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Alexcia Duncan
Mrs. Elliott
English 111
November 20, 2014
Effectively Preventing Child Abuse
In today's world, the pressing issue of child abuse, sexual and physical, has been surfacing
for years. Children are being sold for money, beaten by their own parents, neglected by loved
ones and so on. It is reported that more than 2,000 children in the U.S. die of child abuse and
neglect each year, and the actual number of abuse and neglect deaths is estimated to be much
higher than that reported by vital statistics data (childdeathreview.org). The longer experts
choose to ignore this epidemic that is worldwide, the more children are left to suffer. If no
intervention takes place, perpetrators are then born to abuse and the cycle continues.
Child abuse that has already taken place cannot be erased but child abuse can most
definitely be prevented. Not all victims of abuse have to abuse or continue to be abusers.
Research shows that there are many methods to preventing child abuse. Child abuse can most
effectively be prevented by victims participating in the intermediary system, early treatment of
post-traumatic stress disorder, and by noticing the signs of violence in the homes of children.
One of the many ways to prevent child abuse is the Intermediary System. The Intermediary
System was created in South Africa to provide an intermediary for children in cases of sexual
abuse for reasons of youthfulness and emotional vulnerability (Coughlan et al). According to

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Coughlan, an intermediary is a social worker who prepares the child for court appearances and
sits with the child in the camera room, translating questions that may not be so clear to the
child. By having this intermediary, the child can have a clear understanding as to what is going
on and effectively incriminate the perpetrators.
The social workers are there seek the truth. Children have a lack of knowledge of sexual
activity and those abused may have been misled to think that what is happening to them is
okay. Therefore, intermediaries must translate court lingo into a language that children can
understand. This helps the child realize that what has happened to him or her was wrong.
Having an intermediary can also help jumpstart the healing process, in order for the victims not
to become perpetrators or develop a case of post-traumatic stress disorder (Coughlan).
Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) develops after a person is exposed to a potentially
traumatic life event, and is defined by three symptom clusters: re-experiencing, avoidance and
numbing, and hyper arousal (American Psychiatric Association). Between 30-50% of sexually
abused children meet full criteria for a PTSD diagnosis (Maikovich et al). It is clear that PTSD will
develop after the abuse takes place, but there are two cures. According to a study found in a
text written by Judith A. Cohen et al, 229 eight to fourteen year olds were randomly assigned to
two treatments: trauma-focused cognitive-behavioral therapy (TF-CBT) and child centered
therapy for PTSD patients.
Although both treatments work, the results of the study show that the children who
participated in TF-CBT, showed greater improvement in regards to PTSD. Not only were the
children assigned to a specific treatment, but so were the parents. Parents who participated in

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TF-CBT, also show greater improvement when it came to their levels of depression, abusespecific distress, support of the child, and effective parenting practices. (Cohen) By starting to
treat post-traumatic stress disorder earlier in childhood, can lead to fewer abuse cases caused
by victims of abuse. The fact that the parents improved from the therapy shows that sexual
abuse related to the development of PTSD can be avoided.
In order to effectively prevent child abuse and maltreatment, signs of any type of violence
must be considered immediately. Domestic violence is one of the causes of child abuse. The
National Crime Victimization Survey reported that nearly 700,000 violent crimes in the year of
2001 were committed by an intimate partner (Rennison).
Rodriguez and friends, decided to explore cognitive and emotional factors that may worsen
the chance of child abuse potential among domestic violence victims. The 80 participants in this
study reported their depression, hopelessness, anxiety and anger as well as their attachment
and attribution style important factors of how they treated their own children due to what they
experienced. Depression and anxiety were the strongest predictors (Rodriguez). Not only are
the parents committing the child abuse, but the children in the homes that witness this
violence are likely to become abusers as well.
The vast majority of domestic violence victims are raising children in these homes, with
estimates ranging from 3.3 to 10 million children in the nation witnessing spousal violence
every year. Every year, millions of children are becoming more susceptible to being abused or
becoming abusers. Rodriguez also states that children growing up in violent homes
demonstrate higher rates of psychopathology. Furthermore, the impact of domestic violence

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on children's mental health appears to develop into long-term negative consequences

(Rossman).
Although, being in a home where domestic violence may not always be the cause of
becoming a child abuser. The increase in child maltreatment may be a result of the context in
which the victims are parenting. "Battered women are eight times more likely to be violent
toward their children when they are actively in an abusive relationship compared to when they
have terminated that relationship", says Walker. By noticing the signs of domestic violence,
child abuse can be prevented. And once experts notice the domestic violence, therapy,
specifically Cognitive Behavioral Theory (CBT), can be used as an intervention technique. CBT is
similar to TF-CBT but it is done as intervention and not a way to cure post-traumatic stress
disorder (Walker).
Research suggests that once a child experiences child abuse and or witness abuse in the
home, that child will become an abuser. There is a widespread of belief for this theory but very
little empirical evidence. A retrospective clinical case was done on 843 people who attended a
specialist forensic psychotherapy center. Among 747 males that attended the center, the risk of
becoming a perpetrator was positively correlated with having been sexually abused. Thirty-five
percent of those males became perpetrators and eleven percent did not. Of the 96 female
victims of sexual abuse, only one was a perpetrator. As a result of this study, it seems that there
is a victim to victimizer cycle but never the less, there are many ways to prevent one from
committing child abuse (The British Journal of Psychiatry).

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Child abuse is devastating to the victims and the ones surrounded by them. Child abuse is
like an epidemic; once it reaches one it trickles down from generation to generation. It is
seemed to be a never ending cycle of hurt, pain, hopelessness and gives a sense of no way out.
But research shows that there is hope for these victimized children. When brought to court,
there is an intermediary who can guide the victims through the events that occurred and assure
that it won't happen again. There is treatment for those with post-traumatic stress disorder
that was caused by the abuse and proven to be effective. Furthermore, by noticing the signs of
violence in the homes of children, those parents can receive therapy along with their children in
hopes of becoming a stronger and healthier family.

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Annotated Bibliography
Critical Preface
In todays world, the pressing issue of child abuse, sexual and physical, has been surfacing
for years. Children are being sold for money, beaten by their own parents, neglected by loved
ones and so on. I have done some research on how to control this issue and what action is
taking place on how to prevent child abuse and neglect. During my research these questions
have come up: Is there a way to stop those who were abused from abusing in the future? Does
poverty cause child abuse, and if so how can we solve this? These questions are important
when it comes to taking a stand in protecting the future children of America.
I conducted my research during November 2014. This research includes a few scholarly
journals, news articles, books, and statistics from online databases. The research helped me
answer the questions I had and better understand what people are doing to stop child abuse.
The process of preventing child abuse is unfortunately slow but according to my research action
has taken place. My research also gave me reasons as to why child abuse happens. Using this
research, Ill help my audience better understand child abuse and how to prevent it because it
is preventable.
Aronson, Lisa. Child Abuse and Culture: Working with Diverse Families. New York; Guilford
Press, 2005. Print.
This book, Child Abuse and Culture: Working with Diverse Families, can be found in any
library, specifically the Saginaw Valley State University Library, which intentions to inform the
general audience about how different cultures may have an impact on child abuse. This book

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focuses on diverse families who may not have much and how the stress of poverty and lack can
cause child abuse in these homes. This book would be useful when it comes to what causes
child abuse and how can it be stopped.
Coughlan, Felicity; Renette Jarman. Can the Intermediary System Work for Child Victims of
Sexual Abuse? Families in Society 83.5 (2002): 541-546 ProQuest Web. 3 Nov 2014.
This scholarly journal, Can the Intermediary System Work for Child Victims of Sexual
Abuse? found on an online database, ProQuest, informs the general audience on an action
plan to prevent victims from abusing down the line. This journal talks about a specific system
that has been created in South Africa, The Intermediary System, and how it is attempting to
reduce trauma and secondary abuse. This source would be helpful in determining what can be
done to help prevent the cycle of child abuse.
Cunningham, Susan M. The Joint Contribution of Experiencing and Witnessing Violence
During Childhood on Child Abuse in the Parent Role Violence and Victims 18.6 (2003): 619-639
ProQuest Web. 3 Nov 2014.
This article, The Joint Contribution of Experiencing and Witnessing Violence During
Childhood on Child Abuse in the Parent Role, can be found on an online database, ProQuest, to
offer information on experiencing and witnessing violence during childhood and the effects.
The article examines adult respondents abuse of children as a consequence of their own
childhood experiences of abuse both direct and witnessing it. This source would be helpful in
explaining a victims point of view on abuse.

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Guterman, Neil B. Early Prevention of Physical Child Abuse and Neglect: Existing Evidence
and Future Directions Child Maltreatment 2.1 (1997): ProQuest Web. 3 Nov 2014.
This scholarly journal, Early Prevention of Physical Child Abuse and Neglect: Existing
Evidence and Future Directions, can be found on an online database, ProQuest, informing the
general audience of preventative ways to stop child abuse and neglect before it leads to
repetition. The focus of this journal is noticing the signs of child abuse and neglect early, taking
action and trying to eliminate it as a whole. This journal would be helpful when I try to use
sources to support my argument of ways to prevent child abuse from happening generation
after generation.
Maikovich Kohn, Andrea; Karestan C. Koenen; Sara R. Jaffee. Posttraumatic Stress
Symptoms and Trajectories in Child Sexual Abuse Victims: An Analysis of Sex Differences Using
the National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-Being. Abnormal Child Psychology (2009):
727-737 ProQuest. Web. 3 Nov. 2014.
This scholarly journal, Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms and Trajectories in Child Sexual
Abuse Victims: An Analysis of Sex Differences Using the National Survey of Child and Adolescent
Well-Being, can be found online in a database called ProQuest to inform the general audience
about a study done on posttraumatic stress symptoms in sexual abuse victims. The authors did
this study to see if sex differences had an effect on posttraumatic stress symptoms in youth
victimized by childhood sexual abuse between the ages of 8-16 year olds. This source would be
useful in determining the effects of sexual abuse regarding different disorders.

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Rodriguez, C. M. Emotional Functioning, Attachment Style, and Attributions as Predictors

of Child Abuse Potential in Domestic Violence Victims Violence and Victims 21 (2006): 199-212
ProQuest Web. 3 Nov 2014.
This article, Emotional Functioning, Attachment Style, and Attributions as Predictors of
Child Abuse Potential in Domestic Violence Victims, can be found on an online database,
ProQuest, to inform the general audience of three possible predictors of child abuse in
domestic violence victims. This journal includes a study done on eighty participants reporting
their cognitive and emotional factors that may exacerbate child-abuse. This source would be
helpful in determining what cognitive and emotional factors attribute to child abuse.
"The British Journal of Psychiatry." Cycle of Child Sexual Abuse: Links between Being a Victim
and Becoming a Perpetrator. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Nov. 2014.
This article journal can be found online aimed at the general public in hopes to answer the
question of "will abusers become perpetrators?" This journal gives statistics and methods on
how the researchers came to their conclusion. This article will be helpful in my
counterargument of having once been abused, victims will more than likely abuse again.
Timmons-Mitchell, Jane; Dawn Chandler-Holtz; William E. Semple. Post-traumatic Stress
Disorder Symptoms in Child Sexual Abuse Victims and Their Mothers Journal of Child Sexual
Abuse 6.4 (1997): 1-14 ProQuest Web. 3 Nov 2014.
This scholarly journal, Post-traumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms in Child Sexual Abuse
Victims and Their Mothers found on an online database, ProQuest, informs the general
audience of a study done between children and mothers who were sexually abused and those

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who werent. This journal seeks to find where post-traumatic stress comes from and how to
have it treated when dealing with abused victims. This source would be helpful in determining
what disorders come from being sexually abused.

Wright, John; William Friedrich; Caroline Cinq-Mars; Mireille Cyr; Pierre McDuff. SelfDestructive and Delinquent Behaviors of Adolescent Female Victims of Child Sexual Abuse:
Rates and Covariates in Clinical and Nonclinical Samples Violence and Victims 19.6 (2004): 627643 ProQuest Web. 3 Nov 2014.
This scholarly journal, Self-Destructive and Delinquent Behaviors of Adolescent Female
Victims of Child Abuse: Rates and Covariates in Clinical and Nonclinical Samples found in an
online database, ProQuest, is to inform the general audience on the behaviors of female
adolescence caused by child abuse. This journal measures how self-harming and disobedient
female victims of child abuse grow up to be, by doing a sample experiment. This source would
be useful because of the numbers and data collected from the sample study.