PSYCHOLOGICAL ABUSE

• Jurisdiction: Australia

Introduction ................................................................................................... [41C.1100]

Psychological effects of sexual abuse .......................................................... [41C.1120]

Psychological effects of physical abuse ....................................................... [41C.1150]

Psychological effects of neglect.................................................................... [41C.1170]

[41C.1100] Introduction

It is widely accepted that psychological abuse accompanies to some degree all physical and sexual abuse and neglect. The psychological effects of maltreatment on children's social, emotional and cognitive development cause significant harm.

While many of the psychological effects on the child of abuse and neglect are common across all forms of abuse, some effects are specific to the nature of the abuse. For example, the psychological harms generated by sexual abuse differ in some ways to the harms generated by physical abuse. It is also evident that the psychological effects of abuse and neglect vary according to the age and developmental stage at which the child suffers harm. As Finkelhor (2008) observed, "victimization affects different children differently", citing the importance of...