Physical abuse

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Physical abuse
ICD-10
ICD-9

Classification and external resources

T74.1
995.81

Physical abuse is an act of another party involving contact intended to cause feelings of physical
pain, injury, or other physical suffering or bodily harm.[1][2] Physical abuse has been described
among animals too, for example among the Adlie penguins.[3] In most cases, children are the
victims of physical abuse, but adults can be the sufferers too. Physically abused children are at
risk for later interpersonal problems involving aggressive behavior, and adolescents are at a
much greater risk for substance abuse. In addition, symptoms of depression, emotional distress,
and suicidal ideation are also common features of people who have been physically abused.
Studies have also shown that children with a history of physical abuse may meet DSM-IV-TR
criteria for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).[4]

Causes
The causes of physical abuse against children are numerous but listed below are some of the
common causes according to Mash and Wolfe.

Many abusive and neglectful parents have had little exposure to positive parental models
and supports.

There is often a greater degree of stress in the family environment.

Information-processing disturbances may cause maltreating parents to misperceive or

mislabel their child's behavior, which leads to inappropriate responses.

There is often a lack of awareness or understanding of developmentally appropriate

expectations.[4]

Forms

Striking

Punching

Pushing, pulling

Slapping

Striking with an object

Excessive pinching on the body

Kicking

Tripping

Kneeing

Strangling

Headbutting

Drowning

Sleep deprivation

Exposure to cold, freezing

Exposure to heat or radiation, burning

Exposure to electric shock

Placing in stress positions (tied or otherwise forced)

Cutting or otherwise exposing somebody to something sharp

Exposure to a dangerous animal

Throwing or shooting a projectile

Withholding food or medication

Blinding a person or causing impairment of sight.

Biting

Eye poking

Consensual physical abuse

Consensual physical abuse is a common component of erotic humiliation and BDSM.

Treatment
Seeking treatment is unlikely for a majority of people that are physically abused, and the ones
who are seeking treatment are usually under some form of legal constraint. The prevention and
treatment options for physically abused children include: enhancing positive experiences early in
the development of the parent-child relationship, as well as changing how parents teach,
discipline, and attend to their children. Evidence-based interventions include cognitive
behavioral therapy (CBT) as well as video-feedback interventions and child-parent
psychodynamic psychotherapy; all of which specifically target anger patterns and distorted
beliefs, and offer training and/or reflection, support, and modelling that focuses on parenting
skills and expectations, as well as increasing empathy for the child by supporting the parent's
taking the child's perspective.[5][6][7] These forms of treatment may include training in social
competence and management of daily demands in an effort to decrease parental stress, which is a
known risk factor for physical abuse. Although these treatment and prevention strategies are to
help children and parents of children who have been abused, some of these methods can also be
applied to adults who have physically abused.[4]

References
1.

Norway : Treatment Program For Men Who Batter (Haugan, Grethemor Skagseth
and Nttestad, Jim Aage. Norwegian University of Science and Technology. Trondheim,
Norway)

2.

Child Abuse & Neglect: Physical Abuse (Giardino, Angelo P., Eileen R Giardino.
12 December 2008. eMedicine. WebMD)

3.

McKie, Robin (9 June 2012). "'Sexual depravity' of penguins that Antarctic

scientist dared not reveal". Guardian.co.uk.

4.

Mash, Eric (2010). Abnormal Child Psychology. Belmont,California: Wadsworth

Cengage Learning. pp. 427463. ISBN 9780495506270.

5.

Kolko, D. J. (1996). Individual cognitive-behavioral treatment and family therapy

for physically abused children and their offending parents: A comparison of clinical
outcomes. Child Maltreatment, 1, 322-342.

6.

Schechter DS, Myers MM, Brunelli SA, Coates SW, Zeanah CH, Davies M,
Grienenberger JF, Marshall RD, McCaw JE, Trabka KA, Liebowitz MR (2006).
Traumatized mothers can change their minds about their toddlers: Understanding how a
novel use of videofeedback supports positive change of maternal attributions. Infant
Mental Health Journal, 27(5), 429-448.

7.

Lieberman, A.F. (2007). "Ghosts and angels: Intergenerational patterns in the

transmission and treatment of the traumatic sequelae of domestic violence". Infant
Mental Health Journal 28 (4): 422439. doi:10.1002/imhj.20145.

Psychological abuse

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychological_abuse

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Psychological abuse
Classification and external resources
ICD-10
T74.3
ICD-9
995.82
Psychological abuse, also referred to as emotional abuse or mental abuse, is a form of abuse
characterized by a person subjecting or exposing another to behavior that may result in
psychological trauma, including anxiety, chronic depression, or post-traumatic stress disorder.[1]
[2][3]
Such abuse is often associated with situations of power imbalance, such as abusive
relationships, bullying, and abuse in the workplace.[2][3]

Definitions
As of 1996,[4] there are "no consensus views about the definition of emotional abuse." As such,
clinicians and researchers have offered sometimes divergent definitions of emotional abuse.
However, the widely used Conflict Tactics Scale measures roughly twenty distinct acts of
"psychological aggression" in three different categories:
1. Verbal aggression (e.g., saying something that upsets or annoys someone else);
2. Dominant behaviors (e.g., preventing someone from contacting their family);
3. Jealous behaviors (e.g., accusing a partner of maintaining other parallel relations).