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Child abuse is any action or behavior directed toward a child
by a parent, caregiver, family member or other adult which endangers
the child's physical or emotional health, growth or development.
There are four major types of child abuse: physical abuse, emotional
abuse, neglect and sexual abuse.
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| What Does a
Child's Age Have to do With What He or She Tells Us About Being
Abused? |
| Preschool-age child: |
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A younger child's story of abuse is generally truthful.
Preschool-age children do not understand that abuse is morally
wrong, a threat to health, or serious.
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| School-age child: |
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Children are more likely to self-report family abuse;
that is, make a report on their own.
Children are becoming more aware of normal family behavior
due to exposure to other children's families.
School-age children tend to be protective of substance abusing
parents (they take over family and childcare duties, as
well as they can, for the impaired parent).
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| Teenager: |
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Sexual abuse is often disclosed by teens when family incest
conflicts with normal teenage relationships.
A teen who has been acting as a mini-parent by taking on
adult responsibilities may get tired of the role and disclose
the abuse, just to get back to being just a teenager.
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