A recent study published in the American Journal of Psychiatry concluded that child abuse contributes to a reduction in the volume of grey matter in the brains of its victims.
According to Lena Lim, Joaquim Radua, and Katya Rubia, child abuse — or “childhood maltreatment,” as it is called in their study — leads to lifetime-long alteration in brain structure.
“Childhood maltreatment,” they write, “acts as a severe stressor that produces a cascade of physiological and neurobiological changes that lead to enduring alterations in brain structure.”
Using an imaging method that allows them to compare differences in brain anatomy between groups of individuals called “signed differential mapping,” the researchers studied structures of 331 individuals with a history of child abuse, and 362 without.
They discovered that individuals who had suffered abuse had reduced brain matter in areas of the brain related to the cognitive process of decision-making.
The most salient reduction in grey matter volume among victims of child abuse occurred in the ventrolateral prefrontal and limbic-temporal regions — areas of the brain linked to cognitive control.
I have no difficulty at all believing these findings.
I have worked with emotionally disturbed and cognitively impaired children for years, and one thing that is universal to all of the cases is abuse and some form of neglect.
I also suffered some fairly life altering abuse when I was a child.
Considering that I am fairly high functioning I am not sure how much brain matter was beaten out of me, but it certainly fucked up my ability trust or interact with people for quite a number of years.
Trust me when I tell you that no matter how extreme the behaviors might be, using violence as a behavior modification tool only creates far more problems than it appears to solve.
I have worked with kids who called me every name in the book, spit at me, pulled my hair, and even threatened to kill my whole family. In the end the techniques I utilized brought them out of crisis and put them on the path toward becoming contributing members of society.
Hell more than one of them now works with troubled kids themselves.
If you want to create loving children then love them.
If you want to create future guests of a Federal penal institution then by all means beat them into compliance.
I totally agree. I was "beaten" as a child and although I am "fairly high functioning" also, I have extreme "lack of trust" issues. Using violence with children teaches them that violence is how to handle everything in life. Too much attention (helicopter moms) can also teach a child to be overly dependent. But I'll take attention over abuse any day.
ReplyDeleteEven with needy parents who cannot find the inner discipline to acclimate their toddler to her own bed can have negative affects. But honestly, anyone who grew up in the 70s and 80s were spanked with a rod. We all turned out fine and even better than kids who've never known the true fear of a switch and possess self-entitlement due to it.
DeleteToo many of these young parents are SO afraid of saying no and hate hearing cries of unhappiness (very healthy) that they coddle them.
Tip to all parents: kids are SUPPOSED to learn unhappiness and what happens when you can't do whatever you want. A mother of a little 2 yr old girl comes to mind here. She's no obsessed with doing everything to make her daughter smile that Im not sure how shell react when said girl hits an actual rough age, screams 'mom, you are the devil and i hate you." Kids need the latter, they need to experience all that to grow as people.
And it provides funny stories for later.
I now remind my 28 yr old daughter things she said from ages 3-17. It embarrasses and makes her laugh along with me.
I fear for kids who aren't aloud to act like that because they've been coddled and given everything.
Young parents more than anyone need to learn that kids aren't supposed to "like" their parents. We aren't our kids friends or life planners.
I grew up in the 70s and I was never "spanked with a rod". So keep your generalizations at bay.
DeleteThat picture just horrifies me! I can feel the fear of the child and the anger of the person holding the belt. My reaction is much the same as the child but with the horror of an adult who cannot fathom how an adult can do this to a child. I know it happens as evidenced by both your experience and Gra*ma Banana's experience and millions of other people. I just cannot understand it as my natural reaction is to protect a child from pain and fear. I also know that so many people who beat children are repeating what they know. My father was beaten by his father all the time; he did not repeat this pattern. We were not beaten. I think his experiences in Sicily during WWII may have also changed him so that he could not face any further violence in his life, including violence against his children. I am very thankful that I did not go through such horror.
ReplyDeleteWhile I don't believe in using things to spank, I have no problems with spanking as a last resort. Start with a threat, and if a child catches on and continues to defy, execute a quick hand motion to the rear.
DeleteIt works and instills in them things they are not supposed to do.
all about balance.
I completely agree with 6:48 AM. How one could hit a child that is cowering is atrocious to me.
DeleteAs for spanking, I have nothing against it, if it's used after enough warning and provided it doesn't actually hurt. A light slap is quite enough to convey a meaning of utter disapproval from a parent. But if the child keeps on misbehaving, then it's time for being left alone in its room, or being ignored mostly works.
As a last resort, I once prepared a nice hot bath for my misbehaving child, telling him if he was so intent on behaving awfully it must be because he was feeling awful himself, so a bath would make him feel better. Then I left him alone in the bathroom, to take his bath. He was so surprised from this loving act instead of a worse anger from me, that he calmed down and stopped being a hellion for the rest of the day.
Raising two successful boys without one strike from my hands, (nor using the word "no") wasn't easy, it was a gift from the heart, one that they have carried with them...and so does this loving circle.
ReplyDeleteI was beaten with a belt and horsewhip if I spilled a glass of milk or anything. Mother was also very abusive physically and verbally and threatened to kill me and my brothers on a regular basis. I used to wish she would just go ahead and do it. I got so tired of all of it. My father had a drinking problem and sexually abused me as a child too. Believe me, it leaves permanent, life long scars. I screwed my own life up so much looking for the love I never got and would end up in abusive relationships with others. I don't know what these so called adults are thinking. I got worse abuse because I was the only girl, at least my brothers did not have to endure the sexual abuse. It is crazy making stuff. I see that my younger brother and I also have terrible trouble making decisions, like we are afraid to make a move for fear of causing something even worse. This explains some things. Parents, don't beat your kids or abuse them verbally either, you are doing great harm.
ReplyDeleteWell, life way back was different. Roles were different. There was a detachment between parents, which isn't necessarily bad since far too many nowadays are so needy with it comes to children (a blond in AK comes to mind)
DeleteI have a good friend who's 52 and she's a virgin because of her deceased parents wishes for her. (Not to remain a virgin but other things.) I think it's generational.
I'm 65 and have spent a kazillion years in therapy. To this day, I cringe when I hear angry raised voices. And I feel myself shrinking back to child-size whenever I'm around a man. If I'm very good, maybe I won't be hurt.
ReplyDeleteThis is true of typical spanking of children, past research shows decreased IQs. The generation that raised mine felt they were doing something wrong if they did not spank their children.Many in my generation just copied what their parents did without receiving the new information, then of course there are the crazy religions promoting harsh punishment of children.
ReplyDeleteI was lucky to have parents who knew how to discipline their children properly. I will never forget one of our neighbor's beating their kid to the point that you could hear his head hit the cinderblock garage wall. I read a book called "A Boy Called "IT", and it made my blood run cold to learn what he went through.
ReplyDeleteAs if physical beatings weren't "enough", the verbal ones that don't leave scars are much worse. "I brought you into this world and I can take you out of it" and "I wish you were never born" must damage the psyche.
Kids need boundaries, communication, be told they're wanted and loved and know they'll always have a soft spot to land when the world gets rough.
Anita, I'll admit that I said to my kids in exasperation "please someone sell them off !". It just flew out of my mouth. I wonder if that did damage.
DeleteEver since, when I see they're not too happy with me, and with a reason (I forget stuff a lot), I tell them "hey, let's sell Mommy off, she's useless" as a balancing act of contrition.
The youngest answers that with "I'll never sell you, I love you", the middle one with "I don't want to get rid of you, but I wish you would make an effort, it would help", and the eldest, a teen, with "don't worry y'all, she's so lame, nobody would buy her ever !"