Effects Of Maltreatment On Brain Development And Its Consequences

Childhood maltreatment is a prevalent problem through out the world. As a child grows and matures the brain continues to develop according its experiences. During this time sensitive periods of development for different areas of the brain. A few areas that are of interest are the stress-influenced areas, which are at an increased risk for developmental problems when exposed to maltreatment. The extra stress from such exposures can influence abnormalities throughout the brain, which have been linked to structure changes with in the corpus callosum, anterior cingulate, dorsolateral prefrontal, orbitofrontal cortex, and hippocampus, amygdala, and cerebellum, as well as changes to stress related hormone systems. These structural changes are associated with an increased risk of psychopathology and other life long educational and physiological risk.

The first step in preventing future sufferings is understanding the problem. Sara R. Jaffee and Cindy W. Christian, in their article, “ The Biological Embedding of Child Abuse and Neglect Implications for Policy and Practice” inform that child maltreatment often causes serious implications later in life, and can be explained by medical and psychological responses. Jaffee and Christian support this suggestion with studies and experiments conducted on adults with neglected pasts that show that “Victims of maltreatment differ from non-victims with respect to brain structure and function, hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal-(HPA) axis and autonomic nervous system function, immune function, and epigenetic markers”(Jaffee and Cindy 1). Jaffee and Cindy’s purpose is to inform readers of the medical and scientific explanations of the long term effects of child maltreatment in order to allow others to better understand the dire need to help the children suffering from maltreatment.

401). An analysis of the Canadian Incidence Study of Reported Child Abuse and Neglect (CIS-2008) revealed that in 2008 the rate of reported infant maltreatment was 51.81 per 1000 children with children below the age of one having the greatest likelihood of being the subject of maltreatment with frequencies lessening with age (Fallon, et al., 2013, p. 2). Child neglect has come to be described as the “neglect of neglect,” as it has been minimized by physical and sexual abuse and exploitation; therefore, neglect is often overlooked and under identified. Furthermore, child neglect is often difficult to identify due to cultural and spiritual differences. What is often negligent for one family may be considered usual to another (Cowen, 1999, pp. 401-403). Consequently, infant neglect often results in social, mental and physical delays, adult traumatization (Harper, Stalker, Palmer, & Gadbois, 2008), and failure to thrive (FTT); the result of inadequate nutrition resulting in poor physical development and, in extreme cases, psychosocial short stature; a disorder of the pituitary and hypothalamus which causes the child to not only be underdeveloped in weight but also in height due to major emotional and psychological trauma (Block & Krebs, 2005, pp. 1234-1235).

The effect of toxic stress on a child’s early development is crucial to their future. It is proven that children who have experienced neglect and abuse have different CT scans of the brain, than that of a child who has not been neglected nor abused. The effects of neglect on children’s brains that are still developing are detrimental, and can cause behavioral, physiological, and also target their cognitive and language centers of the brain. Neglect and Child abuse are most prominent in foster care homes, most children who have been through the system experience some sort of abuse before and/or during their presence in the system. While placing children into equally stressful situations as an attempt to lessen the stress, we are creating a deadly cycle. After the child has been neglected and the neurological destruction is prominent, the effects of that neglect will arise into a new situation down the road. (Health). It is crucial that we know what is going on in these foster homes, so the cycle is not one to be repeated. The purpose of the

According to Hussey et al (2006), it is estimated that one million children are victims of abuse and neglect on a yearly basis. Of those one million children, 1500 will die due to abuse or neglect. It is also estimated that 50% of adolescents have experienced or witnessed a traumatic event (De Arellano and Danielson 2008). One particular consequence of extreme abuse and neglect is the development of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Symptoms of PTSD include persistent and recurrent invasive thoughts focused around the traumatic event, avoidance of symbolic representations related to the traumatic event, increased arousal including difficulties sleeping, irritability, concentration challenges, hypervigilance, increased

The topic of child maltreatment is a serious subject, and is important because maltreatment can hinder cognitive, biological, and social development. This topic has a large impact on caregivers of maltreated children. This information is relevant because it can help individuals in understand and interact with those who were maltreated in childhood. For example, maltreated children have lower rates of prosocial behavior, and exhibit withdrawn and aggressive/disruptive behavior (Alink, Cicchetti, Kim, & Rogosch, 2012). By knowing this information, caregivers can find more effective ways of communicating and interacting with maltreated children. Additionally, maltreatment occurs more frequently than we think. In a nationwide survey of young adult,

There are a combination of factors that affect the consequences of a child who has suffered abuse and neglect. Some of these factors include age and developmental status, type of maltreatment, frequency, duration and severity of the maltreatment and the

Every year, child abuse and neglect affect more than one million children nation-wide (Currie and Tekin 1). Along with this, child abuse is the source of severe injury to more than 500,000 children and the death of over 1,500 children (Currie and Tekin 1). These outrageously large numbers reveal the extent to which child abuse and neglect impact society; however, they do not acknowledge the effect abuse can have on a child’s life and the repercussions that may occur in both the individual’s childhood and adulthood. While the effects most certainly include physical pain and possibly future disabilities, child abuse and neglect can also affects the child’s psychological welfare. Psychological effects are often more difficult to recognize,

Anda, R.F., Felitti, V.J., Bremner, J.D., Walker, J.D., Whitfield, C., Perry, B.D., Dube, S.R. & Giles, W.H. (2006). The enduring effects of abuse and related adverse experiences in childhood: A convergence of evidence from neurobiology and epidemiology. European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience. 256: 174-186.

In many cases of neglect, there has been an association with the brain failing to form appropriately. This causes impaired physical, mental, and emotional development (DePanfilis, 2006). A child's brain learns to adapt to a less than positive environment and this stunts the process of normal development. The brains of neglected children are not integrated and this causes difficulties in emotional, social, and cognitive development. The sensitive period, during the first two years of life, is a critical time in which brain activity faces severe psychosocial deprivation if faced with neglect and is unlikely to be recovered (Vanderwert, Marshall, Nelson III, Zeanah & Fox, 2010).

It is estimated by the U.S. Department of Health and Human services that one million children are victims of child abuse and neglect in the U.S every year. This number may be an underrepresentation however, as many cases are unreported. Children who experience trauma in early childhood years or adolescence have impacts that follow them throughout adulthood. The common effects include relationship attachment issues, mental disorders, substance abuse, increased

Child abuse and neglect has long lasting effects on the physical development of a child’s brain as well as how the brain processes situations. One of the ways childhood maltreatment effects the brain is how it responds to stress, which can affect other areas of an individual’s health. As Dr. Panzer explains, “The purpose of the stress response is to mobilize resources with the aim of increasing the individual’s chance of survival. Inappropriate responsiveness of the stress system may contribute to various endocrine, metabolic, autoimmune and psychiatric disorders.” (Panzer, 2008, p.2). Since abuse and neglect are highly stressful situations it is common for the aforementioned health concerns to arise from the overactive stress response, and although a child can be taken out of the toxic environment the disorders may be long lasting.

A recent study has found that five children die daily, due to abuse and neglect. According to the World Health Organization, “Studies show that psychiatric disorders and suicidal behavior are side effects of violence towards infants and younger children. Some of damaging behavior caused by abuse includes the following: Depression, alcohol and drug abuse, smoking, anxiety disorders, aggression and violence towards others, risky sexual behaviors and post-traumatic stress disorders” (Violence and Injury Prevention ). This document will examine the psychological effects of child maltreatment.

Childhood is an exceptional and progressive time of physical, behavioral, cognitive, and emotional development (Cozolino, 2010). The brain and its biological stress system are genetically programmed and influenced by early experience. Trauma has developmental consequences on children. Developmental traumatology research is “systemic investigation of the psychiatric and psychobiological impact of the overwhelming and chronic interpersonal violence on the developing child” (De Bellis, 2001, p. 539). It combines frameworks from developmental psychopathology, developmental neuroscience, and stress and trauma research (De Bellis, 2001). Child maltreatment experiences can be defined as neglect, physical abuse, sexual abuse, and witnessing of domestic violence or community violence and these may be the most common causes of interpersonal traumas in children and adolescence (De Bellis, 2001).

It is important for caregivers, social workers, clinicians, and teachers to understand the warnings and residual impacts of childhood trauma. Teachers must be fully present and aware of the symptoms and the impact that traumatic events bestow on a child. The physical impact of childhood trauma is associated with the symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder and hyperarousal. Children that experienced abuse or neglect showed signs of unease, uncertainty, and distress. Children are easily startled and experienced hyperarousal from a constant state of alertness of danger (Herman, 1997). Outcomes included in heightened arousal are disturbances of sleep and eating habits, higher heart rate, and feelings of aggression. Children who experienced abuse were on constant alert and learned to recognize danger signals in an attempt to protect themselves or appease the abuser (Herman, 1997). Children avoided attracting attention and avoided any physical display of inner aggression through demonstrations of automatic obedience (Herman, 1997). Children of trauma have a tendency to be more vulnerable and have a greater risk of being revictimized or violated in the future (Herman, 1997).