Child abuse and neglect, more specifically child molestation is typically analysed through the social prism of the long term physical, psychological and behavioral effects. However it is impossible to completely separate the issue from the biological, psychosocial and ecological/dynamic factors that ultimately determine the long term effects and the shaping of how the abused individual would be assessed .
The case analysis of 7 year old Emma, a Euro American , preadolescent female, from a two parent household in the midst of a divorce and custody battle, who was sexually abused by a worker at her preschool, is a perfect example of the critical/interconnective role of the Mesosystem. It is evident that Emma’s personal and social identity is based on her family perspectives/relationships and her traumatic life experience.
While unfortunately child sexual abuse and children being raised in divorced household has become commonplace within today’s Eurocentric culture/ Emma’s (marcosystem), it is important to understand how Emma’s personal and individual identity developed in order to comprehend the scope of the presenting issues. To develop a clear analysis, of how these varying variables, are affecting Emma’s perceptual, cognitive development, and social development, it is essential to view her case through the ecological framework while incorporating the varying aspects of dynamic perspective.
In addressing Emma’s abuse it was critical that she received emotional intervention, Emma pediatrician referred her to family services. Daniel D. Broughton, MD, says “Intervention aims to stabilize the family and improve its functioning, to teach parenting and coping skills, to retain an intact family with appropriate services and a good follow-up, families often improve greatly. The impact of Emma’s abuse reaches all levels of her emotions this is one the most prominent psychological effect experienced by Emma which has drastically impacted her perceptual, cognitive development, and social development,this evident in Emma’s not being on target to advance 3rd grade and lack of socialization with kids her age . The two most common emotions associated with child sexual assault are confusion and guilt. Confusion is usually the initial reaction of the child. There is a overall pondering what is going on or whether this is right or wrong.
It can be theorized that this is a vary of emotion that experienced by Emma. For a young child these types of questions can be a huge burden on their physiological, emotional and cognitive development. This is evident in Emma emotional outburst and baby like behavior. Once the abuse begins Emma experienced a tremendous conflict with her emotions. Emma initially felt pleasant due to the attention they are receiving from the individual as well as the sensual pleasure. On the other hand she experience pain, guilt, and anger for what is being done to her this emotional turmoil is central to her emotional instability.
Ecological Perspective Of Child Abuse. The ecological viewpoints in Emma’s case is crucial , in order to comprehend the stress of child abuse not only on the child but the psychological disturbance that it presents for the parents as well. The abuse-eliciting characteristics of Emma’s trauma, is represented by the dysfunctional patterns of her family,this is evident in the fact that Emma parents were having marital problems prior to the abuse. It is vital to understand that stress-inducing social forces, and abuse-promoting cultural values, which is central to Emma experience.
The ecological framework in regards to child sexual assaults asserts that these conflicts is a central characteristic of child maltreatment, which in essence is a limited scope in addressing the growing issue of child sexual abuse and the cause and effect correlation . Researchers, Belsky Jay, states, “the framework conceptualizes child maltreatment as a social-psychological phenomenon that is multiply determined by forces at work in the individual (ontogenic development), the family (the microsystem), the community (the exosystem), and the culture (the macrosystem) in which the individual and the family are embedded.
Emma’s experience with sexual assault exemplifies the intersection of culture , family and community. Can it be said that the prior marital strains of her parents , made them less aware of the potential for sexual misconduct at the preschool or was it the rigidness of the Eurocentric culture made conversation about what is appropriate “touch” should be? Emma has been a part of psychotherapy , in order to help her process the abuse and deal with the stress that come with trauma, this is essential in order for Emma to develop a sense of personality.
As Allport (1937) and Harwood (1981) suggest, personality also implies a particular style of reacting to external and internal stimuli of coping with stresses and of processing on sets of beliefs about self, life, family, future and other abstract issues (Alarcon & Foulks, 1995). Emma before the trauma of the sexual assault to all accounts was a normal thriving child , being born full term and meeting all her developmental milestones ,after the assault ,Emma emotions becomes less regulated and sporadic which has lead to her have difficulties in keeping up academically in school .
Emma is experiencing many of the symptoms related to child sexual abuse, such as :grief reactions, depression, hostility and anger are all common expressions towards the sense of betrayal that is felt by the abuse. It can be inferred that the emotional instability that Emma have been experiencing can be related to her depressive mood as a result of the abuse.
Depressed mood is characterized by feelings of sadness , with some loss of weight, fatigue, self-blame, negative self-evaluation and emotional outburst (Biafora, 1995), this is evident in many aspect of Emma life At this time period , only Emma and her mother are participant in her therapy. Her father who is a central part of her Microsystem, refuses to participate in her therapy because of his lack of belief that the abuse actually occurred. It is safe to theorize that this denial by her father, that the abuse actually occurred could potentially manifest further psychological damage in the future.
It is critical to state the importance of the familial microsystem and the role that it plays in the child development particularly in the case of child mistreatment. Doctor Allan Schwartz, state’s “ Denial is a powerful and primitive defense mechanism. Someone who is dependent, frightened and themselves the victim of abuse, can remain silent and not even see or hear the abuse in order to maintain the desperately needed relationship with the abuser. In a way, it is a variation of the old saying, “Hear no evil, see no evil. ” Well, people do hear it and see it and fail to act.
The psychological effects of not only the abuse that Emma suffered at the hands of her abuser , coupled along with the ending of her parents marriage and her father denial is detrimental to Emma ultimate long term recovery. In order to fully assess the As difficult as it may be to accept, there are many genuine, compelling reasons that it can be challenging for adults – even otherwise loving and caring adults – to take protective action, or even to notice, when children are being sexually used or abused, or at risk of being harmed in that way.
Emma father’s a central part of her microsystem, inability to not only to accept the abuse but also to show the appropriate emotional response origins is rooted in the European culture and as Degregorio & Carver (1980) note, families sometimes may appear “stiff” and unexpressive which are cultural components of their society (Alarcon & Foulks, 1995). This cultural expectation is critical in understanding how Emma father dealt with her abuse and how she perceives her own abuse. These reasons or causes include:
Overwhelming feelings (like fear, anger, or shame) caused by just thinking about the sexual abuse of children. Confusion caused by incorrect stereotypes about what kinds of people sexually use and abuse children. Physical, emotional, and financial dependency on an individual or group that would be lost (for oneself and the family) if such concerns are raised Self doubts of various kinds (e. g. , “I’m paranoid. ” “What if I’m wrong? ” “It’s none of my business. ”). Fears of various consequences (e. g. of acknowledging betrayal by a trusted and respected person, of being wrong, of being right) Emma father only “sporadically” participated in her treatment , this lead to the mother to seeking spiritual guidance from their religious leader. The impact that child abuse has on the familial structure is enormous , because child abuse is a detrimental aspect of a child’s life as well as the developmental stages in a child’s life, which would cause them to have physical, psychological, or behavioral consequences as they grow which puts a strain on any family.
This coupled along with other marital strains has lead to the separation of Emma parents. It must be stated the impact of child abuse doesn’t end with physical wounds. According to Child Protective Service agencies, state “in 2001 probable 3 million children were reported as suspected victims of abuse and neglect. They reported that young children are most at risk for being abuse or neglect, and 40% of the victims are under the age of 6 years “too “(Barent & Barnet, 1998) being abused at such a young developmental age as Emma was a preschooler has long lasting effects on her perceptual, cognitive development, and social development .
The Dynamic Perspective Of Child Abuse It is evident from Emma’s behavioral outburst, ie. “baby like” behavior , throwing things out of frustration, frequent tantrums and yelling that there has been a severe emotional impact and limitation in her social and perceptual development from the sexual abuse. According to researchers Little and Hamby (1999),female clinicians reported more problems with self-esteem relationships, trust, sex, and work than males. There are several aspects of recovery that would be a potential hindrance for Emma’s ultimate recovery.
According to researchers Little and Hamby (1999), “ clinicians identified several recovery experiences as more important: for female victims relinquishing guilt, talking about the abuse, renegotiating family-of-origin relationships, personal therapy,” Some potential areas that can be used to improve Emma reading or writing about their sexual abuse, hospitalization, and child sexual abuse workshops. It is suggested that therapists working with male victims need to be aware of possible gender differences in symptom report and effects of healing strategies. It varying areas of her development : as shown in the below ecological syster.
