Long-term Consequences of Child Abuse, and Neglect

Factors Affecting the Consequences of Child Abuse

Not all abused and neglected children will experience long-term consequences. Outcomes of individual cases vary widely and are affected by a combination of factors, including:

The child's age and developmental status when the abuse or neglect occurred
The type of abuse (physical abuse, neglect, sexual abuse, etc.)
Frequency, duration, and severity of abuse
Relationship between the victim and his or her abuser (Chalk, Gibbons, & Scarupa, 2002).
Researchers also have begun to explore why, given similar conditions, some children experience long-term consequences of abuse and neglect while others emerge relatively unscathed. The ability to cope, and even thrive, following a negative experience is sometimes referred to as "resilience." A number of protective factors may contribute to an abused or neglected child's resilience. These include individual characteristics, such as optimism, self-esteem, intelligence, creativity, humor, and independence. Protective factors can also include the family or social environment, such as a child's access to social support; in particular, a caring adult in the child's life. Community well-being, including neighborhood stability and access to health care, is also a protective factor (Thomlison, 1997).

Physical Health Consequences

The immediate physical effects of abuse or neglect can be relatively minor (bruises or cuts) or severe (broken bones, hemorrhage, or even death). In some cases the physical effects are temporary; however, the pain and suffering they cause a child should not be discounted. Meanwhile, the long-term impact of child abuse and neglect on physical health is just beginning to be explored. Below are some outcomes researchers have identified:


Shaken baby syndrome. The immediate effects of shaking a baby (a common form of child abuse in infants) can include vomiting, concussion, respiratory distress, seizures, and death. Long-term consequences can include blindness, learning disabilities, mental retardation, cerebral palsy, or paralysis (Conway, 1998).


Impaired brain development. Child abuse and neglect have been shown, in some cases, to cause important regions of the brain to fail to form properly, resulting in impaired physical, mental, and emotional development (Perry, 2002; Shore, 1997). In other cases, the stress of chronic abuse causes a "hyperarousal" response by certain areas of the brain, which may result in hyperactivity, sleep disturbances, and anxiety, as well as increased vulnerability to post-traumatic stress disorder, attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, conduct disorder, and learning and memory difficulties (Perry, 2001; Dallam, 2001).


Poor physical health. A study of 700 children who had been in foster care for 1 year found more than one-quarter of the children had some kind of recurring physical or mental health problem (National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-Being). A study of 9,500 HMO participants showed a relationship between various forms of household dysfunction (including childhood abuse) and long-term health problems such as sexually transmitted diseases, heart disease, cancer, chronic lung disease, skeletal fractures, and liver disease (Hillis, Anda, Felitti, Nordenberg, & Marchbanks, 2000; Felitti, Anda, Nordenberg, Williamson, Spitz, Edwards, Koss, & Marks, 1998).

Psychological Consequences

The immediate emotional effects of abuse and neglect—isolation, fear, and an inability to trust—can translate into lifelong consequences including low self-esteem, depression, and relationship difficulties. Researchers have identified links between child abuse and neglect and the following:


Poor mental and emotional health. In one long-term study, as many as 80 percent of young adults who had been abused met the diagnostic criteria for at least one psychiatric disorder at age 21. These young adults exhibited many problems, including depression, anxiety, eating disorders, and suicide attempts (Silverman, Reinherz, & Giaconia, 1996). Other psychological and emotional conditions associated with abuse and neglect include panic disorder, dissociative disorders, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, and reactive attachment disorder (Teicher, 2000).


Cognitive difficulties. The National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-Being recently found children placed in out-of-home care due to abuse or neglect tended to score lower than the general population on measures of cognitive capacity, language development, and academic achievement (2003).


Social difficulties. Children who are abused and neglected by caretakers often do not form secure attachments to them. These early attachment difficulties can lead to later difficulties in relationships with other adults as well as with peers (Morrison, Frank, Holland, & Kates, 1999).

Behavioral Consequences

Not all victims of child abuse and neglect will experience behavioral consequences; however, child abuse and neglect appear to make the following more likely:


Difficulties during adolescence. Studies have found abused and neglected children to be at least 25 percent more likely to experience problems such as delinquency, teen pregnancy, low academic achievement, drug use, and mental health problems (Kelley et al., 1997).


Juvenile delinquency and adult criminality. A National Institute of Justice study indicated being abused or neglected as a child increased the likelihood of arrest as a juvenile by 59 percent. Abuse and neglect increased the likelihood of adult criminal behavior by 28 percent and violent crime by 30 percent (Widom & Maxfield, 2001).


Alcohol and other drug abuse. Research consistently reflects an increased likelihood that abused and neglected children will smoke cigarettes, abuse alcohol, or take illicit drugs. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, as many as two-thirds of people in drug treatment programs reported being abused as children (2000).


Abusive behavior. Abusive parents often have experienced abuse during their own childhoods. It is estimated approximately one-third of abused and neglected children will eventually victimize their own children (Prevent Child Abuse New York, 2001).

Fact Sheet

Do adults who were subject to the opposite childhood
environment - being spoilt and overpampered - tend to
abuse their children ?

This certainly seems to be my younger brother's case.

A psychologist who I chat with recently analyzed him when
I requested her to, and she told me that such a background
was the cause of him abusing his younger son now (he has
two), as well as his difficult, tyrannical behaviour towards
me currently.

I think it could be possible, if your brother is dealing with anything that constitutes as child abuse. A child doesn't have to be neglected to be abused.

I recently went NC with my mentally abusive family (crazy alcoholic mom, N sis and N dad), I didn't realize until lately how scarred I still am and I'm 39 years old! I feel ALOT of rage and anger...My therapist says I feel it NOW more then ever because since I'm NC now, it is safe to feel my emotions. I guess I need to stay with the anger for as long as it takes, I'm functional and happy when with healthy happy people, but when I'm alone I think about my anger towards them alot.

I need to know what actually comprises abuse, when there are no blatant, obvious signs except for the child's emotional health and behaviours (suicidality at an early age - 7 years - so obviously depression, rebelliousness, running away at an early age - 9 years - , anger issues, etc.).

In a family where they are middle class, "pillars of society", but the parents are constantly over the child (doing everything for it, rather than allowing it to do, or choose, for itself), completely obsessed with family appearance and society, overly protective/controlling, has the child in modeling and so forth (stage mother syndrome), the father is narcissistic (everyone focuses on him, his wants, his needs - classic narcissism but not sociopathic) and the family triangulates (using the child to communicate to the other parent, or saying that the child is doing this or that to the other parent in order to guilt/manipulate), where those outside of the family are constantly cut down (and the child is told "so and so isn't really you're friend, their family is bad, etc."), no door locking or privacy (including in the bathroom), no parental boundaries towards the child (though the child must show it towards the parents), and such. Basic "spanking", I suppose.

What I need to know is, is severe control and emotional manipulation enough to cause a severe response in a child? Or does physical /sexualabuse have to be involved as well? Even if the child was "well raised" and not "neglected".

Is this child abuse?

Hi, Madelene! I don't know if this behavior would be seen as abuse legally, but what is happening to this kid is wrong. Not allowing him/her to have privacy even in the bathroom is disturbing and it sounds like the poor kid is having a hard time dealing with everything else too. Yes, severe emotional manipulation is enough to cause problems. It's possible that the kid inherited something from the parents too, but this kind of abuse can be hurtful.
Are you asking because you want to tell the police? It can be hard to prove this kind of child abuse, I think, but you could try to tell them about what's going on.

I'm asking to try and get an idea of what's going on. If there were obvious signs of abuse the police would do something, but the police had been called once, and nothing happened. The child was blamed for being "incorrigible", and that's all the further it got.

The parents do everything, even though the child is old enough to do some things on its own, and I'm not the only person who has noticed that something is really off about the situation. I was wondering if such perfectionism in the parents, to the point of putting the child down often, and the high concern about society and what society thinks, along with the rabid narcissism of the father would be enough to be causing the child to act out? She feels she has no friends, and part of this is the parents' faults for alienating her from others. There are, of course, also school issues, teasing and bullying, happening because the child is ripe for it due to her parents' odd behaviours and her inability to handle things (you're right about that, they deal with everything and that disempowers her).

Something this severe, and having to please such parents, could that cause a personality or anxiety disorder? Thanks.

You know, we're not professionals here, but I think this behavior can cause a lot of problems. It sounds like the poor kid has no life even in school. She should have friends now and she should be allowed to have her own identity. Maybe getting in contact with a child psychologist or child services would help and they'd know what to do. I guess not everyone who has some authority would blame the kid.

Thanks, Jasmin. Yeah, I know no one here is a prof.! I'll see about maybe getting ahold of a school therapist or something. Thanks!

Some professionals could have odd ideas about what abuse is, though. Maybe a psych who has dealt with child abuse might be the way to go, but you have to start somewhere.

What's your elephant doing in a pink room?