Psychological Effects of Childhood Abuse
...se of emotional abuse a child will often have feelings of worthlessness sometimes leading to the same addictions of the abuser or even suicide. Physical abuse occurs whenever a caregiver purposely attacks a child's body by beating the child with an object, slapping, pinching, pulling of hair, banging of his/her head or tickling to the point of hysteria. This abuse is not just the beating of a child but is also seen when a child's physical needs for nourishing food, adequate clothing, safe and clean shelter, personal hygiene, and medical treatment are not met. This type of abuse will follow the child to adulthood and will probably lead him/her to abusive social relationships. Child sexual abuse is more common than most people realize. Some studies indicate that at least 1 out of 5 women and 1 out of 10 men recall sexual abuse in their childhood. Childhood sexual abuse is any sexual act with a child that is performed by an adult or older child. Such acts include fondling the child's genitals, getting the child to fondle an adults genitals, mouth and genital contact, rubbing an adults genitals on the child, or actually penetrating the child's vagina or anus. Other commonly overlooked forms of abuse occur. These include an adult showing his/her genitals to a child, showing the child obscene videos or pictures, or using the child to make obscene materials. Sexual abuse always involves emotional and physical trauma. It may lead to severe behavioral and developmental problems including unusual interest in or avoidance of all things of sexual nature, sleeping disorders or nightmares, depression or withdrawal from friends or family, seductiveness, secretiveness, aspects of sexual molestation in drawings, games, or fantasies, unusual aggressiveness, or suicidal behavior. Spiritual abuse consists of experiences that distort or retard a child's spiritual development. When a parent demands to be a child's higher power by being overcontrolling or by demanding perfection. When parents do not follow established family rules and values or when the rules are always changing and hidden. Spiritual abuse can occur when a parent is addicted to religion and thus abandons or neglects a child. Whenever a child's thinking is attacked ...