Ch.5 child abuse

Overview of Chapters

  • Ch.1: Characteristics and Consequences of Family Violence

  • Ch.2: Intimate Partner Abuse and Relationship Violence

  • Ch.3: Criminal Justice Response to Intimate Partner Abuse

  • Ch.4: Elder Abuse

  • Ch.5: Physical Child Abuse

  • Ch.6: Child Sexual Abuse

  • Ch.7: Child Neglect

  • Ch.8: Sibling Abuse

  • Ch.9: Child Exploitation

  • Ch.10: Special Issues in Child Abuses and Trauma

  • Ch.11: Professionals' Responses to Child Abuse

  • Ch.12: Special Populations and Family Violence

Physical Child Abuse (Ch.5)

Chapter Objectives

  • Define child abuse and physical child abuse

  • Understand the historical context

  • Identify characteristics of abusers and victims

  • Learn indications of physical child abuse

  • Define Munchausen syndrome and shaken baby syndrome

  • Study child homicide

Discipline vs. Child Abuse

  • Consider differences between normal discipline and child abuse

  • Assess responses to children's negative actions

Definition of Physical Child Abuse

  • CAPTA defines child abuse as recent acts or failures to act leading to harm, abuse, or risk of serious harm to a child who is under 18.

  • Physical child abuse involves intentional acts causing non-accidental injury.

Extent of the Problem

  • Consequences of child abuse include:

    • Poor physical and emotional health

    • Social difficulties

    • Cognitive dysfunction

    • Behavioral problems

Historical Context

  • Battered Child Syndrome coined in 1962 by Dr. C.H. Kempe.

  • CAPTA established in 1974 to address child abuse with protective services.

Characteristics of Abusers

Perpetrator Demographics

  • Majority aged 25-44; 68.8% of perpetrators fit this range.

  • 51.1% female and 47.7% male perpetrators.

  • Racial demographic: 47.4% White, 21% Black, 20.3% Hispanic.

  • 76% are parents of victims.

Theories of Child Abuse

  1. Psychopathological Model

    • Focuses on abuser characteristics as the main cause of abuse.

  2. Interactional Model

    • Views abuse as a result of family dysfunction.

  3. Environmental-Sociological-Cultural Model

    • Attributes abuse to societal stresses and environmental factors.

Victims of Physical Child Abuse

Indicators of Physical Child Abuse

  • Physical indicators:

    • Unexplained injuries, bruises, burns, fractures, and signs of abuse.

  • Behavioral indicators:

    • Fearfulness of adults, extremes of behavior, academic problems.

Specific Types of Injuries

  • Bruises: Patterns and locations indicative of abuse; timing of bruises matters.

  • Burns: Types of burns classified by severity; immersion burns are notable.

  • Fractures: Spiral fractures under 3 are rare as accidental injuries.

  • Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy: Caretaker induces illness in children for attention.

  • Abusive Head Trauma: Shaking leads to internal injuries in infants.

Child Homicide

  • Defined by NCANDS as fatalities from abuse or neglect.

  • Risk increases with age and varies by gender and ethnicity.