Abuse and Neglect Among Children

By Karlie Peters RN

Abuse can be defined as “put to a wrong or bad use; misapply, do wrong to; injure; violate; defile, and attack with contumelious language” (Webster’s Dictionary). Abuse can take on many forms, such as physical, sexual, and psychological abuse. Child abuse is not limited to a certain age, race, sex, socioeconomic background or religion. Years of child abuse can have a variety of adverse affects on those whom are victims, such as adult behavior problems, “prostitution, drug and alcohol abuse, and more unprotected sexual activity” (Dilorio, Hartwell, & Hansen, 2002). It is estimated that “700,000 to 4 million women and children are forced into the international sex trade every year in response to conditions of poverty, low social status women, lax border surveillance, and police collusion” (Clark, 389). Most of the sex workers in India are under the age of 18.
Primary health promotion interventions are based on the promotion and protection or prevention of the issue at hand. A community nurse can help educate the community and family members of any issues of a situation. Starting with the community, a community health nurse can round up all citizens with concern for abuse to get involved with identifying the problem, preventing the situation and to treat the victims of abuse and neglect. The first step of awareness is to spread the word. Monthly or weekly community meetings to discuss abuse can help citizens of the community be aware of the problem. Assemblies at schools, ranging from kindergarten to high school age and available counseling at schools may help children feel comfortable with seeking advice.
The National Foundation for Abused and Neglected Children (NFANC) can be considered as a secondary health promotion intervention. The NFANC reports over 30,000 cases of abuse and neglect in a year. They protect children under the age of 18 with the practices of a risk-oriented case management. The NFANC delivers services to those in need to reduce the risk of abuse.
Tertiary interventions involves coping and dealing with the long-term effects of abuse. The NFANC also helps families with preservation, which implies that they do not intervene when the situation is not in need of fixing. Therapy and counseling can help individuals deal with the long-term mental affects on a child. Long term affects can also include the separation of families, moving out of the children’s comfort zone, such as their home and school, and even withdrawal from social environments due to fear.

References

Clark, M.J. (2008). Community Health Nursing: Caring for Populations. (5th Ed.).
Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Prentice Hall.

Note: This blog post reflects the work of Karlie Peters RN with minor editing by Shirley Comer RN and was completed as a class assignment. The content of this blog is for informational purposes only. Before beginning or changing a treatment or lifestyle regime you should consult your primary health care provider.