Child abuse may be one of the most abhorrent acts that a person can commit. Child abuse doesn’t have to leave physical bruises or marks to be detrimental to a child’s well being either. Mental and emotional abuse can also lead to a lifetime of issues.
Child abuse can sometimes be generational
Many times, adults that commit acts of child abuse have experienced it within their own families. They lash out and treat children the way they grew up. However, it is important to understand that does not mean that all children who are abused will grow up to commit child abuse themselves.
Knowing the proper treatment and therapy can help a child through the steps of recovery and break that generational cycle as they become adults. Children who are abused or neglected can even develop physical abnormalities like stunted growth and/or brain development.
Later in life these injuries and psychological issues can develop into a substance abuse problem as they try to self-medicate.
What factors can lead to a child being more susceptible to abuse?
There are hardships parents can endure such as isolation, lack of support from family or friends, financial stress, lack of parental skills and knowledge, substance abuse or mental health problems and more than can increase the risk of child abuse.
There are also child abuse cases where none of these factors are present. Each case is so different from the next which sometimes makes it easier for abusers to hide.
This map from the team at NYRequirements shows the US states with the highest rates of reported child abuse cases.
Until 2020 Kentucky had the highest number of child abuse cases three years in a row. After the pandemic, Maine became the state with the highest rate of child abuse with 4,726 cases out of 248,168 children under 18. That leads to a rate of 1,904.4.
The 2nd state with the worst rate of child abuse cases per 100,000 under 18 is Alaska. The 3rd is West Virginia.
Do these areas deal with many of the hardships listed above over others?
Look over the map and see where your state ranks.
