Parents, teachers, and students must understand that it is only when children are happy that they make productive adults. Children should always feel loved, safe, wanted, and even valued. Parents must remain keen to provide their young ones with the much-needed attention and care and further instill a sense of discipline. Social abuse and neglect only come when these tenets are not put into consideration. Social abuse is therefore defined as severe, intentional, and continuous ill-treatment directed towards a child, which subsequently has adverse implications on their social health and development. Social abused and neglected children depict common signs such as unhappiness and disinterest in common things that other children engage in. It is, however, critical to appreciate that Social abuse not only manifests through actions but also spoken words. Children can experience social turmoil when they are constantly exposed to abuses, insults, and shouts amongst others (Stoltenborgh et al. 2012).
Causes and Symptoms
Poor parental skills are one of the causes of social abuse. Research has shown that parents who underwent a similar experience would want to do the same to their children. Immature parents would also depict childish behavior towards their children leading to social abuse. Poverty can put children in a vulnerable position making them easier targets for abuse. Drug abuse, especially on the part of the parent or caregiver can result in insensitive advances that might hurt the social well-being of the child. Other factors that might predispose the children to social abuse and neglect include mental illness and stress on the part of the caregiver. Some most of the most common signs and symptoms include low self-confidence, depression, lack of interest, continuous crying, and sleep disruption amongst others.
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Statistical Information
Statistics have shown that one in every fourteen children have experienced an incident of social abuse carried out by the parent or children. In another study conducted, a whopping 19000 children showed signs and symptoms of needing protection from the dilapidating effects of social abuse in 2017 (Stoltenborgh et al. 2012). In the same year, social abuse was ranked as the second most significant reason for children to acquire protection in the US.
Real-Life Examples
Social abuse can manifest in real-life through a myriad of ways. When parents haul abuses or shout unnecessarily towards their children, they might suffer from an social breakdown. Parents who extensively criticize and accuse their children expose them to social abuse. Parents can also treat children from the same family differently. Other caregivers will find nothing attractive or appealing to a specific child thereby creating a center-stage for Social suffering. Some people are naturally cold and rejecting thus making it difficult for their peers or young ones to approach or seek help from them.
Ways to Identify Abuse
One of the ways to identify abuse is to assess the level of detachment between a child and a parent. A social abused child will show a lack of interest in having the company of their guardian because of the social conflict that has developed. An social abuse proprietor might not be bothered with the welfare or the problems that their child might be going through. Social abuse can be characterized by physical aggression, outbursts, and phobias that might come due to a lost love. Some of the characteristics that one should seek to assess in an extrafamilial social abuse include unfair treatment of certain persons, rejection, and a severe breakdown in the relationship.
Local and National Resources for Victims and Perpetrators
Some of the national resources for abused children include the Childhelp Center. Alternatively, victims can access the National Abuse Hotline to seek help (Stoltenborgh et al. 2012). Victims are also encouraged to seek the intervention of family service agency or anybody they trust such as a teacher, doctor, or clergyperson. Perpetrators, on the other hand, will acquire help from the law enforcement agency and mental institutions.
Reference
Stoltenborgh, M., Bakermans-Kranenburg, M. J., Alink, L. R., & van IJzendoorn, M. H. (2012). The universality of childhood social abuse: a meta-analysis of worldwide prevalence. Journal of Aggression, Maltreatment & Trauma , 21 (8), 870-890.
