Child Abuse Leaves Mark on Brain

Child Abuse Leaves Mark on Brain
Jennifer Welsh  Live Science Mon, 13 Feb 2012

Childhood abuse and maltreatment can shrink important parts of the brain, a new study of adults suggests.

Reduced brain volume in parts of the hippocampus could help to explain why childhood problems often lead to later psychiatric disorders, such as depression, drug addiction and other mental health problems, the researchers say. This link could help researchers find better ways to treat survivors of childhood abuse.

“These results may provide one explanation for why childhood abuse has been identified with an increased risk for drug abuse or psychosis,” study researcher Martin Teicher, of Harvard University, told LiveScience. “Now that one can look at these sub-regions [in the brain], we can get a better idea of what treatments are helping.”

The researchers used magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to scan the brains of 193 individuals between 18 and 25 years old, who had already undergone several rounds of testing to be qualified. They then analyzed the size of areas in the hippocampus and compared the results with the patient’s history. They saw that those who had been abused, neglected or maltreated (based on well-established questionnaires) as children had reduced volume in certain areas of the hippocampus by about 6 percent, compared with kids who hadn’t experienced child abuse.

They also had size reductions in a related brain area called the subiculum, which relays the signals from the hippocampus to other areas of the brain, including the dopamine system, also known as the brain’s “reward center.” Volume reduction in the subiculum has been associated with drug abuse and schizophrenia, as well….

The study was published today (Feb. 13) in the journal Proceedings of the National Academies of Sciences.

http://www.livescience.com/18453-child-abuse-brain.html

America’s child death shame, Ritual Abuse Conference Scotland

America’s child death shame 17 October 2011

Introduction

Every five hours a child dies from abuse or neglect in the US.
The latest government figures show an estimated 1,770 children were killed as a result of maltreatment in 2009.
A recent congressional report concludes the real number could be nearer 2,500.

In fact, America has the worst child abuse record in the industrialised world. Why? The BBC’s Natalia Antelava investigates.

Scale of abuse

Sixty-six children under the age of 15 die from physical abuse or neglect every week in the industrialised world. Twenty-seven of those die in the US – the highest number of any other country.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-15288865

America’s Child Death Shame – BBC News documentary

Izzy’s Promise is hosting a conference for survivors, support workers & organisations on the subject of:

RITUAL ABUSE IN THE UK 10 YEARS ON

VENUE: 1 VICTORIA ROAD, DUNDEE, DD1 1EL
DATE: THURSDAY 3RD NOVEMBER 2011

Main Speaker: Laurie Matthew

http://www.izzyspromise.org.uk/downloads/conf1111.pdf

US Child Maltreatment 2009 Statistics

US Child Maltreatment 2009 Statistics

Child Maltreatment 2009
U.S. Department of Health & Human Services
Administration for Children and Families
Administration on Children, Youth and Families
Children’s Bureau

….Victims in the age group of birth to 1 year had the highest rate of victimization at 20.6 per 1,000 children of the same age group in the national population.

Victimization was split between the sexes with boys accounting for 48.2 percent and girls accounting for 51.1 percent. Less than 1 percent of victims had an unknown sex.

Eighty-seven percent of victims were comprised of three races or ethnicities—African-American (22.3%), Hispanic (20.7%), and White (44.0%).

What were the most common types of maltreatment?

As in prior years, the greatest proportion of children suffered from neglect. A child may have suffered from multiple forms of maltreatment and was counted once for each maltreatment type. CPS investigations or assessments determined that for unique victims:

More than 75 percent (78.3%) suffered neglect;
More than 15 percent (17.8%) suffered physical abuse;
Less than 10 percent (9.5%) suffered sexual abuse; and
Less than 10 percent (7.6%) suffered from psychological maltreatment.

….Child fatalities are the most tragic consequence of maltreatment. Yet, each year children die from abuse and neglect. Forty-nine States reported a total of 1,676 fatalities. Based on these data, a nationally estimated 1,770 children died from abuse and neglect.

….Four-fifths (80.9%) of duplicate perpetrators of child maltreatment were parents, and another 6.3 percent were other relatives of the victim;

Of the duplicate perpetrators who were parents, four-fifths (84.7%) were the biological parents of the victim;

Women comprised a larger percentage of all unique perpetrators than men, 53.8 percent compared to 44.4 percent;

and Four-fifths (83.2%) of all unique perpetrators were between the ages of 20 and 49 years.

….Forty-four States reported that more than 3 million children received preventive services;

http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/cb/pubs/cm09/cm09.pdf