Assessing Child Abuse Risk Factors

All one needs to do is open a newspaper or turn on the news to hear about numerous incidents of child abuse. We no longer live in a time where children are seen and not heard, and we recognize that children have voices and a right to live without fear and harm. Child abuse is a serious offense that carries lasting psychological effects, which is why the last decade has seen a forward movement on assessing child abuse risk factors.

Despite the many awareness campaigns on the issue of child abuse and neglect, it has done little to decrease the occurrences, though it has kept the issue important. According to the United States Department of Health and Human Services, it was estimated that 899,000 children fell victim to child abuse and neglect, in the year 2005 alone. This steady increase has encouraged the use of assessment instruments that can be used to identify and predict risk factors that indicate potential child abuse and neglect, instead of waiting for actual cases to surface.

In recent years, research and studies have been done on child abuse and who is likely to enact and carry out this type of behavior. It has yielded information which can help professionals monitor and identify those who are more likely to victimize a child whether physically, emotionally, and even neglectfully. This allows for early intervention and hopefully a decrease in the number of children that will be abused and even become fatalities of child abuse.

It is unfortunate that anyone can be a child abuser, because all it takes is some excess stress in someone's life and an available child to take it out on, to create a climate conducive for the behavior. However, studies have drawn a profile of characteristics associated with someone likely to be or become a child abuser.

Research has shown that men in their mid 20's, and who have had poor education or are without a high school diploma, are more likely to fall into behaviors associated with being a child abuser. These characteristics reflect bigger problems, which are also indicators. If a young male is poorly educated, he is less likely to attain a job or career that will afford him a quality salary, making it more likely that he will live below the poverty level; and financial instability is a big life stressor. Having financial instability and poor quality of life can cause a person to become depressed, and this can further hinder a rational ability to handle stressful situations. These indicators allow us to glimpse at potential situations that can place a child in a pathway of child abuse. Young women, with these similar characteristics are also likely to become child abusers; however, mothers are more likely to become child neglectors. Also, men and women, who have been child abused themselves, seem more easily pulled into the cycle of repeating the abusive behaviors they experienced.

While we cannot always accurately assess parents for their potential roles as child abusers, we can educate the public to indicators children who are abused may display. Of course, the obvious symptom of child abuse is physical markings, but there are others that are not so obvious. A child may become withdrawn and even more lethargic. They may outwardly display anger by becoming violent themselves, or moody. There grades in school may suddenly begin to suffer, or their lack of participation may indicate that something at home is not right. Also if a child periodically misses days from school, it may be an indication that some investigation may need to take place. The child may be more introverted and shy away from interaction with other children, or they may be more anxious and paranoid. These are all possible indications that child abuse is something occurring in the home, and educators, medical professionals, and the general public should have this awareness so they can help be the first line of defense in the battle against child abuse.

Child abuse is a definite negative aspect in any society, but it is a reality of every culture and society today. Even with the best assessment guidelines in place, it is hard to monitor and prevent child abuse on a large scale, because home matters are often secret matters and only when an incident has already occurred can someone actually intervene. Unfortunately in many of these cases after the fact is a little too late, it is crucially important that child abuse and neglect awareness teachings stay a main focal point in our society, while an understanding of the characteristics commonly associated with a child abuser condition us to stay vigilant in protecting all children from becoming victims of child abuse.