How To Read The Unnoticeable Signs Of Child Abuse and Protect a Child Against It

No matter how old a child is or what their background is, the long-term effects of child abuse can be catastrophic. It includes mental health problems, problems with drugs, and a higher risk of cancer and stroke. 

But what can you do to help? Most people know to look out for bruises or wounds on children that can’t be explained. But you can also look for less obvious signs. When a child is hurt on purpose, such as when a parent hits their child, this is called physical or emotional abuse. Neglect is another form of child abuse, which is caused by parents not taking care of their kids. 

In the United States, there were 618,399 cases of child abuse in the year 2020. Kids who are less fortunate and live in poverty and those with special needs are especially at risk. The numbers are, unfortunately, staggering, and negligence toward this issue is a major contributor to these stats. 

While the obvious signs are wounds and bruises, and sometimes trauma, there are less obvious signs of child abuse that guardians need to be careful about. These signs don’t always mean that someone is being abused. But they can show that more research needs to be done.

1. Chronic Somatic Symptoms

Pain and discomfort in the body that cannot be explained by recognized medical conditions are referred to as somatic symptoms. Somatic symptoms include things like headaches, stomachaches, and pain in the limbs. Studies have shown that children who have been abused are especially likely to have somatic symptoms. 

That could be because trauma changes the way the nervous system works. When kids are stressed, they get anxious, just like adults. This anxiety leads to physical symptoms. Any kind of abuse can cause problems with the body.

2. Parentification

Parentification is the process by which a child acts like a parent. In other words, the child takes care of the adult instead of the other way around. The worry is that making kids feel like they have to act like adults puts them under a lot of stress, which can be bad for their development. 

Parentification is most often linked to neglect since it usually happens when parents can’t take care of their own kids. This could be because of drug use, mental health problems, or long hours at work.

3. Having Sexual Knowledge at a Young Age

When a child knows too much about sexual things for their age, it can be a sign that they have been sexually abused. A child in the early grades of elementary school might know that two individuals can fit together just like puzzle pieces to make a baby. But they should just not know too much. 

At certain ages, it’s a big red flag if they start talking about things that show they have either seen or done something sexual. But it’s crucial to pay attention to what’s going on and the situation. For example, kids who grow up early might know more about sex than their peers do at a younger age.

4. Bedwetting

Bedwetting and other developmental setbacks, like sucking one’s thumb, can also be signs of possible physical or sexual abuse. Not wetting the bed can also be a red flag. The most important thing is to watch for a change in behavior. Even if a child has been wetting the bed for a long time and is past the age when this usually stops, it’s probably not a sign that something bad is going on.

On the other hand, if a child who had been potty-trained suddenly starts wetting the bed, that’s a sign that something in their environment is making them stressed. Sexual abuse could be one of these things. This could have something to do with how safe a child feels at night. A child may wet the bed if they don’t feel safe getting up to go to the bathroom.

There is also a psychological aspect: trauma can affect a child’s nervous system and the way they sleep, making them more likely to wet the bed.

5. A Sharp Drop in Academic Performance

Abuse is linked to not doing well in school. It was discovered in a recent study that child abuse negatively affects how well students do in school. Abused children are more likely to get pregnant young, get bad care, and have trauma that lasts for the rest of their lives, which makes them do poorly in school. 

Again, it is very important to properly observe the changes. If a child who used to do well all of a sudden has a lot of problems, that could mean that something is going on behind the scenes. It doesn’t necessarily mean that a child has been abused, but most kids do not drastically change their behavior without reason. 

When you notice something like a sudden change in a child’s grades or behavior, you should ask questions and try to figure out what might be causing the child stress.

6. Getting Gifts That Can’t Be Explained

When someone is sexually abused or groomed, the abuser may give the victim money, clothes, or other gifts. These gifts can be used as bribes to get a child to sleep with an abusive adult or to keep the child from telling on the adult. In 2022, a study was conducted in Zambia, and it was found many teachers who sexually abused their female students gave them gifts or money to get the girls to perform sexual acts. 

Most of the time, an abused child is hurt by someone they know. That means a parent will probably know where the gifts came from, even if they don’t know the person is trying to get their child to like them.

If you spend a lot of time with kids, it’s important to watch out for signs of abuse. In addition to obvious signs of abuse, like bruises that can’t be explained or STDs, there are also more signs you can look out for. If you think a child is being abused, you should think carefully about what is going on and how to tell the authorities in the safest way for the child.