Photo-Impact of Abuse

Child abuse does not discriminate.

It occurs in every community, every socioeconomic status, and in every racial group.

Impact of Abuse

An estimated 905,000 children were victims of child abuse or neglect in 2006 (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2008). While physical injuries may or may not be immediately visible, abuse and neglect can have consequences for children, families, and society that last lifetimes, if not generations.

The impact of child abuse and neglect is often discussed in terms of physical, psychological, behavioral, and societal consequences. In reality, however, it is impossible to separate them completely.

Physical consequences, such as damage to a child’s growing brain, can have psychological implications such as cognitive delays or emotional difficulties. Psychological problems often manifest as high-risk behaviors. Depression and anxiety, for example, may make a person more likely to smoke, abuse alcohol or illicit drugs, or overeat.

High-risk behaviors, in turn, can lead to long-term physical health problems such as sexually transmitted diseases, cancer, and obesity. While child abuse and neglect almost always occur within the family, the impact does not end there. Society as a whole pays a price for child abuse and neglect, in terms of both direct and indirect costs.

Abused children suffer numerous psychological, physical, and emotional issues. They are more likely to abuse drug and alcohol, to attempt suicide, to face unemployment, and have a lower IQs. And studies have shown that 80 percent of young adults who were abused as children suffer from at least one mental health disorder. According to a report, as many as two-thirds of people in drug treatment programs were abused as children.

Keep in mind that abuse and neglect statistics are still woefully underreported. Studies in Colorado and North Carolina have estimated that as many as 50 to 60 percent of child deaths resulting from abuse or neglect are not recorded as such.

Children who are abused and neglected have a greater chance of living with the following negative lifelong outcomes:

  • Lower IQ’s and reading ability
  • Higher rates of unemployment
  • Higher rates of drug and alcohol usage
  • Higher rates of Mental Health issues
  • Lower-paying jobs
  • Higher rates of suicide attempts
  • Continue the cycle of abuse – (become abusers)

Jackson County CASA addresses these issues in two ways:

  • Protecting the child’s interests in the court proceedings and thus preventing further abuse/neglect.
  • Facilitating the child’s movement into a safe, permanent home as quickly as possible.