3.3: What Puts a Child at Risk?
- Page ID
- 215427
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\(\newcommand{\avec}{\mathbf a}\) \(\newcommand{\bvec}{\mathbf b}\) \(\newcommand{\cvec}{\mathbf c}\) \(\newcommand{\dvec}{\mathbf d}\) \(\newcommand{\dtil}{\widetilde{\mathbf d}}\) \(\newcommand{\evec}{\mathbf e}\) \(\newcommand{\fvec}{\mathbf f}\) \(\newcommand{\nvec}{\mathbf n}\) \(\newcommand{\pvec}{\mathbf p}\) \(\newcommand{\qvec}{\mathbf q}\) \(\newcommand{\svec}{\mathbf s}\) \(\newcommand{\tvec}{\mathbf t}\) \(\newcommand{\uvec}{\mathbf u}\) \(\newcommand{\vvec}{\mathbf v}\) \(\newcommand{\wvec}{\mathbf w}\) \(\newcommand{\xvec}{\mathbf x}\) \(\newcommand{\yvec}{\mathbf y}\) \(\newcommand{\zvec}{\mathbf z}\) \(\newcommand{\rvec}{\mathbf r}\) \(\newcommand{\mvec}{\mathbf m}\) \(\newcommand{\zerovec}{\mathbf 0}\) \(\newcommand{\onevec}{\mathbf 1}\) \(\newcommand{\real}{\mathbb R}\) \(\newcommand{\twovec}[2]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\ctwovec}[2]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\threevec}[3]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cthreevec}[3]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\fourvec}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cfourvec}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\fivevec}[5]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \\ #5 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cfivevec}[5]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \\ #5 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\mattwo}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{rr}#1 \amp #2 \\ #3 \amp #4 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\laspan}[1]{\text{Span}\{#1\}}\) \(\newcommand{\bcal}{\cal B}\) \(\newcommand{\ccal}{\cal C}\) \(\newcommand{\scal}{\cal S}\) \(\newcommand{\wcal}{\cal W}\) \(\newcommand{\ecal}{\cal E}\) \(\newcommand{\coords}[2]{\left\{#1\right\}_{#2}}\) \(\newcommand{\gray}[1]{\color{gray}{#1}}\) \(\newcommand{\lgray}[1]{\color{lightgray}{#1}}\) \(\newcommand{\rank}{\operatorname{rank}}\) \(\newcommand{\row}{\text{Row}}\) \(\newcommand{\col}{\text{Col}}\) \(\renewcommand{\row}{\text{Row}}\) \(\newcommand{\nul}{\text{Nul}}\) \(\newcommand{\var}{\text{Var}}\) \(\newcommand{\corr}{\text{corr}}\) \(\newcommand{\len}[1]{\left|#1\right|}\) \(\newcommand{\bbar}{\overline{\bvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\bhat}{\widehat{\bvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\bperp}{\bvec^\perp}\) \(\newcommand{\xhat}{\widehat{\xvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\vhat}{\widehat{\vvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\uhat}{\widehat{\uvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\what}{\widehat{\wvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\Sighat}{\widehat{\Sigma}}\) \(\newcommand{\lt}{<}\) \(\newcommand{\gt}{>}\) \(\newcommand{\amp}{&}\) \(\definecolor{fillinmathshade}{gray}{0.9}\)What Puts A Child At Risk?
While no child is immune from the potential of becoming a sexual abuse victim, some children are more susceptible than others. The average age of boys who are sexually abused is between four and six years of age. The average age of girls who are sexually abused is between 11 and 14 years of age. Beyond this, the values and beliefs of a culture and the actual community in which the victim resides, as well as the family and the individual victim themselves, may contribute to who becomes a victim.
"File:Sandakan Sabah Angry-Child-01.jpg" by CEphoto, Uwe Aranas is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
The values and beliefs of our culture, the macro system, utilizes television and other media sources to send highly suggestive or sexualized messages to children. Advertisements on other media display extreme violence, as well. The micro system, our family, is more isolated today than ever before in our society. As families have become more mobile and less likely to live close to relatives, and as children are unsupervised more than past generations, children may be at higher risk for abuse. Add to this marital discord, family dysfunction, overly scheduled and busy schedules of all family members, and children become even more susceptible. A child's susceptibility for sexual abuse statistically increases if one of their parents is absent, not emotionally close to the child, sexually punitive, religiously fanatic, or if they lack a high school education or keep to themselves and are isolated. Children of single-parent families are exposed potentially to more “friends“ of their residential parent, and therefore may be more susceptible to abuse. Alcohol, depression, drug abuse, poverty and other stressors can also lead to an increased susceptibility that the child will become a victim.
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In many cultures, families are patriarchal in nature. When the father says to do something, you do it! Male relatives may target an eldest daughter with the understanding that if she refuses, the other sisters will be pursued. The abuse of girls often lasts for years. While boys are usually abused for shorter amounts of time, the younger or less assertive (e.g. perceived as weaker) brother is more likely to be the initial target. If he refuses, the perpetrator will move on to other brothers.
Some children appear to be more deeply affected by sexual abuse than are others. The degree of trauma experienced by a child depends on several variables, including:
- The type of abuse. (The more intense the abuse, the harder to overcome.)
- The identity of the perpetrator. (The closer the long-term relationship between abuser and victim, the harder to overcome.)
- The duration of the abuse. (Abuse that continues for a period of time seems to create more trauma than single incidents. This may not be the case if the incident involves violence or sadism.)
- The extent of the abuse.
- The age at which the child was abused. (Determinate by the stage of development the child in when the abuse occurred. )
- The first reactions of significant others at disclosure. (Was the child believed? Was the child made to feel shamed? Was the child told to keep it a secret? )
- The point at which the abuse was disclosed. (Having to keep a secret impacts a victim long-term; this compounds the trauma.)
- The personality structure of the victim.
- Help received by the child in dealing with the victimization. (Did the child receive support and counseling to help him/her deal with the trauma, or was it ignored?)