abuse is overwhelming in terms of victimization

Which Gender is More Likely to be Killed?

• Boys are more likely to be killed

What is the most reported form of child abuse?

• Neglect is the most commonly reported form of child abuse

Who is more likely to abuse their child?

• Mothers are more likely

  • They are with them all the time

Who is more likely to kill their child?

• Fathers are more likely

Antiquity Period

• Infanticide & abandonment of physically disabled newborns

  • Ancient greeks

• Ancient Egypt

  • Incest was expected to keep blood line “pure” (royalty)

Sweet Finger

• Help prepare children for sexual activity, nurses would play with male genitalia in their mouths

Greece

• Sex was rarely engaged in as it was only meant for offspring

• Boys would perform fellatio on men and ingest semen to “become a man”

• In most cities fathers had the right to kill or sell their child at birth

Middle Ages

• Laws forbidding infanticide

• Satanic sacrifices at this time

Victorian England

• 12 was considered mature sexual age in 1870

  • Raised to 13 in 1875

  • Then in 1885 raised to 16

• During the Victorian Era children were used for sex to give wives a break

Colonial America

• Slave owners would have intercourse with young females for the purpose of

  • “Breaking them in” or for breeding

Progressive Era

• Against child labor

• Treat & rehabilitate juveniles rather than punishment

  • 1899 Illinois cook county

    • First juvenile court for treatment of delinquent children

Risk Factors of Parents Committing Physical Abuse

• Difficulty bonding with newborn

• Being maltreated as a child

• Unrealistic expectations

• Alcohol & Substance Abuse

• Criminal Activity

• Financial difficulty

• Characteristics of family

  • Physical

  • Violence

• Isolation from family & social support

Physical Abuse Statistics Based on Gender

• Males have a slightly higher rate of being physically abused than females

  • Infants & Toddlers at a higher risk of death

Who are the victims? (age wise)

• Majority of physical abuse occurs during preschool years

Corporal Punishment

• Physical Punishment un response to a perceived misbehavior

Corporal Punishment VS Physical Abuse

• Level of force used (cannot cause injury to child)

• Why the force was used

Skin Injuries

• Bruises & abrasions are common in accidental trauma

Common Accidental Areas of Injury

• Forehead

• Chin

• Elbows

• Skin

Uncommon Areas of Injury

• Face

• Abdomen

• Hips

• Back

• Buttocks

• Upper arms

• Forearms

• Posterior Legs

• Hands

• Feet

• Ears

• Genitalia

Bite Marks (Human VS Animal)

• Human bites do not usually tear flesh and are in an oval shape whereas animal bites distinctly puncture the skin leaving puncture wounds/marks

Burns

• Highest incidence of child fatalities are children less than 5

What is the most common burn injury?

• Thermal Burns

  • Caused by excessive heat

    • Scald, Contact, Flame

Immersion Burn

• When a child’s limbs / body have been dipped into a hot liquid

Electrical Burns

• Account for 2-3% of burns in children

Skeletal Injuries

• Second most common in children for non-accidental abuse

Fractures

• Accidental injuries an cause fractures to the same bones as non-accidental injuries

Suspicious Fractures

• Metaphysical (growth plate at end of a long bone)

• Rib

• Scapular

• Sternal

• Pelvis

Skull Fractures

• Most common type of fracture in children less than 2

  • 30% of these being attributed to abuse

Head Trauma

• The leading cause of child physical abuse fatalities

Shaken Baby Syndrome

• Severe form of head trauma, babies are not fully developed, the brain bounces around hitting the skull

  • Men are more likely to commit

Indicators of Shaken Baby Syndrome

• Redness in eyes

• Vomiting

• Crossed eyes

Abdominal Injuries

• Second leading cause of death

Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy

• Deliberately making a child sick so the parent can receive sympathy from others

  • Almost always the mother

Neglect Categories

• Physical

• Educational

• Emotional

• Supervisory