SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE

Sociological Perspective



Sociological Perspective

Child Abuse

Child abuse is a socially defined construct; as such, it does not lend itself to an informal definition. It is a highly controversial and complex concept, subject to constant change that is influenced by a range of political and cultural factors. Historically, the highly publicized case of the abuse of a young girl named Mary Ellen Wilson led to a public outcry resulting in the foundation of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children in 1874, which eventually initiated dramatic changes in society's treatment of children (Howe, 2005).

Sociological Perspective

Children who experience child abuse are more likely than their non abused peers to exhibit myriad physical, behavioral, cognitive, and emotional problems during childhood, which put them at risk for personality disorders, substance abuse, criminal behavior, and psychiatric disorders in adolescence and adulthood. The persistence of childhood difficulties into adulthood may contribute to the intergenerational transmission of the abuse. Recent evidence in the area of neuroscience has revealed how the emotional trauma associated with child abuse can negatively impact brain growth and development, which can result in enduring changes, in all aspects of child development. Increased severity and duration of abuse, as well as exposure to multiple forms of abuse, will increase the likelihood of a more negative outcome for children during childhood and in adulthood (Corby, 2006).

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a common, short-term symptom of trauma related to child abuse. In this case, the person is confronted with events that involve the threat of death to self or others, which provokes a response of intense fear and helplessness. Recently, complex posttraumatic stress disorder (C-PTSD) has been recognized by the psychiatric community as a condition that results from chronic exposure to extremes of social and/or interpersonal trauma, such as in cases of long-term child ...