Child abuse and neglect have adverse consequences for a child. The effects could be profound and may endure long after an act of abuse or neglect occurs. According to Herrenkohl et al. (2012), not all forms of violence could cause visible injuries. However, the effects could last through the generation and could manifest in childhood, adolescence, or even adulthood ages. Notably, child abuse and neglect cause developmental challenges that range from physical to psychological and behavioral consequences. Child abuse and neglect cause brain changes that adversely affect behavior lowers social interaction and connections, leads to adverse emotions, and affects emotional regulation capabilities.
Long-Term Consequences of Child Abuse and Neglect on Developmental Domains
Child abuse and neglect, as Toth and Manly (2018) stipulated, affects all developmental domains that include physical, psychological, behavioral, emotional, and social development. Importantly, abuse and neglect in the early developmental stages could affect an infant’s capability in speech and language development. Further, studies, such as that by Herrenkohl et al. (2012), have shown that maltreated children have lower educational attainment as opposed to other groups of children. Victims of child abuse and neglect score poorly in their academics, with most of the issues resulting from poor and delayed language development.
Accordingly, in a study conducted by Herrenkohl et al. (2012), the findings showed that physical and sexual abuse of a child frequently contributed to health issues such as diabetes and hypertension. More so, child abuse and neglect increase the chances of cardiovascular diseases for women. Other consequences include reduced body functioning and deteriorated health and well-being. Importantly, child abuse and neglect cause high-level stress among victims. In most cases, this not only causes brain and sensory damages but also suppresses the immune system of a person. Most victims of child abuse and neglect are often susceptible to some illnesses such as hypertension and diabetes that are stress-related. Most of these issues are imminent as one progresses from childhood to adulthood.
Due to maltreatment, the sensory systems of one’s brain are modified in a way that desensitizes a person, as a way of protecting them from the impact of the trauma. In particular, Patoine (2018) argued that individuals who experience high levels of abuse from parents, for instance, have an abnormality in the speech-processing pathway in a brain. In effect, such people’s hearing is adversely affected. More so, this also explains why language-development remains a significant challenge for most victims of child abuse and neglect.
The Brain Changes and Sensory Modifications Resulting from Child Abuse
Consequently, child abuse and neglect that results from instances of domestic violence could cause substantial damage to one’s visual cortex (Patoine, 2018). It could also affect the system responsible for determining memory and emotional responses to visual stimuli. In addition to that, Patoine (2018) argued that exposure to emotional kinds of abuse affected an individual self-awareness and evaluation. Maltreatment often targets sensory systems and detunes them to a significant degree in a bid to minimize the impact of a traumatic event. Such instant changes have long-lasting implications that include loss of self-esteem where a person no longer appreciates their capabilities of completing tasks dutifully.
The Link Between Child Maltreatment and Mental Health Issues
Child abuse of children leads to mental health issues, which persist as one grows into adulthood. According to Patoine (2018), a strong relationship exists between child maltreatment and a variety of mental health issues such as post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, and depression. It is worth noting that maltreated children that have post-traumatic stress disorder tend to have other conditions such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, conduct issues, substance abuse, mood psychotic, and adjustment conditions (Herrenkohl et al., 2012). The changes caused by child abuse and neglect of one’s brain structure could influence their behavior and social function. Importantly, all developmental domains that have been given in the sections above are interrelated. Mainly, this means that when one area is affected, the other is also indirectly affected. Some of the potential effects of the mental health issues include increased feelings of fear, failure to be alert and relaxed at any given time, and learning deficits. Others are the inability to attain the developmental milestones promptly, weakened the ability of processing feedback, and lack of social connection. Herrenkohl et al. (2012) indicated that increased reactivity of the fear-processing unit of the brain hence leading to an increased response to a threat. Emotional regulation is a challenge for victims of child maltreatment.
Notably, Toth and Manly (2018) argued that victims of child abuse were prone to a depressive disorder three times more when compared to non-maltreated children. Most of the victims of child abuse require not only social assistance but also psychiatric aid since they are likely to exhibit at least one of a mental health condition. A majority of these conditions leads to substance abuse. According to Herrenkohl et al. (2012), abused persons in the world today are likely to indulge in alcohol and substance abuse. Also, a majority of them tend to bully others and inflict pain on others to please their ego. If left untreated, child abuse and neglect could cause further behavioral issues that include engagement in delinquent activities and abuse and neglect of their children hence seemingly forming a pattern of child abuse and neglect in a person’s lineage.
Conclusion
To conclude, child abuse and neglect are prevalent social issues in the globe today. Instances of maltreatment have long-term effects on a person’s overall development. Maltreatment affects all developmental domains that include mental, social, behavioral, and emotional development. Abuse causes brain changes, affects a person’s ability to process speech hence affecting speech development, and affects one’s memory and emotional response. The resultant behavioral outcomes could be delinquency, loss of self-esteem, lack of social connection and interactions with others, and substance abuse.
