Causes of Child Physical Abuse

Child physical abuse is unjustifiable under any guise; however because of its high prevalence in most cultures, studies have attributed some causes to it.

These causes are varied and can be classified into parental/caregiver causes, child with features that are provocative and environmental factors that promote violence against children. Below are some of the causes:

1. A parent/ caregiver who is short tempered would misconstrue a child's natural demand for attention as misconduct that should be punished.

2. A parent who feels the child came at the wrong time and so has feelings of resentment against the child is easily provoked by every innocent action of the child.

3. A child left in the care of baby sitter with abusive tendencies will be abused.

4. Caregivers who abuse alcohol and other substances have no inhibition in inflicting injuries on innocent children

5. Caregivers who are under stress at work place very often maltreat children.

6. Children with behavioral disorders have injuries inflicted on them in attempts to correct them.

7. Domestic violence raises the incidence of child physical abuse because victims of domestic violence vent their anger on hapless children. A study has found children whose mothers are battered to be 6 to 15 times more likely to be physically abused than children whose mothers are not physically abused.

8. A child with physical disability or who was born prematurely is also at risk for abuse by caregivers because of the extra demands such children make of caregivers.

9. Munchhausen syndrome is an abnormal situation where the caregiver makes the child sick and then derives pleasure from nursing the child.

10. Those who use corporal or physical force in disciplining children tend to gradually apply more force when the child fails to respond to milder force and this coupled with the angry state of mind of the caregiver can produce unintended injuries.

11. Socially isolated caregivers are more violent on the whole than caregivers who have a large network of friends.

12. Caregivers who do not have any religious affiliation do not have the benefit of restraint that religion puts on such aberrant behaviors like abusing a child. The Christian religion expressly teaches that children are a heritage of God and so must be handled with love and affection.

13. Children from single parent homes are more prone to abuse than children from two- parent home because the stress of caring for such children easily tips a parent into abuse at the slightest provocation. Some parents may inadvertently vent their anger on the child rather than on the offending spouse.

14. Caregivers who were abused in childhood tend to do same to their own child; a kind of transfer of aggression because of unresolved hurts and anger.

15. A child with poor bonding with caregiver will also be at risk for physical abuse.

16. Children from large families could be prone to abuse because demands on parents' resources could wear their patience thin and make them violent at the slightest provocation.

17. Low socioeconomic status and the attendant stress of daily living make parents resort to violent behaviors to correct children.