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Kaitlyn Rochette
Professor Weaver
English 1020 Section 058
11 October 2018
Child Abuse Leads to Violence
Child abuse is a traumatic event that millions of children experience. There are many
long-lasting affects maltreatment can have on children. There are many factors can cause
someone to act violently. Child abuse and neglect is one of the leading causes. There are many
types of abuse widely used against children that cause aggressive behavior in children. Some
argue that children who stay on the right education track in their life will have no effect on their
behavior even if they were a victim of abuse or neglect, but the link between violence and child
abuse is much stronger. The abundant amount of information about the lifelong affects child
abuse has on the brain, studies of perpetrators who committed violent crimes due to abuse, and
experiments done on the violent effects of child abuse provides a compelling argument that
majority of children who have been maltreated end up with violent behavior.
Child maltreatment can be classified into different categories. Each of these
classifications are equally traumatic and can cause violent behavior in the victims. The book
“World Report on Violence in Health”, written by the World Health Organization, describes
these types of abuse. The first type is physical abuse, which can be defined as the act of physical
harm to a child. Sexual abuse is when a child is used to fulfill the guardian’s sexual urges. When
a child is threatened verbally or is consistently isolated it is called emotional abuse. Neglect, the
last type of maltreatment, occurs when a child is not properly taken care of. An example of
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neglect is failing to provide shelter (60). Other examples of physical, sexual, and emotional
abuse include hitting, molesting, and humiliating a child (60). As illustrated above, these acts of
injustice have many forms and occurs around the world frequently.
The effects of child abuse have long lasting effects that can explain why violence can
arise. These consequences of abuse include changes in the brain as a child develops. The
amygdala and hippocampi are parts of the brain that relate to emotions and are crucial for a
developing child. Joshua Gowin, a professional psychologist who studies the brain, wrote the
article “The Damaging Impact of Abuse on Brain Development”. This article goes into depth
about what can happen to the brain when a child is abused. Gowin states that, “orphaned children
and physically abused children had smaller amygdala and hippocampi at age 12” (Gowin). He
discovered this information by using an MRI and comparing the sizes of the brain to children
with no stressors and children who have been abused. With these portions of the brain being
smaller than normal it can elucidate why children may grow up to have aggressive behavior
(Gowin). These scientific affects to the amygdala and hippocampi have a direct relationship with
violence and behavior issues. These are not the only outcomes of children who are maltreated,
but it can explain the strong correlation between child abuse and violence and why it can happen
so often.
Physical abuse, using physical force and causing harm to someone has been studied for
many years. These studies have illustrated that victims of abuse are likely to become involved in
violent actions. “Early Physical Abuse and Later Violent Delinquency: A Prospective
Longitudinal Study”, was an experiment conducted by Jennifer Lansford and many other
professionals. They studied 574 children from kindergarten to the age of 21 to determine violent
activities due to physical abuse. They gathered these children from Nashville, Tennessee, and
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Bloomington, Indiana (Lansford et al.). To begin this experiment, they conducted an interview
with the mothers or caregivers to determine if these children were physically harmed. They then
proceeded to study these children till the age of 21. At the age of 18 they asked the participants if
they have been involved in any violent crimes or activities. At the age of 21 they were asked if
they have been arrested (Lansford et al). The purpose of conducting a longitudinal study was to
gather an abundant amount of data on their behavior till they were adults. In addition to these
questions, Lansford and the other contributing authors looked at court records to see any crimes
these participants may have been involved in. The results from this experiment demonstrated that
children who have been abused during their childhood are twice as likely to commit violent
crimes and engage in relationship violence (Lansford et al.). The strong correlation shown in this
experiment illustrates that child abuse is a predictor to violence.
Another experiment illustrates the likeliness of sexual abuse victims to engage in physical
harm while in an intimate relationship. Examples of causing physical harm towards someone can
be punching, shoving, or throwing. These violent behaviors could possibly be predicted if the
perpetrator has a history of sexual maltreatment, according to the experiment conducted by
Michelle Cubellis (Cubellis et al). Cubellis, along with three other professionals, published their
experiment “Childhood Sexual Abuse and Antisocial Traits and Behaviors: A Gendered
Examination of the Factors Associated With Perpetration of Intimate Partner Violence” about the
link of dating violence and sexual abuse. During this experiment a total of 13,659 students in
criminology, psychology, and sociology college courses were studied. These participants were
surveyed about the abuse they endured in their childhood, the level of antisocial behavior they
display, and the level of assault they have engaged in during a relationship. For instance, these
questions or statements included, “I don’t think about how what I do will affect other people” or
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“how many times in the previous year they (a) threw things at, (b) twisted the arms of” their
significant other (Cubellis et al.). After the researchers analyzed the responses of these students,
they found that with a history of sexual abuse men were 50% more likely to commit physical
assault, while women were 21% more likely (Cubellis et al.). With those statistics being taken
into consideration the results of this experiment make it plausible to connect child maltreatment
to violent behavior.
Emotional abuse, the verbal use of maltreatment, is also said to cause violence. This kind
of abuse and experiments conducted on it shows a convincing association that history of abuse
can lead to belligerent behavior. The published study “The contribution of childhood emotional
abuse to teen dating violence among child protective services-involved youth” focuses on dating
violence, which is one form of many violent acts. Christine Werkele and other contributing
authors are a group of professionals who specialize in psychology, education, children, and
social work. Their study comprised of 402 children at the age of 14-17. These children were
selected randomly and were in relations to child protective services (Werkele et al). To gather
data the children were asked a questionnaire about their trauma as a child and their acts of
violence against their partner. Other factors included an assessment of post-traumatic stress
disorder, which can be related to anger. After evaluating the responses to these questions,
Werkele and the others found that emotional abuse was the most common type of maltreatment
for the participants. In addition to this, emotional abuse had a greater influence than other types
of maltreatment. The results showed 44% of the males and 67% of the females were perpetrators
of dating violence (Werkele, et al.). Though not all the participants have acted aggressively
towards their dating partner, the majority of the group have in some way abused them. The
statistics show that the impact of abuse is strong and many victims end up engaging in violence.
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In addition to the other experiments conducted on the types of maltreatment, studies done
on neglect also discloses a cogent link that children who have been abused can eventually
become violent. Like the other experiments, the results show the likeliness or predictors of
aggressive acts, which strengthens the argument of child abuse leading to violence. Cathy
Widom, along with other authors who specialize in psychology, published the article about the
effects of neglect. This article was called, “A Prospective Examination of Criminal Career
Trajectories in Abused and Neglected Males and Females Followed Up into Middle Adulthood”.
1575 subjects were involved in this experiment. Widom and the others chose these people by
looking into court cases and discovering if they were maltreated before the age of 12. There were
two groups of participants. The first group were abused children and the second group was
children who were not. The reason for two different groups of participants was to compare the
subjects after looking at their criminal records (Widom et al). To gather data the experimenters
looked over records from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, National Crime Information
Center, and state law records to see the participants history of arrests. Their results concluded
that, “across both males and females, individuals with histories of abuse and/or neglect were
more likely to have an arrest and to have a significantly higher number of arrests” (Widom et
al.). Though both groups did have a criminal record, the acts of violence were more likely for
people with a history of neglect than people who were not maltreated in any way. These results,
as well as the others conducted and listed above, display a clear and compelling argument that
the bulk of people who were maltreated as a child end up with aggressive behavioral tendencies.
Though not every person who commits a brutal crime were abused as a child, many serial
killers were found to be maltreated as a kid. The environment a person grows up in has a
dramatic effect on their actions, which is shown in the actions of horrible serial killers. “From
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Abused Child to Serial Killer: Investigating Nature vs Nurture in Methods of Murder” is an
article written by Nicola Davies that describes this link of serial killer’s actions and child abuse.
Dr. Adrian Raine, a criminologist mentioned in Davies article, states that, “Personal traumas can
affect behavioral choices” (Davies). These traumas include physical, sexual, emotional, and
neglect abuse. Dr. Raine then continues this statement by describing the life of two famous
killers. One of them was Richard Ramirez, the night stalker, who was beat up by his father
consistently when a child. The other killers mentioned was Ottis Toole and Henry Lee Lucas,
who were dressed up as females and physically and emotionally abused (Davies). These traumas
they went through played a big role in the victims they murdered. Specifically, certain abuses
can lead to certain types of murders. Sexual abuse can lead to anger crimes, while emotional
abuse leads to financial gain crimes. Interesting enough, these types of abuse were also found
linked to lust murders (Davies). In addition to these findings, a study of 50 serial killers was
performed to see the link of maltreatment and crime. The results showed that 72% of the 50
killers observed had a history of abuse as a child (Davies). While there can be many factors that
can lead to violent murderers, such as biological factors, traumas like child maltreatment play a
big role.
Of course, there are some differing opinions on child abuse leading to violence. There are
beliefs that trauma such as abuse during childhood will have no effect if the victim stays on their
education path. With good grades, participation, and consistent attendance, school seems to
outweigh the violent effects of child abuse. This is what Jared Wadley argues in his article
“Educational Success Curbs Effects of Child Abuse, Neglect”. A study done by University of
Michigan and University of Washington investigated this subject. 356 school aged kids were
chosen for this study and asked about their environment at home to determine if they were
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maltreated (Wadley). The children who did have a history of abuse were then observed
throughout the school year. The results indicated that, “Successful school experiences kept teens
from both committing crimes and having antisocial behaviors” (Wadley). This article contains
solid information, but there is lack of sources as well as abundant studies done on this argument.
Doing well in school could subside violent behavior in children who were abused, but the link
that it leads to violence is much stronger.
Though the correlation that child abuse leads to violence cannot be completely proven,
the many examples of experiments studying this link, murderers who were maltreated as a child,
and the effects on the brain make this a strong and convincing connection. The parts of the brain
that change during a critical development period due to child abuse is a crucial factor to why
children can engage in aggressive activities. Adding on to this, the numerous experiments and
examples of serial killers illustrated the likeliness and predictability of violence in children with
a history of maltreatment. It can be plausible to conclude that majority of children who are
victims of abuse end up with aggressive behavior later in life. The importance of recognizing this
relation can help children with aggressive urges, and possibly save life’s.
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Works Cited
Cubellis, Michelle, et al. “Childhood Sexual Abuse and Antisocial Traits and Behaviors: A
Gendered Examination of the Factors Associated With Perpetration of Intimate Partner
Violence.” Sage Journals, Sage Publications, 3 March 2016,
http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0886260516633692#abstract
Davies, Nicola. “From Abused Child to Serial Killer: Investigating Nature vs Nurture in
Methods of Murder.” Psychiatry Advisor, Haymarket Media, 26 June 2018,
https://www.psychiatryadvisor.com/violence-and-aggression/serial-killers-murder-childabuse/article/776149/
Gowin, Joshua. “The Damaging Impact of Abuse on Brain Development.” Psychology Today,
Sussex Publishers, 13 October 2012, https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/youilluminated/201210/the-damaging-impact-abuse-brain-development
Lansford, Jennifer, et al. “Early Physical Abuse and Later Violent Delinquency: A Prospective
Longitudinal Study.” Sage Journals, Sage Publishers, 1 August 2007,
http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1077559507301841?url_ver=Z39.882003&rfr_id=ori:rid:crossref.org&rfr_dat=cr_pub%3dpubmed
Wadley, Jared. “Educational success curbs effects of child abuse, neglect.” University of
Michigan News, The Regents of the University of Michigan, 14 March 2018,
https://news.umich.edu/educational-success-curbs-effects-of-child-abuse-neglect/
Wekerle, Christine, et al.” The contribution of childhood emotional abuse to teen dating violence
among child protective services-involved youth.” Science Direct, Elsevier Ltd., 22
January 2009, https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0145213408002469
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Widom, Cathy, et al. “A Prospective Examination of Criminal Career Trajectories in Abused and
Neglected Males and Females Followed Up into Middle Adulthood.” Springer Link,
Springer Nature, September 2018, https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10940-0179356-7#Sec15
World Health Organization. “World Report on Violence in Health.” Who.int, WHO, 2002,
http://www.who.int/violence_injury_prevention/violence/world_report/en/full_en.pdf