Characteristics of an Abused Child

• Impaired capacity to enjoy life.
  The most common characteristic Identified In abused children by some researchers
  
  
• Psychiatric symptoms
  e.g., enuresis, tantrums, hyperactivity, bizarre behavior.
  
  
• Low self-esteem.
  
  
• School learning problems
  Children can be placed in "slow learner", learning disability, or emotionally handicapped classes.
  
  
• Withdrawal
  Quiet, shy, extremely well-behaved children may be reacting to overly rigid or abusive discipline.
  
  
• Opposition
  In the form of passive-aggressive behavior the child may give the impression of cooperation and a desire to please the adult, but may be subtly oppositional to the adult's wishes. The child's seeming denial of his/her own resistance makes it more difficult to deal with.
  
  
• Hypervigilance (paranoid)
  The child behaves as if he is extremely vulnerable and must be in constant readiness for unexpected events. May be easily distracted, hears every footstep, door slam, etc.
  
  
• Poor peer relationships
  Many times parents encourage their children's isolation and distrust of peers.
  
  
• Psuedo-mature behavior
  Children may attempt to take care of adults in the home.
  
  
• Fear of failure
  Efforts to avoid failure may be intense. The abused child has typically received a great deal of punishment for failure to live up to his/her parent's unrealistic standards-. In the absence of feedback and positive messages about his/her performance, the child fails to internalize positive feelings about his/her own efforts.
  
  
• Tremendous need for nurturance
  Once children feel safe, they may exhibit a great need for physical affection and social emotional stroking.
  
  
• Overly compliant
  Children may be very anxious to please, seeking out permission before initiating any new action.
  
  
• Aggressive acting out
  Child may be overtly hostile, rebellious, physically aggressive toward other children and adults.
  

The specific incidents of physical assault are a psychic trauma. However, the broader picture, which may include rejection, chaos, deprivation, distorted parental perceptions, unrealistic expectation as well as hospitalization, separation, foster placement, and frequent home changes, Is in the long run more significant to the child's development..

Any particular personality trait can be seen as a symptom, a distortion, a problem, or an adaptation of the child to his environment.

Resource: THE ABUSED CHILD: A MULTIDISCIPLINARY APPROACH TO DEVELOPMENTAL ISSUES AND TREATMENT., ed. by Harold B. Martin, Ballinger Publishing Co., Cambridge, Mass.