1 Antoinette Hall Sociology of Gender (11am)

Effects of Child Abuse on Adult Behavior

I often wondered the affect that abuse has on adults who were abused as small children. Some people are abused their whole lives and feel that it is an expression of love. Others take the abuse that they suffered in their earlier years and turn it into something positive. They become advocates or mentors to other victims. The question that I want to pose to you is: Do children who are abused as a child grow up to be abusers? Do little boys who witness abuse or who are in fact abused themselves grow up to become the prey? Do little girls who have been abused as a child grow to become adult victims? These are questions that I have always wondered about. I believe that children are innocent creatures who do not deserve to be used as punching bags. With this series of questions I will take you on a journey into the life of an abused young child and the affect (albeit positive or negative) that it had on them later on in their lives.

2 The word abuse can be used in such a general way. Merriam-Webster

(An Encyclopedia Britannica Company) defines abuse in this way: 1. A

corrupt practice or custom. 2. Improper or excessive use or treatment. 3. Obsolete: a deceitful act. 4. Language that condemns or vilifies usually unjustly, intemperately, and angrily. 5. physical maltreatment. Abuse does not only have to be physical, it can be mental, emotional, or verbal as well. According to a sociological article (The Scholarly Literature on Family Violence. 1989.) The Cycle of Violence by Cathy Spatz Widom suggests the following, Despite the widespread belief that violence begets violence, methodological problems substantially restrict knowledge of the long-term consequences of childhood victimization. Empirical evidence for this cycle of violence has been examined. Findings from a cohort study show that being abused or neglected as a child increases ones risk for delinquency, adult criminal behavior, and violent criminal behavior. However, the majority of abused and neglected children do not become delinquent, criminal, or violent. There was also a study done (by Cathy Spatz Widom) that tested whether the cycle of violence (in ones childhood) directly affects violent criminal activity later on in life. The author shows us her findings in a table format.

3 Table 1 presents the percentage of individuals in the abused and neglected and control groups who have official records for delinquency, adult criminality, and violent criminal behavior (41). In comparison to controls, abused and neglected children overall have more arrests as a juvenile (26 versus 17%), more arrests as an adult (29 versus 21%), and more arrests for any violent offense (11 versus 8%). This study tells us that abused and neglected children are more likely to grow up to indulge in criminal behavior than their counterparts. However, the question still stands whether or not they in fact grow to become abusers themselves. It was once believed that males were more likely to grow up to become abusers but lately the numbers have changed. According to an article, Study Shows Family Violence, Neglect Are Important Risk Factors, written by Salynn Boyles on the WebMD (Better information. Better health) website, Roughly one in 10 male victims of child sex abuse in a U.K. study later went on to abuse children as adults. But the risk was far greater for sexually victimized children who came from severely dysfunctional families. This article suggests that the outcome depends on the severity of abuse inflicted on the child. This makes sense. Lets say there are two children: child one was beaten on a daily bases on his

4 bottom with an extension cord. Child two was only beaten ever so often with an extension that the child beaten up being the situation. Also, other can exacerbate the In an article found on cord. It is more likely most often would end aggressor in this factors in a childs life affects of child abuse. the NewScientist

website, Early experience, not genes, shapes child abusers. Darius Maestipieri, a primate expert at the University of Chicago, US believes that while some abuse is learnt through direct or indirect experience, physiological changes incurred during abuse may predispose behavior patterns. I do believe that no one thing has the power to affect a childs entire life. As we learn and grow we experience different things throughout our lives that help to shape the adult that we become. An article that I found to be a particularly interesting read on the Domestic Violence Roundtable website posed the question: What are the long-term effects on children who witness domestic violence? Answer: Children who grow up observing their mothers being abused, especially by their fathers, grow up with a role model of intimate relationships in which one person uses intimidation and violence over the other person to get their way. Because children have a natural tendency to identify with

5 strength, they may ally themselves with the abuser and lose respect for their seemingly helpless mother. I believe that it is crucial for a child to respect their mother. model that a kid can a certain level of I feel, that it can be respect for others authority). If I were going to follow through with a social scientific study of my research question I would most likely use more than one scientific method. I have never been one to simply rely on one scheme of proof to answer a question therefore I would use the following: participant observation and in-depth interviews/focus groups. Just as books cannot show you exactly what you need to know when it comes to something hands on nothing is better than going to the source and hearing from actual victims themselves. Since I have never been a victim of abuse (in childhood or adulthood) the best two methods of research would be through in-depth interviews, focus groups, and participant observation of people who have actually been victims. I would pose the same general questions to a group of adults age 18 and older that were created in this research paper. Their experiences will be duly noted and organized in a The mother is the best role have. If a child does not have respect for their mother then, very hard for them to learn (especially others with

6 table in order for the results to be more easily interpreted. Also, an indepth look into their adult lives is crucial in this type of research. To obtain a sample population I would offer some sort of small monetary gain to participate in an anonymous focus group. The first place I would start would be different rehabilitation groups in my area that are directly related to all types of abuse of people from different age groups. Also, I have found that college students are eager to get involved in things for a good cause. Posting flyers around local college campuses and social networking would be a good idea as well. Getting the word out about child abuse prevention would also be great! I feel that if I educated people on how harmful child abuse is and the negative effects that it could have on adults then some might be motivated to change their own negative behavior toward children; or even to become a child abuse advocate themselves. In conclusion I have learned so much in my research. Do children who are abused as a child grow up to be abusers? Do little boys who witness abuse or who are in fact abused themselves grow up to become the prey? Do little girls who have been abused as a child grow to become adult victims? I had previously thought that the answer was yes to all of these

7 questions. However, my research showed me that many factors could come into play when it comes to the type of adult one will become.