The current estimation of children exposed to domestic violence at home is in the millions. Past studies have investigated the prevalence of child domestic violence abuse, and the results conclude that there is an average fatality rate of 2.2 children for every 1000 (Brown et al., 2022). The stark reality of this issue becomes more tragic because such a high mortality rate makes homicide in children even one of the leading causes of death (CDC, 2022). The child abuse numbers show that approximately one in every four kids faces neglect or abuse (Brown et al., 2022). For maltreatment, the physically abused account for eighteen percent, the neglected seventy-eight percent, and those sexually abused for nine percent (Brown et al., 2022). With these figures articulating the seriousness of this issue, this study hypothesizes that documenting the importance of reporting child domestic violence abuse is necessary for mitigating its adverse effects. This paper attempts to reconcile why reporting child domestic violence abuse alleviates adverse health outcomes for victims under five years by analyzing age, health status, and disabilities to decipher the impact on the child’s self-esteem.
Various forms of abuse and violence can occur no matter the setting in which a child grows up calling home. The best way to proceed involves incorporating stratified sampling due to its advantage in drawing precise conclusions by guaranteeing all subgroups in the under-five-year target population get an accurate representation. Firstly, the issue of disability stands out due to their shortcomings in developing their physical, mental, emotional, and even social features (Child Welfare Information Gateway, 2020). It puts them at risk of getting bullied and neglected because they are different, resulting in the inability to come to terms with their disability, hence impacting their self-esteem in the long term.
Secondly, age is a crucial part of this study since the data on child domestic violence abuse shows that the more vulnerable the individual, the more likely they are to become a victim. A clear statistic is that the demographic that faces the most abuse is babies under one year, while twenty-five percent of victims are under three years old (HealthyChildren, 2022). The individual ages covered under the blanket coverage of five years of age in the study will take advantage of stratified sampling, allowing in-depth analysis for each age group. The result is that the child as an adult will experience negative feelings, even positive experiences, due to the constant overt expression that it is the victim’s fault.
With a focus on neglect and maltreatment in children, specifically those under five years of age, violence can take on any form. The most common ones entail emotional, sexual, and physical violence. When violence against children occurs, it can be in a community setup, the family home, the school setting, or on an online platform (UNICEF, 2020). Sometimes, the child does not have to be the victim, and witnessing the violence and abuse is enough to scar them with negative behavioral and psychological consequences. The health status factor articulates this aspect by presenting the health status of the parent or legal guardian as the risk factor. It is a family-level risk factor that can affect the child’s future.
The data collection phase would entail complementary factors, which will be suitable for stratified sampling. These factors are many, including poverty levels, intimate partner violence, and drug abuse (Austin et al., 2020). Most studies portray child abuse as a more detrimental issue, resulting in more long-term psychological effects compared to neglect (Gonzalez et al., 2022). The study focuses on the dual exposure effect where the child suffers abuse, especially neglect and violence, which falls under the definition of child maltreatment by the WHO (Gonzalez et al., 2022). With an investigation built on strengthening research towards child domestic violence abuse, the best way to collect the data is through medical records, data from Child Protection Services, and the information availed by community services. It allows data collected to remain objective, genuine, and anonymous in its usage in the study, thus guaranteeing validity and reliability.
References
Austin, A. E., Lesak, A. M., & Shanahan, M. E. (2020). Risk and protective factors for child maltreatment: A review. Current Epidemiology Reports, 7(4), 334-342. Web.
Brown, C. L., Yilanli, M., & Rabbitt, A. L. (2022). Child physical abuse and neglect – StatPearls – NCBI bookshelf. National Center for Biotechnology Information. Web.
CDC (2022) Facts about suicide, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Web.
Child Welfare Information Gateway. (2020). Child factors that contribute to child abuse and neglect. Web.
Gonzalez, D., Mirabal, A. B., & McCall, J. D. (2022). Child abuse and neglect – StatPearls – NCBI bookshelf. National Center for Biotechnology Information. Web.
HealthyChildren. (2022). Child abuse and neglect: What parents should know. Web.
UNICEF. (2020). Violence against children. Web.