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Causes of Child Abuse


            Child abuse is a common crisis that is occurring all over the world in every ethnic group, religion, and social class. Psychologists and other specialists have tried to figure out what can be done to stop this horrible condition, but until they find and pinpoint the causes, it can't be done. Professionals who study child abuse have ultimately found that the causes of this social disease are economic/financial difficulties, teenage/unwanted pregnancy, lack of education, and previous abuse. Although all of these are major factors, the number one cause is alcohol and other substance abuse.
             Financial difficulties within a family can cause a large amount of excess stress on the parents or parent, which often times is taken out on the children. In our society today, it seems that money is everything, and without it people cannot be happy. With this attitude, we have developed a need for material things, which cannot be provided without money. Parents who did not abuse their children before lash out at them when they are under this often intense economic stress (Hyde 45). Laura Meilner, a guidance counselor at Penn High School and former therapist, teaches a parenting class, and she says that often large "welfare" groups are sent to the class to learn better parenting skills and how to deal with their children in their situation. Chris Chadwick, who is the director of FOCUS, in St. Louis, Missouri, comments on stress as a cause of child abuse, "We knew there was a tremendous amount of abuse nationwide and in our back yard. We knew so much of it was caused by caregivers who were totally stressed," (qtd. in Hampel B1+). Sometimes parents are in such a bad money situation that they cannot provide basic needs for their children (Hyde 45), and then when the children ask for something, just as any normal child would, the parents become angered and feel that they are being greedy and demanding. Also, when mothers are in a bad financial situation, they sometimes have to stay with a spouse or significant other who is abusive because they are their only source of income (Meilner).


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