A Review of Physical and Mental Health Consequences of Child Abuse and Neglect and Implications for Practice

Abstract

The term parent includes custodial and noncustodial parents. †The terms maltreatment and abuse are often used interchangeably in the literature. However, in this article, maltreatment is a general term that includes both abuse and neglect; abuse refers explicitly to acts of commission, whereas neglect refers specifically to acts of omission. ‡ 2008 is the most recent year for which statistics are available (US Department of Health and Human Services 4 ).

Abuse as a Gendered Risk Factor for Cardiovascular Disease

“…14,40 Focusing solely on biology, depression may partially be the consequence of physiological abuse-related changes in brain structures (eg, corpus collosum, hippocampus, amygdala) and the HPA axis, which ultimately impacts behavior and mood. 55,70 For instance, dysregulation of the HPA axis results in increased cortisol levels, which can lead to the breakdown of serotonin, an important neurotransmitter in the regulation of mood. 40 Depression is often identified as an outcome of abuse; however, it may also influence the extent to which abuse adversely impacts a woman's physical health, thereby positioning it as a mediator between abuse and physical health.…”

Mediating and moderating effects of social support in the study of child abuse and adult physical and mental health.

“…Research on social determinants has focused somewhat less on biology and more on health-risk behaviors as precursors to adult disorders and disease (Leeb et al, 2011). From this perspective, abuse triggers poor coping behaviors in the form of drug and alcohol use, smoking, and risky sexual practices (Widom, Mormonstein, & White, 2006) and these behaviors, in turn, lead to poor health (Springer, 2009).…”

“…From this perspective, abuse triggers poor coping behaviors in the form of drug and alcohol use, smoking, and risky sexual practices (Widom, Mormonstein, & White, 2006) and these behaviors, in turn, lead to poor health (Springer, 2009). The misuse of drugs and alcohol can increase the risk of accidents from overdose and impaired functioning, which can have even more immediate impacts on physical health than would naturally occur if these harmful behaviors are sustained over many years (Leeb et al, 2011). …”

“…In their review of research, Leeb and colleagues (2011) determined that abused children not only appear more susceptible to drug and alcohol abuse and the consequences that follow, they also experience poorer relationships and less social support, which can promote health problems and worsen conditions among those who are ill (Kendall-Tackett, 2002). In this regard, low levels of support increase an individual’s vulnerability to illness by removing protective buffers related to positive coping (Kendall-Tackett, 2002; Murthi & Espelage, 2005).…”

Emotional, physical and sexual abuse and its psychological impact in children

“…34 These results can be explained by that children exposure to high degrees of trauma as physical or sexual abuse may leads to over activation of the brain neurological pathways which are responsible for "fight or flight" response, frequent exposure for prolonged timesespecially at periods of critical brain developmentmakes the brain chemically organized in a dysfunctional manner, which appears in the form of poor mental and physical state as well as maladaptive behaviors (aggression); mood disorders (anxiety, depression); somatization and posttraumatic stress disorder. 35 The current study concluded that child abuse is a serious problem in our culture and is associated with later psychological disorders. These results can support the concept that the activities of child abuse prevention can play a role in decreasing the rate of psychological disorder in the community.…”