Question
What are warning signs of physical abuse?
Answer
- Physical signs (bruises, cuts, burns, other unexplained marks on body)
- Child is depressed, withdrawn, or apathetic
- Child exhibits antisocial or destructive behavior
- Child displays excessive fear
(Child Welfare Information Gateway, 2013b)
There are various warning signs of abuse, and when we stop and think about it, of the four types of abuse, physical abuse is probably the easiest one to recognize because of the physical signs. You may see bruises, cuts, burns, or other unexplained marks on a child's body. As you know, just because a child has some marks on the body doesn't mean they're physically abused. Children are active and playful, and accidents do happen. What you need to be aware of are recurring marks on the body or marks that are unexplained. If a child is too young to be verbal, which may be the majority of the children in your care, you can and should ask the caregiver about it. What should be a warning sign is if the caregiver's reasoning for the marks doesn't align with the actual marks. I would encourage you to do some research about bruises. There are pictures online of bruises that are new as opposed to bruises that are several days old. That may help you uncover whether a story is accurate or not. You also want to look at the placement of the mark on the child's body. If that doesn't align with the story, that should be a warning signal to you.
Keep in mind that warning signs of child abuse may not be physical signs but they could be emotional signs or behavioral signs. Some of the other signals that you can look for in the children in your care are children who appear to be depressed, they're very withdrawn, or they're very apathetic. It could be on the other end of the spectrum where the child exhibits very antisocial or destructive behavior. The child may display excessive fear, particularly when they're in the presence of a caregiver who's actually committing the abuse.
This Ask the Expert is an edited excerpt from the course, Child Abuse and Neglect: An Overview, by Marilyn Massey-Stokes, EdD.
