Dignity and privacy
Barbara Smith, Linda Field in Nursing Care, 2019
Physical abuse is the injury or mistreatment of an individual. The abuse may be intentional or accidental. Physical abuse includes overuse and inappropriate use of medication, such as using medication as a form of restraint, and underuse of medication, such as leaving a patient in pain rather than giving appropriate pain relief. Physical abuse can be inflicted directly, for example with a weapon, fist or foot, or an everyday item such as a rolling pin. Physical abuse also includes handling patients in a rough manner, the poor application of manual handling techniques, and the use of unreasonable physical restraint (Nursing and Midwifery Council 2015). Injuries may be concealed if the abuser does not want others to know what is happening. Health professionals need to take action if they notice bruising and marks in unusual places, always report to line managers and/or team leaders.
Child abuse and neglect
Laeth Sari Nasir, Arwa K Abdul-Haq in Caring for Arab Patients, 2018
All types of CAN may affect a child’s psychological well-being.18 While there is no single set of behaviors that is characteristic of all CAN victims, physically and sexually abused children often exhibit both internalizing and externalizing problems. In addition to obvious sequelae such as death, traumatic brain injury or disfigurement, physical abuse may result in long-term mental health consequences that include violence, criminal behavior, substance abuse, self-injurious and suicidal behavior, depression, anxiety, and other mental health problems.19 While sexual abuse may leave no physical signs, its emotional and psychological consequences may be devastating. Reactions to sexual abuse can include post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, anxiety, anger, impaired sense of self, dissociative phenomena, suicidal behavior and inappropriate sexual behavior.20,21 Neglect of nutritional and emotional needs of the child may result in significant developmental delays or failure to thrive.22 Motor, fine motor, speech, language and cognitive delays have been documented. The resultant poor cognitive ability can lead to emotional and behavioral problems.
Recognisable signs of a child suffering physical abuse
Adrian Powell in Paedophiles, Child Abuse and the Internet, 2018
The Department of Health’s guide continues, outlining the possible impact of physical abuse: Physical abuse can lead directly to neurological damage, physical injuries, disability or – at extreme – death. Harm may be caused to children both by the abuse itself, and by the abuse taking place in a wider family or institutional context of conflict and aggression, including inappropriate or inexpert use of physical restraint. Physical abuse has been linked to aggressive behaviour in children, emotional and behavioural problems, and educational difficulties. Violence is pervasive and the physical abuse of children frequently coexists with domestic violence. (Department of Health 2006)
Physical Versus Sexual Abuse as Reflected in Adolescents’ Self-Figure Drawings: A Preliminary Study
Published in Journal of Child Sexual Abuse, 2022
Rachel Lev-Wiesel, Oren Ramot, Hagar Niv, Einav Daniel, Yoav Gosh, Amir Dahan, Susan Weinger
Physical abuse defined as violence directed toward the child by a household member, including parents, surrogate parents, siblings, or relatives in the household, includes hitting the child’s head or body with hands/fists, with an implement, kicking, burning, threatening, or using a gun or knife (Bifulco et al., 2002). It also includes acts or circumstances that threaten the child with harm or create a substantial risk of harm to the child’s health or welfare such as human trafficking, labor trafficking, involuntary servitude, or trafficking of minors (Rode et al., 2019). Emotional abuse defined as any act that intentionally devalues and hurt the child, includes behaviors such as spurning, terrorizing, isolating, exploiting/corrupting, denying emotional responsiveness, and mental health/medical/legal neglect (Trickett et al., 2009).
The prevalence and associated risk factors of elder abuse among older people applied to the family health center in the rural district of Turkey
Published in Social Work in Health Care, 2020
Signs of physical abuse may be various unusual and unexplained injuries, burns, bite marks, hair loss, abrasions, cuts, bruises, pains, physical restrictions, symptoms of depression, delirium, or dementia. Although there are psychological indicators, physical abuse has more visible signs than other types of abuse in terms of including physical indicators. On the other hand, the indicators of psychological abuse and neglect are more open to observation and interpretation of the professionals. The signs of psychological abuse can be listed as observation of direct verbal abuse, postponement of questions, signs of isolated life, mental status, and behavioral queues which might indicate fear, apathy, lethargy, signs of depression or anxiety, poor eye contact, or withdrawn behaviors. Moreover, elder neglect consists of signs just as bedsores, malnutrition, fluid loss, inadequate hygiene, noncompliance with medical diet, medication follow-up failure, inappropriate/soiled clothing, unavailability of food, condition of the residence, and signs of delirium and/or dementia (Dyer et al., 2002; Hoover & Polson, 2014; Keller et al., 2019; Kurkurina et al., 2018).
Impact of childhood maltreatment on psychosomatic outcomes among men and women with disabilities
Published in Disability and Rehabilitation, 2022
Michelle M. Pebole, Chelsea E. Greco, Robyn L. Gobin, Brian N. Phillips, David R. Strauser
Overall, our results broadly indicate that childhood maltreatment can be associated with poor psychosomatic outcomes in later adulthood and provide initial guidance for healthcare professionals working with individuals with disabilities. The presence of poor physical health symptoms was most frequently associated with a history of physical abuse. These associations seem to differ by gender suggesting that psychosocial manifestations of childhood maltreatment may be different between men and women. These findings have implications for rehabilitation professionals working with individuals who have experienced childhood trauma. Namely, routine screening for abuse and enrolling participants with physical abuse histories in treatments that directly target psychosomatic (physical and mental) symptoms may help attenuate physical health issues and prevent the development of additional impairments through the aging process. Future research should focus on understanding best practices for creating inclusive and trauma-informed rehabilitation spaces which provide safe contexts for trauma disclosure. Additionally, health-services-based research is needed to understand effective referral schemes for trauma-related health issues between physical and mental health services with rehabilitation facilities.
Related Knowledge Centers
- Alcohol
- Anxiety
- Violence
- Depression
- Injury
- Suffering
- Fear
- Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
- Domestic Violence
- Workplace Aggression