Essay About African American Children And Child Maltreatment

Child Maltreatment
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The Problem
What is child maltreatment (CM)?
Any form of abuse or neglect inflicted on a child less than 18 years of age
It encompasses all types of physical, verbal, emotional, or sexual abuse, negligence, exploitation, or witnessing violence in the home
Underreporting
Consequences of CM can be long-term
Reports are falsely attributed to falls, burns, accidental injuries
Medical personnel are undertrained to identify abuse
Purpose
To determine if a relationship exists between CM and academic performance and if such maltreatment causes deficits in learning and achievement of the school-aged child

Research Question
What is the relationship between child maltreatment and academic performance
in school-aged children?
Background & Significance
CM is a difficult topic to research
Delay in identification
High risk for academic deficits
Young brain can’t compartmentalize well
Need for intentional interventions
Some Statistics
Most recent data estimates 702,000 victims of child maltreatment annually
Of the total child homicides annually 1,580 are documented and confirmed deaths related to abuse or neglect.
70% of deaths by abuse were to children < 3 years of age Boys had higher death rates than girls 90% of the deaths were to Caucasian children 79% of deaths were by at least one parent Victim Characteristics African American children have the highest rate of maltreatment American-Indian or Alaskan Native children hold the second highest rate of maltreatment Neglect has the most significant impact Poverty impacts development Influential Factors for Success Primary caregiver role Group involvement (i.e. afterschool activities) Mentoring/tutoring programs School setting School personnel Theoretical Framework Theory of Cognitive Development by Jean Piaget Published in the 1920’s The nature and development of human intelligence Four stages: Sensorimotor, preoperational, concrete operational, and formal operational Interruption by trauma may lead to issues with cognitive development Methods PubMed, PsycINFO, CINAHL, SCOPUS, ClinicalKey, & Nursing Reference Center Articles dated from 2006 to 2016 Child maltreatment Academic achievement Guidelines for research critique Inclusion ● Academic function as a result of child maltreatment