Sociology

Child abuse is defined as causing any offensive or dangerous contact on the body of the child or any kind of transaction or statements of any kind which embarrass, frightens or humiliate the child. Child neglect is defined as failure to provide adequate needs intentionally including physical, educational, emotional and medical needs to the child. World Health Organization defines Child abuse and neglect as Child maltreatment, sometimes referred to as child abuse and neglect, includes all forms of physical and emotional ill-treatment, sexual abuse, neglect, and exploitation that results in actual or potential harm to the childs health, development or dignity. Within this broad definition, five subtypes can be distinguished  physical abuse sexual abuse neglect and negligent treatment emotional abuse and exploitation. A child of any religion, age, sex, socio economic background or race can be a sufferer of child abuse. Child abuse is a complex phenomenon with various causes. Some of the reasons include maltreating children with their use of alcohol or drugs and some parents find difficult to cope up with the stress in bringing up the children and feel difficult in caring for the children.

People who commit physical abuse have poor impulse control. Physical abuse has effect on the childs brain. The injuries include skull fractures, subgaleal hematomas and parenchymal brain injuries. The rate of child abuse is very prevalent and the most common form is neglect. Child abuse takes place due to some major risk factors. These factors include drug abuse, alcoholism, lack of education, being a single parent and poverty. Child neglect which is also called as psychological abuse is a kind of abuse where someone purposely does not supply a child with water, food, clothing, shelter, medical care or other needs. The other forms of child neglect includes showing careless regard for the well being of the child, not providing the child with safe environment, allowing the child to witness severe abuse or violence between adults or parents, threatening, insulting or ignoring the child with violence. Intentional exposure of minor child to sexual activity is sexual abuse. Such abuse includes sexual intercourse, pornography, touching or oral sex. All the above forms of abuse have serious impact on brain development and growth and results in brain damage.

Child abuse and neglect causes major change in the development of the child. In the starting years of life, child is defenseless to abuse not only because of the early years but also because of their physical tenderness. Even though many incidents of child abuse are not intentional, it makes the child to suffer permanently. Child abuse often occurs in emotional anger and frustration it includes abuse like shaking the child causing permanent brain damage, inflicting physical pain and long term emotional injury.

Many of the researchers opine that abuse can bring permanent physical changes on how a persons brain works. Severe child abuse causes permanent brain damage. Generally, the left hemisphere of the brain deals with motor activity, language and logical thought based on language on right side of the body. The right side of the brain deals with motor activity on the left side of the body. The orbito-frontal cortex is responsible for memory creation, memory retrieval, planning and language. A normal brain requires link between corpus callosum and hemispheres. Neglected and abused children have reduced integrated cerebral hemispheres. They reveal different kinds of behavior which leads to various diagnoses. The effect of child abuse and neglect can be found in various stages of development. These areas contain psychological, emotional regulation, response flexibility, biology, conscience development and behavioral regulation. Several studies have concluded that abuse results in damage of key brain structures such as hippocampus and cortex. These are the important brain regions for learning.

According to the research conducted at the largest psychiatric affiliate of Harvard Medical School, McLean Hospital concluded that child abuse and neglect can completely rewire the brain development. During the formative years if the brain circuitry is altered, it may lead to disorders such as depression or anxiety. According to the director of the Developmental Biopsychiatry Research Program, childhood maltreatment, abuse and neglect produce changes in both structure and brain function. These changes are considered to be permanent. There are four abnormalities present in victims of child neglect and abuse. They are changes to the limbic system, deficient development of the left side of brain, impaired corpus callosum and increased blood flow in the cerebellar vermis. Changes in the limbic system cause abnormal electroencephalograms and epileptic seizures. Depression and impaired memory are developed due to deficient development of the left side of the brain. The dramatic shifts in personality and mood occur with impaired corpus callosum. Disorder of emotional balance is caused due to increased blood flow in the cerebellar vermis. Traumatic brain injury (TBI) which is also known as intracranial injury is considered as the third most common injury resulting from the child abuse.

According to U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2008, 905,000 children were recognized as the victims of child neglect or abuse. In 1997, according to the National Committee to Prevent Child Abuse, 54 of confirmed child abuse cases were registered among which physical abuse is 22, emotional maltreatment 4, sexual abuse 8 and 12 of other forms of maltreatment.

Dr. Martin Teicher, an associate professor of psychiatry at Harvard and director of the Biopsychiatry Research Program at McLean Hospital in Belmont held that the greater the severity of the abuse, the greater the impact on brain function. The relationship of the abuser with the child is also important. The consequences of child abuse differ depending on the type of abuse. According to a study conducted in 2006, sexual and emotional abuse were considered severe and had adult depressive symptoms, where as witnessing domestic violence or contact with verbal abuse had moderately strong effect and physical abuse was considered moderate one. The injury depends on the severances of abuse.  The effect of individual cases of child abuse and neglect differs widely and they include a combination of factors.

These factors are the frequency, severity and duration of abuse, type of abuse, the childs age developmental status when abuse occurred and relationship between the victim and the abuser. Abuse during childhood can permanently restructure or rewire the brain. The long term effects in a child can be seen in higher rates of substance abuse, psychiatric disorders and relationship difficulties. The study conducted by Adverse Childhood Experiences series show interconnection between exposure to neglect or abuse and effect on chronic conditions, shortened life span and high-risk health behaviors.

The statement The more abuse a child sustains the greater the likelihood of brain damage is a proven fact now based on the various research findings in different areas of study including anatomy, sociology and psychology. The children who are abused or neglected are more prone to brain damage allowing them to face severe consequences in all fronts of their lives. There is a need of collective action from the fundamental institution, family and social institution, society to make sure that children are not affected to any kind of abuse or negligence.