Free Essay on Child Abuse: Unveiling Insights, Consequences, and Counseling Solutions

Introduction

I Interviewed Mr. Boyle, a parent in my neighborhood, on the social issue of child abuse. Child abuse is a common issue that consists of the actions or failure to act by a parent, which results in physical, mental, and emotional damage to the children in question. Cases of child abuse have been on the rise, and therefore since Mr. Boyle is a member of the residents' association who looks into family matters, I felt that he was the best suited to address the task through the interview. The interview was conducted via Zoom due to the government directives against public gatherings and meetings.

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Identification of Range of Concerns

The interview covered the various issues associated with child abuse. These included physical abuse of the children, mental and emotional abuse, and child neglect. These issues have different instances that can be considered abuse when they happen since they will result in the child being harmed and their future being threatened (Zeanah & Humphreys, 2018). Mr. Boyle mentioned that most people in society only consider hitting a child to be abuse. However, there are other instances whereby the parents subject their children to mental and emotional torture, resulting in even worse outcomes than physical abuse instances.

Prioritization and Selection of Issues

Mr. Boyle, therefore, concentrated on the issues covered under mental and emotional abuse since he felt that the issues concerning physical abuse had been covered. Yet, mental and emotional abuse areas have not been addressed (Zeanah & Humphreys, 2018). He intimated that while the effects of physical abuse are easier to address and treat, it is harder to diagnose the occurrence of mental and emotional abuse, hence resulting in instances whereby the children who are mentally and emotionally abused have psychosocial issues for the rest of their lives, resulting in the loss of the opportunities that would have been available to them if they were not abused.

Identification of Present Behaviors

The issues concerning child abuse have different aspects related to them. There are affective effects, whereby the effects of the issues are mental and emotional, affecting the moods and emotions of the children concerned for life. There is also an instance of somatic outcomes, where the children affected have physical shreds of evidence of abuse, which will have negative effects on their health.

The behaviors of the affected children are also affected, whereby the children are unable to operate normally, which results in their normal functioning being affected. The children's cognitive, contextual, and relational aspects are also affected, whereby the children's worldviews are affected and become negative from the instances of abuse that they were subjected to even when they were adults.

Identification of Antecedents

Mr. Boyle identified different issues that contribute to the existence of child abuse. First, he mentioned psychosocial issues in the parents as a contributor to the issues that the children have. This leads to the parents being unable to control themselves, which results in the parents engaging in child abuse as a coping mechanism (Hashemi, 2019). Drug and substance abuse is another antecedent to child abuse issues, with parents who take drugs being likelier to engage in child abuse compared to their counterparts who do not engage in these behaviors. The existence of marital strain between the parents also contributes to the parents engaging in child abuse to cool down and cope with the frustrations from the issues they experienced.

Identification of Consequences

Child abuse has many effects, such as the existence of physical harm to the children concerned. Physical child abuse involves beating the children and causing physical harm to the children. Child abuse also involves mental and emotional aspects, affecting the children's psychosocial well-being in their present and future as adults (Mandavia et al., 2016). unless the issues are addressed, the children are also likely to be child abusers in the future and engage in other violent acts to cope with the issues. Children who are abused are also likelier to engage in drug abuse from a younger age than those who do not experience abuse.

Identification of Secondary Gains

Some gains could be achieved by reducing the instances of child abuse in society. When children are not abused, Mr. Boyle mentioned that they are likelier to be healthier since their bodies will not be subjected to intentional harm. It is also through the eradication of child abuse that children will experience normal childhoods, resulting in their growth to become happier and the ability to overcome the different challenges they will experience as children and adults. Therefore, eradication of child abuse secures the present well-being of the children and their future as adults.

Identification of Previous Solutions

Previously, the issue was addressed through the incarceration of the parents who were found to be abusive. This is not a proper solution to the issue since when parents are arrested and sentenced, the children are left alone, and they may end up suffering even more than when they still had their parents.

The incarceration also affected parents who would have otherwise been taught how to handle their children without separating them from their parents. When children are separated from their parents, there arises a new challenge whereby they do not receive any parental love, resulting in the children becoming abusers too in the future, unless they are given the necessary intervention methods.

Identification of Client's Individual and environmental strengths and coping skills

Mr. Boyle identified a new technique for dealing with the issue to help overcome the challenges associated with child abuse. He mentioned that while the issue has been addressed through punitive action, the parents should be put through counseling to help them overcome the different issues that may cause them to undertake actions that amount to child abuse.

Therefore, when parents are found engaging in child abuse, they should undergo counseling individually to help them overcome the underlying yet contributing factors to their experience. Once done with the individual therapy, the parents should be taken through therapy with their children to help renew the ties they had before the abuse.

Identification of the Client’s Perceptions of the Concern

Being a teacher, Mr. Boyle mentioned that he has first-hand experience with the effects of child abuse. As he put it, child abuse is a threat to children's well-being since it affects their physical, mental, and emotional well-being.

It is also through child abuse that children may lose their interests, passions, and talents in life since they may feel the need to become antisocial and uninvolved with any activities to avoid confrontations.

When children are abused at home, they are likely to engage in drug abuse, crime, and violence, all of which contribute to the possibility of the children becoming abusers themselves in the future.

Identification of Intensity

The client has had direct contact with instances of child abuse and as a member of the residents' association, and he intimated that child abuse robs children of their childhood by giving them physical, mental, and emotional scars which will take time, effort, and attention to overcome.

Through child abuse, the relationships between the parents and children are severed, increasing the possibility of further abuse from the children and their parents. Therefore, child abuse is a vice that should be eliminated due to its effects on children, their parents, and society at large.

References

Amrit, C., Paauw, T., Aly, R., & Lavric, M. (2017). Identifying child abuse through text mining and machine learning. Expert systems with applications, 88, 402-418.

Hashemi, E. (2019). The Causes of Child Abuse (In 12 reported cases). Iranian Journal of Forensic Medicine, 25(4), 8-8.

Mandavia, A., Robinson, G. G., Bradley, B., Ressler, K. J., & Powers, A. (2016). Exposure to childhood abuse and later substance use: Indirect effects of emotion dysregulation and exposure to trauma. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 29(5), 422-429.

Zeanah, C. H., & Humphreys, K. L. (2018). Child abuse and neglect. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 57(9), 637-644.