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Kathryn Campbell

Professor Dunham

English 1201

March 20, 2021

Long-term Effect of Child Abuse

Each year Child Protection agencies receive an estimated three million referrals for child

abuse which involves nearly six million children, but there are potentially many more cases that

never get reported. (Shulte) Approximately thirty five percent of adults report that they

experienced childhood abuse or neglect at some point in their childhood. Studies have shown

that traumas inflicted by paternal figures increases the chances of psychological conditions

forming which include: anxiety, PTSD, and depression disorders. (Curran et al) Each year

abuse and neglect costs an estimated $80 billion in the direct cost of law enforcement,

hospitalizations, child welfare services and the indirect cost of basic needs and homelessness.

(Schulte) The lifetime consequences of early childhood abuse takes a toll on individuals,

families, and society at large. Untreated abuse and neglect can cause a wide range of

psychiatric disorders and medical conditions that can affect millions of children and adult

survivors of abuse each year.  

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The first step to fully understanding the long-term effects child abuse and neglect would

have on a child is to understand how the federal law defines child abuse. According to the Child

Welfare Information Gateway the Federal Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act defines

child abuse and neglect as “any recent act or failure to act on the part of a parent or caretaker,

which results in death, serious physical or emotional harm, sexual abuse or exploitation” or “ an

act or failure to act which presents and imminent risk of serious harm.” Under these definitions a

child would be someone under the age of eighteen. Many states recognize four main types of

abuse in their definitions: neglect, physical abuse, sexual abuse, and emotional abuse. (Child

Welfare) While the Federal legislation sets minimum standards for states, each state is

responsible for defining child maltreatment in their own set of State laws. These definitions are

typically found in two places, civil statutes, and criminal statutes. The civil statutes provide the

definitions and guidelines for those who are mandated to identify, and report suspected abuse.

While the criminal statutes define the forms of child maltreatment that can be subject to arrest

and prosecution in a criminal court system.

The National Epidemiologic Survey did a set of face to face surveys in two waves where

they asked a sample of 43,000 adults residing in the United States a set of questions. This study

found that 40% of those asked experienced emotional abuse, 35% experienced physical abuse,

and 11% experienced sexual abuse. It also found that thirty one percent of those involved in the

study delt with neglect by a parent or caregiver. The attached table has a more detailed

breakdown of the survey results. (Curran Et Al) While rates of physical and sexual abuse have

declined over the years the rates of emotional abuse, which can cause some serious long-lasting

effects, have increased.

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Exposures recalled before age 18 N = 34,653 (%)

Neglect by parent or caregiver
You were made do chores that were too difficult or dangerous 6148 (18)

You were left alone or unsupervised before age ten 6187 (18)
You went without things you needed because money was spent elsewhere 3994 (12)
You were made to go hungry or did not receive regular meals 2276 (7)

You did not get treatment when you were sick 2373 (7)

Total neglect 10,855 (31)

Emotional abuse by parent or caregiver
Swore, insulted or said hurtful things to you 9675 (28)
Threatened to hit you or threw something at you 10,027 (29)
Made you fear that you would be physically hurt or injured 7359 (21)

Total emotional abuse 13,676 (40)

Physical abuse by parent or caregiver
You were pushed, grabbed, shoved, slapped or hit 11,830 (34)
You were hit you so hard that you had marks or bruises or were injured 5527 (16)

Total physical abuse 12,213 (35)

Family violence by father or adult male
Your mother was pushed, grabbed, slapped or had something threw at her 5340 (15)
Your mother was hit with a fist or with something hard 3493 (10)
Your mother was repeatedly hit for at least a few minutes 2614 (8)
Your mother was threatened or hurt with a knife or gun 1357 (4)
Total family violence 5580 (16)
Sexual abuse by an adult or other person You
were fondled or touched in a sexual way 3317 (10)
You were made to touch or fondle someone in a sexual way 1997 (6)
Someone attempted sexual intercourse with you 2087 (6)
Someone had sexual intercourse with you 1424 (4)
Total sexual abuse 3854 (11)

There are three risk factors that can increase the chances of child abuse occurring:

parental depression, parental substance abuse and if the parent was abused as a child themselves.

(Schulte) While child abuse victims are equally likely to be male or female, the vast majority or

the perpetrators are biological parents, more than half of them are female. Researches have tried

to figure out if there would be a correlation between mortgage failures or unemployment rates

and a rise in child abuse cases. Surprisingly during the period of welfare reform in the 1990’s

where many people lost their benefits had one of the greatest reductions in child abuse referrals
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but they did not find a connection between the rates of abuse and times of economic hardship.

(Schulte)

The United States Department of Health and Human Services’ Children’s bureau

reported that 9.2% of children who report being abuse are sexually assaulted and females are two

to four times more likely that males to report a childhood sexual assault but men are more likely

to report emotional and physical abuse. (Curran Et Al) Sexual trauma may be attached to a

higher feeling of shame and can lead to an increased risk of dissociation. It is important to stress

that sexual abuse does not typically occur alone and is often experienced alongside other forms

of abuse. (Curran Et Al) Predicably as the number of childhood adversities, such as abuse,

bullying, and sexual assault, increases so did the degree of mental health problems the

individual faced. The combined occurrence of sexual, physical, and emotional abuse is a major

risk factor for the development of depression and anxiety disorders.

While the most obvious forms of maltreatment is physical, sexual, emotion abuse and

extreme neglect, there are more stressors a child may experience in life. These may include

poverty, food insecurity, racism, and health issues. If these toxic environments are addressed, it

can lead to a better outcome for families. For example, the Nurse-Family Partnership that was

started in the 1970’s helped provide training to new parents as well as emotion support. This

program gave the families that were involved the benefits of both infant and maternal health care

and lower rates of infant mortality. (Patoine)

The consequences of experiencing child abuse and neglect will vary, for some adults the

effects are debilitating, but other adults have far less adverse outcomes. Some factors that

influence the way child abuse and neglect affects adults may include, frequency, durations, and if

there was more than one type of abuse that occurred. Most types of abuse do not occur single
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handedly, many happen side by side, making thing much harder for the victims to handle life

stressors. Many children who had to deal with abuse at home also had to deal with other forms of

victimization, such as bullying or being assaulted by a peer at school. Research shows that those

that experiences multiple types of abuse are more likely to show high levels of trauma symptoms

and have worse outcomes as an adult that those who experiences either none or only one. (Child

Family Community)

A fundamental part of brain development is that the brain can have periods of rapid

growth during particular stages of childhood which can affect different regions of the brain and

abuse can impede normal brain development causing sensitivity. These periods of sensitivity

may leave children susceptible to the long-term effects of maltreatment. The first period of

sensitivity is during very early childhood, when children are going through a time of

overproduction of synaptic connections. The second is around puberty, at this time the brain

systematically prunes back those connections that it deems are unimportant to survival. (Patoine)

Next the brain wires itself for what it depicts it will experience in adulthood based off what it has

experiences so far in childhood. If those childhood experiences include trauma or neglect the

brain with adapt to survive amidst that adversity which in some cases can lead to fight or flight

responses. These changes to the brain have enabled the child to respond to the perceived threat

and to deal with it in the manner that they deem appropriate at the time.

The brain’s sensory system serves as an initial filter to the outside world and is modified

in a selective way to desensitize them, presumably as a protective measure to reduce to impact of

the traumatic experiences the person has gone through. A child may survive in an adverse

environment if the brain makes changes to enable the child to respond to dangers and to deal

with it in an appropriate manner. An example being an individual that is exposed to high levels
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of verbal abuse from a parental figure will have reduced grey matter in their auditory cortex

which will cause abnormalities in the language-processing pathways in the brain. (Patoine)

Maltreatment will target specific sensory systems and detune them to minimize the traumatic

effect of the exposure. The problem then becomes that these initially helpful changes become

counterproductive later on in life.

In recent years there has been many advances in brain science, and these advances can be

used to help us better understand how devastating the effects of abuse can be on the structure of

the brain. In the beginning researchers used EEG’s to measure the electrical activity in the brain,

but more recently researchers have applied brain imaging to help paint a clearer picture. The

more advanced imaging equipment that becomes available the better understanding researchers

have on how abuse effects the structures of the brain. The part of the brain that regulates fear and

anxiety, called the amygdala, has increased reactivity if the individual has experienced trauma.

This translates to impulsivity and an extremely heighted response to threats. The brain systems

for threat detections, reward anticipation, and emotional regulation appear to be diminished as

well. (Patoine) Exposure to emotional and verbal abuse led to issues with self-awareness, self-

evaluations, and facial recognition. A person struggling with this will tend to see the world

around them in a negative light, which can lead to depression and anxiety as well. The surprising

thing is that all individuals that went through the abuse regardless of whether or not the showed

psychiatric symptoms, had the same fundamental defects in the brain architecture. (Patoine)

These defects include but are not limited to, smaller hippocampus, reduced grey matter, and

alterations in the corpus callosum.

Depression is one of the most commonly occurring disorder that occurs in adults who

have experienced childhood trauma. In a study done in the United States it was found that adults
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who have experienced childhood abuse and neglect are two and a half times more likely to have

depression and six more times more likely to develop post-traumatic stress disorder. ( Child

Family Community) These adults may also have a higher chance to develop a range of other

disorders such at bipolar disorder, panic disorders, eating disorders and drug abuse. This same

study states that adults exposed to four or more adverse childhood experiences are twelve times

more likely to attempt suicide. (Child Family Community)

Adults who have experience child abuse and neglect are more likely than the rest of the

population to develop physical health problems as well. In a United States Metanalysis, which

analyzed information from twenty-four studies it was found that child maltreatment was

connected to a higher risk of neurological, musculoskeletal, cardiovascular, and gastrointestinal

problems. (Child Family Community) Some of these medical diagnoses include diabetes,

migraines, stroke, and heart disease. Although there is not a direct answer to why or how

maltreatment is related to physical health it seems likely that early life stressers may have an

impact on the immune system as it is developing. There is also a greater chance of adult

survivors to engage in high risk behaviors such as smoking or alcohol abuse, which would have

an impact on the physical health outcomes.

Eating disorders and obesity are also common among survivors of child abuse and

neglect. Researchers used a large population survey and found that both sexual abuse and

physical abuse were associated with raising the chances of obesity in middle aged women.

Adolescents and young adults with a history of child sexual abuse or neglect were five time more

likely to develop and eating disorder when compared to individuals who do not have a history of

abuse. (Child Family Community)

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There has often been connection made between childhood abuse and neglect and

substance abuse in adulthood. There is a strong relationship between child physical and sexual

abuse and substance abuse between women. There is less of an association among men, but it is

possible that men are less likely to disclose their child abuse history because of social values and

expectations. In an Adverse Childhood Experiences Study, it was found that adults that had four

or more adverse experiences in childhood were seven times more likely to consider themselves

an alcoholic. These same adults are five time more likely to have used illegal substances, and ten

times more likely to have injected drugs compared to adults that have not experiences child

abuse. (Child Family Community) This higher rate of substance abuse problems may be due to

these victims using substances to self-medicate from their trauma symptoms.

Violence and criminal behavior is another negative long-term consequence of child abuse

and neglect, particularly for those who have experienced physical abuse or witnessed domestic

violence. When comparing a sample of adults with a history of child abuse in the United States

with a sample of matched comparisons, it was found that adults with a history of abuse had a

higher chance of arrest, criminality, and violent criminal behavior. (Child Family Community)

Witnessing domestic violence and experiencing physical abuse as a child has a unique

association with psychological spousal or child abuse later in life. These adults may be more

likely to be involved in violent criminal activity as the have learned through life experiences that

such behaviors are an appropriate way to respond to stress or resolve conflicts.

The combination of neglect and abuse during childhood is strongly associated with a

higher risk of adult homelessness. Those adults with a history of abuse are twenty-six times more

likely to have been homeless then those with no experiences of abuse. (Child Family

Community) There is limited evidence connecting past abuse to homelessness but children and
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adolescents may be affected by poor academic achievement which would make in difficult to

further their education or obtain employment. The relationship between homelessness and adult

survivors of abuse may also be connected to other adverse outcomes linked to child abuse such

as substance abuse and mental health problems. These higher rates may be due to difficulties

securing employment or experiences of domestic violence. The combination of these difficulties

may make finding stable housing very complicated.

Studies have shown that adults and particularly woman who where abused as a child are

at a higher risk of being abused again as an adult. The International Violence Against Women

Survey states that seventy two percent of women who experienced physical or sexual abuse as a

child was also exposed to violence as an adult. Women who witness parental violence are

susceptible to continue the cycle of violence in their adult lives. Women who have experienced

abuse are more likely to have low self-esteem and they may have learnt that violence is a normal

way to deal with conflict. (Child Family Community)

There are some limitations when it comes to researching the effects of child abuse and

neglect as there is no known way to control environmental and social influences. This can make

it quite difficult to rule out other factors such as socio-economic disadvantages, disabilities, or

social isolations when researching the negative consequences of child abuse and neglect. Most

research studies rely on participants reporting events from their past. This can limit the accuracy

of the data because their recollection may have changed over time as they have aged. The

severity and chronology of the event are important and those detail can be difficult for

participants to either remember or want to share with others. Also, those who experience child

abuse or neglect are less likely to report it or participate in a study due to the sensitive nature of
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this type of research. This is why it can be important to take information from a large population

size, and to use information from more than one source.

The important thing to remember is that there is not one-size fits all answer when dealing

with individuals. Each individual is going to learn to cope with their childhood trauma in

different ways. While pharmaceutical therapies don’t provide much help, talk therapies seem to

be promising. Programs that combine aspects of self-regulations and mindfulness such as

Dialectical Behavioral Therapy and eye movement desensitization and reprocessing have been

successful in helping individuals deal with their traumas. (Patoine) The young mind is very

resilient and if the proper actions are taken to assure the safety of the child and they receive

services to assist them in the recovery process there is much hope. While we see negative

changes to an individual’s brain when they are abused we can also see positive changes when the

abuse ends and the individual receives the love and support they deserve.
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Works Cited

Curran, Emma, et al. “Severity of Mental Illness as a Result of Multiple Childhood Adversities:

US National Epidemiologic Survey.” Social Psychiatry & Psychiatric Epidemiology, vol.

51, no. 5, May 2016, pp. 647–657. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1007/s00127-016-1198-3.

“Definitions of Child Abuse & Neglect - Child Welfare Information Gateway.” Child Welfare

Information Gateway, www.childwelfare.gov/topics/can/defining. Accessed 6 Mar.

2021.

“Effects of Child Abuse and Neglect for Adult Survivors.” Child Family Community Australia,

aifs.gov.au/cfca/publications/effects-child-abuse-and-neglect-adult-survivors. Accessed 5

Mar. 2021.

Patoine, Brenda. “The Abused Brain” Dana Foundation, 26 Aug. 2019,

www.dana.org/article/the-abused-brain. Accessed 5 March 2021.

Schulte Brigid “Effects of child abuse and neglect, if untreated, can last a lifetime, study finds”

The Washington Post 12 September, 2013, https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/new-

report-finds-that-untreated-the-effects-of-child-abuse-and-neglect-can-last-a-

lifetime/2013/09/12/1edc0bdc-1bc7-11e3-82ef-a059e54c49d0_story.html 5 March 2021