Cole1

Courtney Cole
Professor Malcolm Campbell
English 1103
05 October 2015
Black and Blue: The Lingering Effects of Child Abuse
Introduction/Overview
Every day, every minute, every second children have to face the egregious pains at the
hand of another individual. Be it a parent, relative, family friend, or stranger who neglects their
needs and the emotional effects they will face. The form abuse varies from physical, verbal,
sexual, and mental and it can affect any child across any race, gender, and locality. The abuse can
take over the course of any given time period and even if the incident(s) only happen once or
twice for a short amount of time, the effects are chilling and can stick around long after the
physical bruises have healed.
I will be examining the lingering effects that child abuse victims face as they progress
into adulthood.
Child abuse can be defined as non-accidental trauma or physical injury caused by
punching, kicking, biting, burning or otherwise harming a child as defined by the American
Humane Association. According to a previous report by the U.S. Department of Health and
Human Services in 2006, approximately 14-43% of children have experienced at least one
traumatic abusive event prior to adulthood. The abuse effects of the abuse can vary from Post
Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), withdrawn behavior, stress, and increased fear. In addition
violent behavior and aggression can be linked to the warrior gene a combination between
MAOA and CDH13. According Susanne Babbel Ph.D. females are more likely than males to

Cole2
develop PTSD later on in adulthood as a result of abuse in their childhood years. Depending on
the severity of the incident, developmental age of the child, and the childs ability to cope with
the trauma will determine if they will develop PTSD. On the opposite end of the spectrum, there
are adult survivors of child abuse who do not harm other people. In an article, the ASCA (Adult
Survivors of Child Abuse) states that in order for adults to effectively overcome the issues of
child abuse and the trauma they faced, they must be able to understand the physiological effects
of that traumatic event(s) in their childhood. However, there are adults that have difficulties
overcoming child abuse thus dealing with it in erratic ways and with less than healthy habits.
They also may have issues with maintaining and developing relationships later on in their lives.
Initial Inquiry Questions
What is the demarcation between abuse victims that grow up and abuse others versus those that
dont?
Why do certain children that were abused grow up and abuse other children?
My Interest In This Topic
I am interested in this topic because I know of people who have been abused and have overcome
the things that have happened to them. I am curious as to why some people that were abused as
children grew up and out of the situation while others carry the scars into adulthood and inflict
them upon other people. In addition, there are so many stories on the news with murders and
other violent acts where the perpetrator harms other people and it is revealed that they too were
abused as a child. I am also interested in this because it bothers me that if a person could feel
such a high degree of pain, why would they choose to harm someone else in the same way?

Cole3
1. I know that child abuse does not discriminate, it can happen to anyone by anyone. I also
know that doesnt always have to be physical it could be equally detrimental to an
individuals mind or spirit.
2. I hope to learn more about the disconnect in the victims that become abusers and possibly
see how they could overcome this curse of abuse. I also hope to learn more about child
abuse prevention and programs.
Next Steps
Currently I am gathering my information from Psychology Today where I have studied
evidence of the violence gene and the lingering trauma of child abuse. In the future I plan to
read articles on the Library Database, NPR, and possibly Google Scholar for statistics and
more in depth information on what child abuse is, where it happens, prevention, and more
information on the victims. I was also given the idea to reach out to survivors by way of a
hotline or maybe even reaching out to child psychologists or the counselors on campus.