What is "abuse" to a child?

Question

Very sadly my latest poll has made me beg the question, what do you consider "abuse" to be with a child? What is acceptable and what isn't? At what point does it change from "okay" to "abuse"?

Accepted Answer

Great question. 
   
Every year more than 3 million reports of child abuse are made in the United States.
   
Child abuse or child maltreatment is physical, sexual, or psychological maltreatment or neglect of a child or children, especially by a parent or other caregiver.
   
Maltreatment definition, to treat or handle badly, cruelly, or roughly. 
   
Consequences of child maltreatment include impaired lifelong physical and mental health, and the social and occupational outcomes can ultimately slow a country's economic and social development. 
    
This can be as normalized as spanking. 
   
Elizabeth Gershoff and Andrew Grogan-Kaylor from the University of Texas at Austin and the University of Michigan, respectively, evaluated 75 published studies on the relationship between spanking by parents and various behavioral, emotional, cognitive and physical outcomes among their kids. They found that spanking was associated with 13 out of a total of 17 negative outcomes they assessed, including increased aggression and behavioral and mental health problems as well as reduced cognitive ability and self-esteem.

Answer

Anything that could potentially cause them physical/mental distress in that moment and/or affect them later on in life as well.

Answer

Child abuse is an act that is actively and seriously detrimental to the child's well being. It's usually but not exclusively intentional, and is separate from passive neglect. Not all forms of child abuse meet the criteria for removal.

Answer

I thought this was a good read:

Answer

Intentional use of physical force against the child that results in – or has a high likelihood of resulting in – harm for the child's health, survival, development or dignity. This includes hitting, beating, kicking, shaking, biting, strangling, scalding, burning, poisoning and suffocating. Much physical violence against children in the home is inflicted with the object of punishing.
From a Psychology perspective, Child Abuse also includes: 
humiliation, spankings and beatings, slaps in the face, etc. because they injure the integrity and dignity of a child, even if their consequences are not visible right away.
As of this year, 52 countries now have banned spanking under the grounds of it being an abusive disciplinary technique. 
Decades of research prove that spanking causes children to be more defiant, increase a child's chances of developing antisocial behaviours, increases a child's likelihood of demonstrating aggressive tendencies and is likely to trigger the development of mental health problems. 
Conclusion: Spanking IS child abuse. That is not a matter of opinion.

Answer

Physical abuse to me is purposely hurting your child (or other) by forcefully punching, scratching, beating, kicking, burning, slapping, biting, choking, stabbing, cutting, restraining, anything purposely inflicting pain upon them to cause them physical harm.

Answer

Anything that intentionally causes them physical or emotional harm. No matter how much of either.

Answer

abuse doesn't always have to be physical. emotional abuse can be just as damaging. anything that causes emotional pain to the child is abuse. saying things that belittle the child and makes them feel unwanted, an annoyance, or worthless is abuse. there's a clear difference between discipline and abuse. saying things that hurt the child's self esteem is NOT good parenting. sometimes parents say that they lost control of their anger and that it was an 'accident' but that won't fix the damage that's been done to the child. children are fragile...they should be treated as such.

Answer

Nothing wrong with a spanking in my opinion. A couple pops on the butt isn't abuse. And I'm sure you can ask any adult who was spanked as child if it still affects them mentally and they'll say No. (this doesn't mean someone hitting them as hard as they can many times but a mild-moderate slap on the butt)

What is "abuse" to a child?

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