Violence against children: these fatal effects have blows on your child

by BUNTE.de Redaktion December 11, 2017 at 8:10 a.m.

Beating a child is just not okay, most people agree today. A study is now underpinning this and shows the bad consequences of child abuse.

Violence against children is still more present today than one might think. Because there are still parents who believe that they can only raise their child properly with blows. You have long known that this is not a good idea. Still, it is terrifying to read, how bad the consequences of child abuse can actually be. A study published in The Journal of Pediatrics shows that beatings can have a very negative impact on future child relationships.

Violence against children creates violence

For the study, researchers surveyed over 750 young adults in Texas about their experience of beatings and physical abuse in childhood and their current experience of violence in a relationship. 20 percent of the participants admitted that they had used physical violence in a relationship before and almost 70 percent said they had been beaten as a child. The researchers report a clear connection between spanking in childhood and later violence in the relationship . If children experience violence in childhood, the risk increases that they will become violent themselves later on.

From a psychological and educational point of view, this is only logical: if you hit a child, you teach them that it is a good way to solve problems. The youngsters learn that it is okay to hit someone. It is then not surprising that these children themselves resort to similar means in their later lives

background

Physical violence is that bad

This is not the first study to suggest how dramatic the consequences of physical violence in education are. Most recently, psychologists from the University of Texas and the University of Virginia in a study that even slight physical violence against children has negative consequences. Even the famous “slap on the butt” can lead to behavioral problems in childhood.

The “Stop Violence Against Children” project by Techniker Krankenkasse Landesvertretung MV also points to numerous long-term consequences of child abuse. According to a guide for doctors, educators and institutions, these include: Self-contempt, fear of attachment, severe psychosomatic suffering, destruction of the positive attitude towards life and a repetition of experienced patterns. While girls react primarily with fear, insecurity and withdrawal, boys are more likely to experience increased aggressiveness, dominance and acceptance of violence.

Time to talk

Instead of simply beating children senselessly, parents should take their time and talk to their children. Explain to your child what behavior you expect from him and why he shouldn’t do certain things. That is more exhausting and time consuming. But through regular conversations, you can also find out what your child is currently doing.