There are many causes for abuse and neglect, and most of the time there isn't just one. All forms of abuse and neglect share some risk factors, but this does not guarantee that abuse will occur. It is not always the case that a child is being abused or neglected even if one or more of the issues below are present. However, it is important to note the similarity in characteristics of child abuse victims.
Indications of Child Abuse
Although it is impossible to predict which children will experience abuse the most, there are some indicators that can help reduce the risk of abuse and neglect.
Characteristics of Child Abuse Victims
Typically, these children are very young and have disabilities or health issues. Many times they've been abused or neglected in the past too. This isn't always true though, it simply makes these children more vulnerable to abuse. For instance, I was a pretty healthy child and yet I was still abused by my parents.
Characteristics of Parents Who Abuse Their Children
There are many characteristics of parents who abuse their children, including parents who:
Are young when the child is born
Have inadequate education
Have mental health issues (especially ones that have gone untreated - e.g., depression, antisocial personality disorder, substance abuse). I believe that this was a big factor in my family and something that I spoke about here.
Were abused or neglected themselves as children (This is something that my mother claims happened to her, but I met her sister once and she said it's untrue. To this day it's debatable but possible.)
Have low self-esteem or isolated from others (With all the moving around we did when I was a child, my mother was always kept isolated. I believe this was stressful for her and thus contributed to the abuse I faced.)
Fear spoiling the child and believe punishment is important (My mother believed in the old adage, “spare the rod spoil the child.”)
Other Characteristics of Child Abuse
Parents and their children aren't the only things you have to watch out for when it comes to the characteristics of child abuse victims. Some of the other factors that must be taken into consideration include:
Family factors (e.g., single-parent households, emotional and financial stress, intimate-partner violence): In my case, I've witnessed my father verbally abuse my mother.
Environmental factors (e.g., social isolation, poverty, violence in the community)
A Final Word…
Adverse childhood experience (ACE) survivors (people who have the characteristics of child abuse victims themselves) frequently tend to raise their own children in environments where ACEs are more prevalent. Children who grow up in homes where assaults, violence, and abuse are frequent are more likely to exhibit the traits of abuse victims. Since the behavior is accepted as normal, the children have a higher chance of committing violent crimes as adults or becoming victims of domestic violence themselves (This is what this blog is all about! - My journey from child abuse victim to domestic violence victim, to overcomer. - In any case, here's the proof that this happens more frequently than we realize.)
Adverse childhood experiences and being vulnerable to harm are strongly correlated. This can include drug abuse, teenage pregnancies, mental illness, and issues with physical health. Therefore, there is a higher chance that the children of ACE-affected parents or caregivers will subject their own children to negative experiences too. (Fortunately, this is something that I noted ahead of time and chose to put an end to. For the most part, I feel that my son was raised in a good home without any violence after the age of 2 which is when I left his father.)
In Healing Family Trauma Pittsburgh, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania I share my story of surviving child abuse and having many of the characteristics of child abuse victims then later becoming a victim of domestic abuse. I'm trying to help people here by letting them know they're not alone. You can help my endeavors succeed by stopping by my Etsy shop.
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