Janet is a second-grade student who lives in a home with her mother and father. She displays several problem behaviors at school, often gets in trouble for lying at home, and has a diagnosis of cystic fibrosis that requires expensive medical treatments. Janet’s father often yells at her and makes Janet believe that she is responsible for his unhappiness. He often tells Janet that she is the reason he is depressed and that she caused him to lose his job. As a result of her father’s remarks, Janet has come to believe that she is not worthy of her father’s love and that she is to blame for her family’s unhappiness. Identify the type of child maltreatment described in this situation and briefly explain your reasoning. Has Janet’s behavior and medical condition provoked her

Question

maltreatment? Why or why not?

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Janet is suffering from emotional abuse. Students may address any of the following pieces of evidence to support their claim of emotional abuse: making Janet feel as though she is responsible for her father’s unhappiness, claiming Janet caused her father to lose his job, claiming that Janet is not worthy of her father’s love, or making Janet believe that she is the main reason her family is so unhappy. When addressing the possibility of a child’s behavior causing her maltreatment, student responses may vary. However, student responses should note that there are many variables that increase a child's vulnerability to abuse and neglect including low birth weight, intellectual disability, prematurity, orthopedic impairments, emotional and/or behavioral disorders, developmental delays, provocative or unmanageable behavior such as colic or hyperactivity, impairments in the mother–infant bond, language and speech delays, and impaired social skills. Students should address the maltreatment triangle in their response. The maltreatment triangle states that child abuse requires three elements: the perpetrator, the victim, and the precipitating event (e.g., the loss of a job or severe health issues). Some scholars argue that certain characteristics such as intellectual disabilities or hyperactivity can cause or provoke abuse. These individuals argue that children are a part of the reciprocal process whereby behaviors provoke abuse which, in turn, exacerbates the situation and gives rise to further maltreatment. However, even if a child's behaviors or other impairments are difficult to manage, it is important to remember that the child's characteristics and actions do not in and of themselves cause abuse. They are only one part of the maltreatment triangle. Ultimately, student responses should relay the fact that child abuse is a result of the interaction between parent characteristics, environmental considerations, the child, and any precipitating events that may have occurred. Furthermore, students should clearly state that no child provokes or is directly responsible for any maltreatment they endure.