Newswise — MAYWOOD, IL - Every 10 seconds a report is made concerning a child being abused. Child abuse can lead to life-long physical, emotional and psychological conditions. Each year in the U.S., more than 1,600 children die from abuse or neglect. April is National Child Abuse Awareness Month and Loyola University Health System is working with physicians, nurses, parents and communities to help bring awareness to this preventable childhood danger.
“The trauma of abuse or neglect of a child can have life-long consequences. The physical wounds heal but research is showing that the effects on a child’s social, emotional and future physical health is far more damaging than we once thought,” said Mary E. Jones, MD, child advocacy physician at Loyola University Health System.
Child abuse is divided into four types: physical abuse, neglect, sexual abuse and emotional maltreatment. Most children suffer from a combination of these types. The first step to helping an abused child is to recognize the signs.
“One of the major challenges in knowing when a child is suffering maltreatment is that the child rarely discloses to anyone that the abuse is occurring,” Jones said.
Here are a few signs that a child might be dealing with abuse:• Shows sudden changes in behavior or school performance• Has not received help for physical or medical problems brought to the parents’ attention• Is always watchful, as though preparing for something bad to happen• Lacks adult supervision• Is overly compliant, an overachiever or too responsible• Comes to school early, stays late and does not want to go home
More important than awareness is prevention when it comes to keeping children safe from abuse.
“All families can use a little help and families with limited resources or those with other challenges have an even greater need. When families have access to resources that offer information, support and guidance that help them meet the challenges of parenting we have a greater chance of keeping children safe while fostering the well-being of the entire family,” Jones said.
Here are a few ways you can help:
1. Be a nurturing parent. Your child needs to know he or she is loved and special from you.2. Help a friend, neighbor or relative. Parenting is hard and a 24/7 job. By offering to help you can relieve stress and help a parent to refocus.3. Take a Parent Time Out. Dealing with lots of issues or when a child is crying uncontrollably can cause parents to feel out of control. If you feel yourself starting to lose control or overwhelmed take a time out for yourself. Make sure your child is in a safe location and remove yourself for a few minutes to calm down. 4. Help out. Get involved in community efforts to prevent child abuse such as ensuring there are free resources for parents and kids in local libraries, schools and other community areas. 5. Monitor your child’s television, video and Internet use. Children are influenced by what they see. Make sure they aren’t watching violent TV shows or playing violent games. Also, it’s easy for predators to disguise themselves online so set limits and make sure you know what your child is doing while playing games or just spending time on the Internet.6. Report suspected abuse or neglect. If you believe a child has been or may be harmed, contact your local police department or the department of child and family services.
“Children are our most valuable resources and will shape the future of our community. We all must play a role in ensuring their social and emotional well-being. When we focus on building protective factors in families, such as nurturing, knowledge of child development and age-appropriate expectations, parental resilience and concrete family supports, we can reduce or eliminate the risk of maltreatment. Children are then able grow up in safe, stable and nurturing environments,” said Jones.
For media inquires, please contact Evie Polsley at [email protected] or call (708) 216-5313 or (708) 417-5100. Follow Loyola on: Facebook:http://www.facebook.com/#!/LoyolaHealthTwitter:http://twitter.com/#!/LoyolaHealthYouTube:http://www.youtube.com/user/LoyolaHealth###About Loyola University Health SystemLoyola University Health System (LUHS) is a member of Trinity Health. Based in the western suburbs of Chicago, LUHS is a quaternary care system with a 61-acre main medical center campus, the 36-acre Gottlieb Memorial Hospital campus and more than 30 primary and specialty care facilities in Cook, Will and DuPage counties. The medical center campus is conveniently located in Maywood, 13 miles west of the Chicago Loop and 8 miles east of Oak Brook, Ill. At the heart of the medical center campus is a 559-licensed-bed hospital that houses a Level 1 Trauma Center, a Burn Center and the Ronald McDonald® Children's Hospital of Loyola University Medical Center. Also on campus are the Cardinal Bernardin Cancer Center, Loyola Outpatient Center, Center for Heart & Vascular Medicine and Loyola Oral Health Center as well as the LUC Stritch School of Medicine, the LUC Marcella Niehoff School of Nursing and the Loyola Center for Fitness. Loyola's Gottlieb campus in Melrose Park includes the 255-licensed-bed community hospital, the Professional Office Building housing 150 private practice clinics, the Adult Day Care, the Gottlieb Center for Fitness, Loyola Center for Metabolic Surgery and Bariatric Care and the Loyola Cancer Care & Research at the Marjorie G. Weinberg Cancer Center at Melrose Park.
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