Family Violence
- write a 700 word essay on “Family Violence”
- one theory application to the topic
- 4 scholarly references
- 2 website references
- title page
- references page
- no direct quotations allowed
I attached 3 articles for you to use for this paper and you need to find 3 more outside resources. I also attached Sample paper for you to look at.
Sample Paper
Hidden behind closed doors all over the United States are heartbreaking cases of abuse within the family. Abuse can be emotional, sexual, or physical. Abuse does not discriminate. It can occur intergenerationally between the adults, teens, and children in the home. It can occur in every type of household, in every race, and in households of different socioeconomic standing (upper class, middle class, and lower class). This essay will look at child abuse, sibling abuse, and parental abuse by juveniles, as well as, the possible outcomes of these abuses on the victims.
Let’s begin with looking at child abuse in the family. Child abuse is defined as any recent act, or failure to act, on the part of a parent of caretaker of a child that results in death, serious physical or emotional harm, sexual abuse or exploitation, or an act or failure to act that presents an imminent risk of serious harm to a child (Stutey 2012). It is a problem that affects over six million children in the United States (Friedman and Billick 2015). According to abuse statistics from The Indiana Department of Child Services, we find that there are many stress factors that lead a caregiver to be physically abusive. The highest stress factors were that the caregiver had a history of substance abuse, insufficient income, and that they were unemployed. A 2005 report published by Columbia University’s National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse found that substance abuse was a factor in at least 70% of all reported cases of child abuse (Babbel 2011). That is a staggering percentage. Child abuse is often hidden because children are threatened by the abuser and/or are scared to trust and confide in someone who will help them.
When I think of family violence, my mind instantly wanders to that of parent-child abuse situations, perhaps because I’ve had several abused children come through the doors of my home, as a foster parent. However, in the article “Hidden Abuse Within the home,” author Diane Stutey points out that the rates of sibling abuse, abuse that occurs between siblings, make the rates of other forms of family abuse, such as parent-child abuse or abuse between spouses, look minimal. Sibling abuse is intentional psychological, physical, or sexual abuse from one sibling to another. Is the least reported type of abuse, but is very prevalent in our society. Often times, parents see physical sibling abuse as sibling rivalry or sibling conflict, but it differs because it is a severe form of physical nature.
Another form of abuse discussed in our class articles was juvenile abuse toward parents. In the article “Policing Juveniles: Domestic Violence Arrest Policies, Gender, and Police Response to Child-Parent Violence,” we find that over a 5-year study period girls became more likely to be arrested for assaults against parents, relative to boys. One reason indicated is that girls are becoming more violent and want to maintain the bad girl stereotype that is often portrayed in the media. They are most likely to assault their mothers. Between 2000 and 2004, 83.28% of simple assaults were by juvenile females, while 78.26% were by juvenile males (Strom, Warner, Tichavsy, and Zahn 2014). This data only represents crimes reported to the police that were deemed serious enough to report. Less severe incidents may not be reported, due to what parents may perceive as teenage behavior.
Researchers have found that children who experience abuse experience psychological trauma that negatively affects their academic, social, and emotional success as students, and ultimately, their career success as adults. Trauma is the result of exposure to an inescapably stressful event that overwhelms a person’s coping mechanisms (Babbel 2011). The trauma experienced by child abuse in children can lead to Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), a mental disorder that can develop after a person is exposed to a traumatic event. Adults who are physically abused may experience PTSD, as well. PTSD symptoms in children may include bad dreams, loss if interest in activities, physical complaints of headaches, trouble sleeping, anger, difficulty in concentration, and frequent memories of the traumatic events. Once a child has grown into adulthood, PTSD symptoms can be more subtle and may mimic other disorders, such as depression and anxiety.
In conclusion, children who are abused are more likely to continue the cycle of abuse in their own homes, once they become adults. Adults, who have been abused, may have relational troubles in adulthood. They fear trusting others again and often times end up in another abusive relationship or in a situation where they re-enact the past. Abuse within the family does not discriminate. Abuse is ugly, and for the abused, it can have damaging immediate and life-long consequences.
References
Strom, K., Warner, T., Tichavsy, L. and Zahn, M. (2014) Policing Juveniles: Domestic Violence Arrest Policies, Gender, and Police Response to Child-Parent Violence. (Retrieved June 2, 2017) from:
Stutey, D. (2012). Hidden Abuse Within the Home: Recognizing and Responding to Sibling Abuse. (Retrieved June 2, 2017) from:
https://ipfw.blackboard.com/bbcswebdav/courses/31401.201730/hidden abuse within the home 2014.pdf
Indiana Department of Child Services (July 01, 2013 to June 30, 2014) Child Abuse and Neglect Annual Report of Child Fatalities 2014. (Retrieved June 2, 2017) from:
Friedman, E. and Billick, S. (2015). Unintentional Child Neglect: Literature Review and Observational Study. (Retrieved June 2, 2017) from:
Babbel, S. (2011). The Lingering Trauma of Child Abuse. (Retrieved June 2, 2017) from:
https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/somatic-psychology/201104/the-lingering-trauma-child-abuse
Babbel, S. (2011). Who Are the Perpetrators of Child Abuse? (Retrieved June 2, 2017) from:
https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/somatic-psychology/201105/who-are-the-perpetrators-child-abuse