Childhood Abuse

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Goodwin College *

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230

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Psychology

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Feb 20, 2024

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1 Childhood Abuse Childhood Abuse Department of Counseling, New England College November 20, 2023 Introduction Domestic violence has a very strong impact on a child's psyche. Experiencing violence and witnessing such events traumatizes the child. Of course, this leaves a mark on the victim's entire life. Violence and neglect refer to any actions taken or omitted against a child that disrupt the normal process of its development. Violence may be physical, emotional (humiliation, ridicule, excessive criticism, exclusion, rejection, deprivation, preventing contacts with peers) or sexual (we are then talking about sexual abuse). Children who are victims of physical violence show visible signs of persecution - bruises, contusions, fractures. Experiencing stress and experiencing violence in childhood triggers waves of neurobiological processes that disrupt the development of the central nervous system. In the case of sexual violence, in addition to physical injuries, there is also a disturbance of body image. There is also difficulty in identifying sexuality. Sexually abused children experience psychosomatic headaches, vomiting, abdominal pain, and sleep disturbances. Violence and neglect disrupt or prevent the formation of proper bonds and relationships. Children affected by violence develop an avoidant and anxious attachment style. These are only a few of the effects, because violence leaves a huge mark on the child's psyche, which then also suffers in adulthood. Children experiencing physical violence have visible consequences of their suffering in the form of bruises, contusions and fractures. However, both abuse and neglect often have long-term consequences for a child's physical and mental health. Experiencing stress and

2 Childhood Abuse experiencing violence in early childhood triggers a wave of neurobiological processes that disrupt the development of the central nervous system. Research has shown that traumatic events from early life, such as neglect, sexual abuse, physical violence, abnormal attachment formation, or individual traumatic events such as a hospital stay, accident, death of a parent, may increase the likelihood of mental disorders later in life. they weaken the ability to regulate stress, increase susceptibility to experiencing PTSD in response to subsequent trauma ( Nguyen-Feng 2023). Erikson Stages of Development Looking at Erikson theory of development he places particularly strong emphasis on the period of adolescence. Then the transition from childhood to adulthood takes place. What happens at this stage is of great importance for the adult's personality. The first stage Trust vs. Mistrust (first year of life) means genuine care for the child, stability and the predominance of positive experiences give the child the feeling that the world is safe, good and trustworthy. Improper care and a significant predominance of negative experiences create fear and uncertainty in the child. The world then appears as threatening, abandoning or exploiting. The child has difficulty trusting that he will receive a positive response from the world. In the next stage Autonomy vs. shame child is much more mobile, which requires greater self-control, but also the acceptance of control from other people. Encouraging and supporting the child in trying to independently do what he is able to do, with attentiveness to his pace and his own solutions, results in his autonomy. Helping the child out or constantly criticizing him, as well as frequently showing impatience with his attempts to solve problems, makes him doubt his abilities, fear challenges or be ashamed of failures. Self-control gives a child a sense of pride. During this period, the will is exercised and the ability to evaluate oneself and others and distinguish "good"

3 Childhood Abuse from "evil" appears. This process prepares them to experience the feeling of guilt that will appear in the next stage which is Initiative vs. guilt (preschool age). At this stage, the child experiences much more of his abilities, not only with his motor skills, but also his mental abilities. She tries her best, but she is also curious and asks many things, and is eager to learn. When the child is subjected to senseless prohibitions and the feeling of being "annoyed", he or she develops an excessive sense of guilt. In the next stage Industry Versus Inferiority (school age) play gives way to learning, and the child learns to be diligent. Rewarded for this, he derives satisfaction from perseverance and diligence. If attention is paid to what a child produces, he or she develops a sense of diligence. Criticism and ridicule give rise to a feeling of inferiority, which may significantly impede the free use of one's skill and intelligence. In the next stage Identity vs. role confusion (puberty) adolescence is the time of shaping one's own identity. A person already knows that he is a unique person, with specific features, skills and goals. He begins to make career plans. This is a difficult period of transition from childhood to adulthood, in many fields - physical, mental and social. During this period, the young person faces new requirements. The danger of this period is the development of a negative identity - when an adolescent feels like he or she has many worthless or negative traits. At the stage of Intimacy vs. isolation (early adulthood), a young person is looking for relationships and partnerships where they can realize their sexuality with a person who loves and trusts. The danger is isolation understood as avoiding relationships and reluctance to establish close relationships. Understanding violence and therapy

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4 Childhood Abuse The experience of violence or neglect, especially from loved ones, disturbs the child from the natural rhythm of development and disrupts the functioning of even a modest repertoire of defensive reactions. The natural fight or flight tendencies in a situation of threat of violence are blocked. The blow (physical or emotional) comes from a person with whom it is impossible to win (even due to his physical advantage) and from whom it is impossible to escape, without depriving oneself of the basic source of survival. In a situation of long-term neglect, striving to meet one's needs and obtain the desired response from uninvolved or avoiding caregivers leads to similar effects. A child struggling between trying to express his needs and giving up, with either option leading to failure. As a result, the child is constantly confused, stuck in a state of immobility, in an impossible situation, which leads to the development of key conflicts with which he will most likely struggle later in life. The questions they will generate may be How should I protect myself: fight or flee? Attack to anticipate someone's blow, or hide to avoid it? Can I feel safe with someone, or do I always have to keep my guard up? As a counselor I would develop a treatment plan with two goals in mind. First, I would make the patient understand that we can't relive our childhood a second time. We can't exchange our story for another one. Dwelling and living in regret, or on the other hand ignoring and denying the difficulties we have gone through, will not make us less impactful in our lives. What we do is take responsibility for our adulthood and our future because we have the ability to influence our future. This does not mean that our past will no longer matter. That all difficulties, problems and limitations will disappear. The therapy process will not erase painful experiences, but it will help a client reach them, understand them and weaken their impact on their current life. Therapy is not about finding someone to blame for your life crises, even your parents. We no longer have any influence on the past, on what we experienced in childhood. What we can

5 Childhood Abuse influence is our present and future. Second goal of therapy would focus on identifying triggers for their sleep disturbances and encourage positive coping skills. My client’s cultural background is always a consideration during their therapy and treatment plan development. The most commonly used type of trauma psychotherapy is cognitive-behavioral psychotherapy. The therapeutic process is based on re-experiencing trauma in controlled, safe conditions in a psychotherapy office. This is an extremely important element because traumatic experiences are repressed by patients, which causes them to return uncontrollably in dreams or in the form of the so-called flashbacks. When a person has experienced abuse as a defenseless child, they may unconsciously arrange their life so that they will repeat their childhood situation in adulthood. For example, a child beaten by a parent may enter into an abusive relationship in adulthood. As an adult, she may either beat others herself (become a gangster, bring violence into the family, etc.), or choose violent people as her partner, boss or friend, from whom she will experience things similar to those she experienced in her childhood. Therefore, during therapy, I would not insist that the patient immediately describe the most difficult moments of his life. It is important that everyone feels comfortable and chooses the right moments for themselves. On the other hand, when such a moment comes, it is important not to ignore traumatic stories, e.g. fearing my reaction or overloading me, as it might have looked like in the past, in childhood - when the abused person might feel abandoned by his mother, parents, or guardians who might not have known or found out anything about it. In therapy, we can successively reach different stages or moments and memories, but this time to look at them from a safe point of view and decide whether we want them to continue to determine our current life. However, looking at repeated patterns with me, in the safe conditions of the office, is something different than repeating their trauma. This time patient can understand it, work through it, and become aware of

6 Childhood Abuse something that previously ruled a person from an unconscious level, who may have experienced that they had no control over their life, that they did not understand their behavior, or thought that they personally had bad luck and that life it caught on to the client. Thanks to therapy, my patient can work through his traumas, get to know himself from a completely different perspective and start looking at the world with new eyes. This opens the way to change, development and improvement of his functioning. Everyday situations may no longer seem like insurmountable problems, sadness and depression may slowly disappear, and terrifying fears may become tamed. The fears of the past stop chasing and rushing, and relationships with people can start to be built in a new way, this time more satisfying for both parties. An important aspect in the therapeutic process is changing the way my client thinks about himself from "being a victim" to "being a survivor." Thanks to this, my client who has experienced trauma will stop focusing all their attention on the harm suffered, which will change their perspective on the world and the consequences of the traumatic event. Recovering from trauma is not an easy process, but it is essential in regaining the joy of life and improving everyday functioning.

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7 Childhood Abuse Child abuse and neglect treatment: Pediatrics. intermountainhealthcare.org. (n.d.). https://intermountainhealthcare.org/services/pediatrics/services/child-protection-and- family-health/child-abuse-and-neglect-treatment/ Coker, J. K., LCMHC, N., Cannon, K. B., Dixon-Saxon, S. V., & Roller, K. M. (2022). Lifespan Development: Cultural and Contextual Applications for the Helping Professions. Springer Publishing Company. Kaiser, E. (2020). Violence on street children: Looking through Erikson’s psychosocial development theory. https://journalhss.com/wp-content/uploads/jhss_51_045-052.pdf Maxwell, K., Callahan, J. L., Ruggero, C. J., & Janis, B. (2016). Breaking the Cycle: Association of Attending Therapy following Childhood Abuse and Subsequent Perpetration of Violence. Journal of Family Violence, 31(2), 251–258. Nguyen-Feng, V. N., Zheng, L., Reich, C. M., Lee, E. K., & Dahl, C. (2023). Perceived severity of childhood emotional, sexual, and physical abuse: Comparisons across psychologists, students, and the general public. Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy. https://doi-org.nec.idm.oclc.org/10.1037/tra0001505 Renner, L. M., Piescher, K. N., & Mickelson, N. L. (2023). Academic Outcomes Among Children Who Experienced or Were Exposed to Physical Abuse. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 38(3/4), 2510–2533. https://doi- org.nec.idm.oclc.org/10.1177/08862605221101185

Childhood Abuse

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