University of Wisconsin - Extension

Contact: Pam Peterson, 920-746-2260, pam.peterson@ces.uwex.edu

Sturgeon Bay, Wis. - Nurturing, emotional relationships are crucial for a child's healthy physical, intellectual and social growth.

Research on brain development shows that early childhood experiences exert a dramatic and clear-cut impact on the brain and its intricate circuitry. When adults respond predictably to an infant's needs, the baby's brain develops properly.

Recent studies have found that undermining this nurturing care can compromise a child's long-term thinking and emotional growth. In fact, new brain images have shown that child maltreatment can cause permanent damage to the structure and function of the brain itself.

"Child maltreatment starts a chain of effects that alter brain development," says Pam Peterson, Cooperative Extension family living educator in Door County. For example, early childhood abuse or neglect appears to affect the brain's limbic system, which regulates emotion and memory. This can later result in anti-social behavior.

Each year child welfare agencies in the United States receive more than three million allegations of abuse and neglect. State and county agencies are able to substantiate approximately 1 million of these. In Wisconsin, 42,451 reports of child maltreatment were made in 2004 with a similar number made yearly between 2001 and 2003. Up to 24 percent of these reports could be substantiated.

According to Peterson, four major types of child maltreatment are commonly recognized:

--physical abuse

--neglect

--sexual abuse

--emotional abuse

Neglect is the most common, and is involved in half of the substantiated cases of maltreatment. Physical abuse occurs in about 21 percent, while sexual abuse, which tends to be reported more often in the media, constitutes about 11 percent of the total number of substantiated child abuse cases.

Emotional and verbal abuse probably receive the least attention--even though studies show that children who experience verbal aggression, such as swearing and insults from their parents, exhibit higher rates of physical aggression, delinquency and problems getting along with others.

Both neglected and physically abused children often perform poorly in school. Language deficits, reduced cognitive functioning and attention deficit disorders appear to be associated with childhood abuse and neglect. In addition, maltreated children tend to have higher levels of depression, hopelessness and low self-esteem.

Two of the most consistent outcomes of physical abuse are antisocial behavior and aggression. Maltreatment can negatively affect children's emotional stability, self-regulation and problem solving skills, leaving them less able to adapt to new or stressful situations. Abused children often have difficulty developing stable attachments to adult caregivers.

Child sexual abuse is a risk factor for teen pregnancy and several studies have suggested a link between childhood victimization and later substance abuse.

What can be done to reduce child maltreatment? "Eliminating childhood abuse and enhancing the prospects for healthy development means finding opportunities for positive parent-child interactions," says Peterson. "This will require an investment in prevention and intervention efforts, expanding on proven strategies, and trying new approaches. The best way to serve and protect children is to support, enhance and build strong families," she says.