Child Abuse Effects

One of the first child abuse effects that parents are likely to notice will be withdrawal. If your child used to be outgoing or was close to one or both parents and suddenly becomes quiet and closes themselves off to their parents or siblings, this is a good sign that something is wrong. It is especially concerning if your child appears to suddenly change, seemingly overnight.

Another of the child abuse effects you want to look for is a change in performance at school. If your child was previously getting mostly Bs and Cs and suddenly comes home with poorer grades, this is a sign that something is not right. They might be trying to ask for attention in the only way they know how. The abuse might be causing them to lose concentration also. Be sure you look into any change in their school performance.

Depression is also one of the classic child abuse effects. A child who is depressed is likely to not do as well in school, lose concentration, become less interested in things around him and be more withdrawn in general. Depression can be a chemical issue, it can be a normal part of growing up, or it can be a sign that abuse has taken place. If your child appears to be depressed, it's important not to just let it go and hope that he or she gets better. Instead you want to take action immediately.

If your child becomes more aggressive or violent than they were previously, this can also be one of the child abuse effects. If your child suddenly seems to have a lot of hostility or rage, this might be due to your child having been effected by child abuse. This is especially true if you've seen your child become aggressive with animals or if they are creating artwork that depicts violent scenes.

Finally, you want to look for the physical child abuse effects. This would include any unexplained bruises, cuts or marks on your child. Of course kids will be kids and often times a bruise her or there won't mean a thing. But if you see an excessive amount of marks in your child, or they seem to be secretive about how they got there, it can be worth looking into.

As you can see, the child abuse effects that your child might experience can vary. Any one of these effects in and of itself isn't necessarily cause for concern or worry. However, if you notice a combination of these effects or your child's behavior seems to change drastically overnight, it's something that you should at least look into with your child's doctor.