Effects Of Child Abuse
Childhood abuses and victimisations have a major adverse impact on the victims as
well as on society at large. This section focuses on how child abuse impacts the victim and the
sociological impact of child abuse on society as a whole.
The Impact on The Victim
Child abuse can take the form of physical abuse, sexual abuse or mental and
psychological abuse. Regardless of how the victim is abused, the damaging impact of
victimisation on the person can be short-term as well as long-term. It is important to understand
that not all victims of child abuse suffer in the same way and these effects can be both
psychological as well as physiological. Physical pain obviously relates to one of the main
physiological effects that especially a victim of sexual abuse would experience. This traumatic
experience often leads to damaging psychological effects, which are often lifelong.
The trauma the victim experiences often instils fear in the victim’s mind. Fear often
activates the autonomic nervous system of the victim and often remains hyper-vigilant,
especially in the case of ongoing child abuse. This can create chronic psychological conditions
and long-term disorders (Moane, 2000). According to researchers, adult women as well as adult
men who have been victimized as a child exhibit higher rates of dysthymia and antisocial
personality disorders (Horwitz et al., 2001). Dysthymia is a continuous long-term type of
depression and has a significant negative impact on daily activities, education as well as on the
relationships of the person who suffers from it. Antisocial personality disorder among victims
of child abuse is common since they tend to reflect the painful experience by engaging in
activities such as harassment and criminal activities. In addition, these victims also report
lifelong conditions of alcohol abuse and addiction (Horwitz et al., 2001).
Moreover, abuse generally causes serious disturbances and interruptions in any trust
relationships including friendships and intimate relationships. Researchers point out that these
interruptions are the reason why victims of child abuse tend to withdraw from meaningful
relationships (Moane, 2000). Therefore, it is evident that the physiological and psychological
impact on the victims of child abuse can be lifelong. According to researchers, victims can
partially or fully recover from these damaging effects through counselling, psychotherapy and
medication. However, maintaining a safe and secure environment is a prerequisite and essential
to recovery since further abuse would worsen the conditions.
The Impact on The Society
In addition to the damaging effect on the victim, child abuse has significant negative
consequences on society at large. According to researchers, there are negative socio-economic
impacts of child abuse. Child abuse has a significant impact on the victims’ education and work
performance. Therefore, these victims tend to complete less schooling and education compared
to non-victims of child abuse. Moreover, the victims often struggle with their careers due to
mental and physical difficulties (Zielinski, 2005). This negatively affects their employment
status as well as their income. This can harm the country's well-being of the society as well as
the economy.
Figure
Note. Any Mal= Any maltreatment; SA= Sexual Abuse; PA= Physical Abuse. Adapted from
Zielinski, D. S. (2005). Long-term Socioeconomic Impact of Child Abuse and Neglect:
Implications for Policy. Policy Matters.
Horwitz, A. V., Widom, C. S., McLaughlin, J., & White, H. R. (2001). The Impact of
Childhood Abuse and Neglect on Adult Mental Health: A Prospective Study. Journal
of Health and Social Behavior, 42(2), 184–201. https://doi.org/10.2307/3090177
Moane, G. (2000). The Victims of Abuse. Studies: An Irish Quarterly Review, 89(356), 339–
346. http://www.jstor.org/stable/30095396
Zielinski, D. S. (2005). Long-term Socioeconomic Impact of Child Abuse and Neglect:
Implications for Policy. Policy Matters.
https://doi.org/https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/Long-term-SocioeconomicImpact-of-Child-Abuse-andZielinski/46d5ba2c471ef794bf44f0666fa5274d701f8118#citing-papers