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The Root of Child Abuse: Anger

Professor Harry J. Gaynor, Ph.D.

While this paper focuses on child abuse by burning, it covers other
areas of violence: children killing their parents, teachers,
schoolmates. The danger signals that disturbed minds send and the
anger signs may not be recognized or taken seriously by family
members, friends, teachers, or neighbors, until tragedy strikes.

Child abuse by burning is one of the most difficult of injuries to
identify properly and to investigate. The search for solutions has
been varied, sometime haphazardly and based on innate guesswork,
unfounded preconceptions and myths with little, if any, scientific
input.

Of 1,356 cases of suspected child abuse reported to the National Burn
Victim Foundation (NBVF) between 1975 and 1996, spontaneous acts of
violence against children were involved in 176 cases (14%). In 168 of
those cases (97%), the parent or guardian caring for the child was
known to have an aggressive response behavior. In four cases, the
perpetrator was identified as passive. There were four cases of
premeditated acts of violence. Of the abusers, males totaled 79 (45%)
and females 97 (55%). Two cases were homicides by burning.

Cases involving ignorance and/or willful neglect totaled 466 (35%) of
the 1,356 cases. It was determined that accidents accounted for 712
(53%) of the suspicious burn incidents. I could find no data to
support the opinion of some medical professionals that major burn
insults or the severity of the injury occurred mostly in abuse
incidents. Major, moderate and minor burns occurred in all areas of
abuse, neglect and accident. Scalding burns totaled 952 (70%) while
hot surface contact burns totaled 253 (19%). Other causes of skin
irritation wrongfully identified as burns were diarrhea (6 Cool

, insect
bites (39), Ritter's disease (9) and allergies (35).

The aggressive response person is generally reported to be preoccupied
with self, displays selfish behavior, and does not give adequate
attention to the needs of others. That person displays a lack of
concern for the impact anger will have on the recipient. Violent,
aggressive response behavior includes verbal and physical attacks on
others, labeling others, putting others down, teasing, humiliation of
others and sometimes blatant sarcasm. Seen as a person with a short
fuse, the aggressive response person may possess not only a quick
temper but also a nasty disposition and may act impulsively. Any one
or combination of these traits is a "red flag" when searching for a
motive in cases of child abuse by burning, or any act of physical
violence.

On the other hand, the passive person is aware of hostile anger but
keeps it down. If problems persist over time, a blowup or emotional
breakdown can be expected. The passive behavior person may avoid the
problem, use the "silent treatment," display apathy, use subtle
sarcasm, forget things, and does not give adequate attention to
personal needs.

When there is a mystery as to how a child was burned and there appears
to be no motive, that is the time to explore, in depth, whether the
person responsible for the child at the time of the incident is known
to possess an aggressive response behavior. A common error is to
assume prematurely that the character of the adult is impeccable. An
articulate, glib person is capable of covering up a quick temper; that
person can and does demonstrate remorse when appropriate. During an
investigation, friends, family and associates generally will express
an opinion as to whether an adult has a quick temper. If that is
established, then a psychological profile follows to identify the
adults strengths and weaknesses and determination of whether that
individual fits the mold of an aggressive, quick-tempered person.

The Bible addressed "anger" in Proverbs 14, verse 17: "A quick
tempered man does foolish things." Verse 18 says, "A hot tempered man
stirs up dissension." Proverbs 22, verse 24, says, "Do not make
friends with a hot tempered man, do not associate with one easily
angered." The hot-tempered man (or woman) flying off at the drop of a
hat, was as socially unacceptable then as he (or she) is today.

While the Bible references "angry men," men today have not cornered
the market on anger--women can be just as angry in today's violent
society. Women, in an act of anger, generally strike out at a single
person. Aggressive males can extend their acts of anger and may vent
their rage on a larger scale of violence.

Reported child abuse, physical and emotional, in the United States is
like a "runaway train," whose engineer fails to see the danger signals
along the way. Reports of child abuse are soaring to new heights year
after year. Education and training of physicians and investigators in
forensics is needed. The need for higher standards of training is
tremendous. Violence seen in movies and on home television is turning
this countrys youth into believing that aggressive, dangerous anger is
an acceptable social behavior. However, we know that aggressive anger
results in violent crime. Public service television station have an
opportunity to educate their viewers on the subject of violence. We
live in a sensationalized society thirsting and bent on
sensationalism; it is sensationalism that sells newspapers and draws
record numbers of viewers to movie theaters and television programs in
which violence is glorified.

Teenage violence is becoming a national crisis. Some sections of the
country are beginning to talk about martial law and curfews on youth.
Some areas enforce curfews. Further, it seems children and teenagers
have no fear of consequences for bad behavior. Students in grade
school and high school are beating teachers, stabbing and shooting
fellow students and sneaking guns into school. Surely we can
anticipate more future teenage violence and the "runaway train" will
continue to gain speed into the next generations and beyond. Today's
angry youth are destined to become future child abusers. God help us,
we must stop that train, now!

Children are the victims of adult anger, not adult inability to
control anger, but their unwillingness to change poor behavior.
Behavior is changeable. The innocent, trusting infant or small child
often becomes a target when there is a domestic disagreement or an
outside threatening situation. Some adults' expectations of children
are far beyond a childs ability to respond. When the child acts
according to his/her age and does not respond to the aggressive
adults' expectations, a spontaneous act of violence may occur. In the
172 cases previously mentioned, the child was alone with an abusive
adult when burned. Child abusers know that what they are doing to an
infant or child is wrong and do not want any witnesses to their bad
behavior.

Many child protection programs have failed to identify the basic root
of child abuse. Now children are being told to report their parents or
guardians to their teachers if they believe they are being abused.
Parents from all life styles are now being threatened by their
children when they attempt to correct their childrens attitude or
behavior. Children are not small adults - they are different,
physiologically, biologically and psychologically. Can children really
ascertain the difference between abuse and appropriate parental
discipline? Remember, Hitler invaded the minds of children, twisting
their minds and turning the children against their parents, and he was
successful. Could the unthinkable happen in America? It already has.
Many parents today hesitate to discipline their child for fear of
being accused of child abuse.

Is all anger bad? No, anger is a feeling, and adults and children need
to deal with feelings. It is reasonable to be angry when aroused by
injustice or something unworthy. The assertive person thinks
rationally, acts prudently, feels constructively and stands up firmly
for personal convictions in a manner that respects anothers dignity
(see Andrew Savicky's, Ph.D. 1990 publication, A World Without Tears).
Fortunately, most parents are able to recognize the potential danger
in a situation and take steps to remedy it. Most parents have tales to
tell of times when they could have crossed the line and harmed a
child. If the equation had been weighted with more negative factors,
had the incident been just right, the outcome could well have been
different.

Violence is not new in our society; however, violence against children
when the parent(s) is/are under emotionally stressful circumstances
can be identified with a measure of predictability. Most parents are
able to exhibit restraint, to walk away when they are angry, or to
stop short of striking the child, thus sparing the child from becoming
an innocent target for violence.

Certain risk factors that appear in abused children when one or both
parents have aggressive/passive personalities include the following:
unwanted pregnancy, premature birth, failure of the infant to thrive,
disappointment to parent(s) (e.g., sex, birth defect, appearance),
hyperactive behavior, a "difficult" child, difficult to nurture,
special care needed for the "sickly" child, economic burden, etc.

It is rare that the first act of violence on a child is a thermal
insult. The abused, burned child has experienced other acts of
violence: excessive slapping, pinching, belt strap and/or buckle on
lower legs, arms and back and/or chest areas, hair yanking, pin sticks
and then the ultimate most
painful - burning.

While the configuration of the burn injury and the thermal source are
important when investigating suspicious burns, the history of how the
incident occurred is equally important. A forensically supported
conclusion must be attained prior to judgement on the suspects
character.

Medical professionals receive little (if any) training in medical
school to render a professional opinion in a case of child abuse by
burning. The physicians in hospital emergency departments or in burn
units are often too pressed by time and workload to make a judgement
as to whether a burned child was abused, neglected or the victim of an
accident. They rarely if ever have all the facts needed to render a
professional judgement. Further, during the emergency stage, they are
subject to emotionally-packed stories, some second and third hand.
Once a doctor states "abuse" or "suspicious," rarely is this opinion
challenged.

The physician or nurse is expected to know the answer and thus render
an innate opinion or the popular word "suspicious" is used - a term
which implies a factor of guilt. During the initial treatment of a
burn, many times a wrong decision is made that has far-reaching
repercussions and devastating results. Families can become torn apart,
with the familys lifestyle disrupted and some times damaged beyond
repair.

The cost of investigating reported suspicious incidents of child abuse/
neglect, social services, foster care for children, and subsequent
legal matters involving prosecutors, public defenders, private
attorneys, and the whole process of a trial runs into hundreds of
millions of dollars annually. No price can be placed on a person
wrongfully stigmatized, falsely charged and tried as a child abuser.
Even if found innocent they will always be suspect in the minds of
others.

Children in growing numbers are threatening to report their parents as
child abusers when a parent attempts to impose proper discipline. A
staff physician tells how his 8-year-old son was watching too much
television and his room was a mess. The father instructed his son, "No
TV and I want to see your room straightened up when I come home
tonight." When the father arrived home, the son was watching TV and
the room was still a mess. As he began to scold his son loudly, the 8-
year-old jumped off the chair, pointed his finger at his father and
said, "Dad, if you continue to holler at me, I will tell my teacher,
and she will call the police to arrest you for child abuse."

Little girls in school are being told, "Dont sit on a mans lap if you
feel uncomfortable." What does that mean? When a small childs father
says, "Come, sit on Daddys lap and Ill read you a story," how will she
react? Will she make excuses again and again and fear that some
terrible thing will happen to her if she sits on a mans lap? What
about grandad and Santa Claus, they are men. Children have been lied
to by adults; consider the Tooth Fairy, the Easter Bunny, Santa Claus,
the Wicked Witch flying on a broomstick and many other adult
fantasies. As children mature they learn that they have been lied to
and lying becomes an acceptable tool for them to use.

A single working mother was having a problem with her 11-year-old son.
He was hanging out with older boys and using vulgar language. She
grounded him and hid their portable TV. He failed to come home after
school. The mother was frantic waiting for him. Finally, around 10:30
p.m. he arrived home in a car and sneaked into the dark apartment. The
mother started to scold him. He responded by calling her vulgar names.
She took his pants down and gave him two "whacks" with a belt and sent
him to bed. The next day two police officers came to her place of work
and placed her under arrest. She was charged with child abuse and
jailed.

A young father hated to change his 3-month-old daughters diapers. One
morning while his wife was at work, as he was removing the babys
diaper, she began to cry. The father put the baby in the kitchen sink
and turned on the hot water to wash off the babys bottom. Knowing the
water was too hot, he used the sprayer located at the kitchen sink and
burned the babys buttocks and groin area. The baby received deep
second degree burns. The incident was termed accidental according to
attending physicians. Eight years later, this father was suspected of
sexually abusing the same child. He was known to have a violent
temper. The case against him for burning his baby daughter was re-
opened and he was found guilty of child abuse by burning.

The following data (from the National Child Abuse Protection Agency)
demonstrates the national annual reported suspected child abuse cases:

1960 64,000 cases of suspected child abuse reported in the U.S.

1970 72,000 cases reported.

1975 Law changed to protect accusers from civil suit.

1980 1,100,000 cases reported, 15 times the number reported in 1970.

1990 2,400,000 cases reported. 33 times the number reported in 1970.

1993 3,000,000 cases reported. 42 times the number reported in 1970.

1996 4,000,000 estimated cases (final number not available).

1997 It is estimated that the number of reported cases of child abuse
will likely double by 1999.

Anger can cause conflict and conflict is a normal part of close
relationships. Anger can provide an opportunity for a better
understanding of another person. When someone cares enough to take the
time to resolve a conflict, that person demonstrates caring. Conflicts
can occur because of the differences between individuals.
Relationships do not have to be destroyed because of those
differences. Rather, recognizing the differences and viewing them in
mature, responsible, positive ways instead of being fearful or
unwilling to work through differences gives credence to the positive
side of anger. Every person must learn to recognize the positive and
negative effects of anger. Few people take the time to observe their
actions when under stress or when their behavior is openly challenged.
Road rage is an example of an aggressive person's spontaneous act of
anger, to strike out and assert dominance over another driver.

Ideally, good anger was a sense given to an individual as a tool to
condemn injustice and help build relationships. In pure form, anger is
an emotional signal that alerts a person that something needs to be
changed. It obviously was intended to be a positive motivator to be
used in giving one another feedback about how life can be lived more
productively. Bad behavior must be understood and realized that it has
consequences. Bad behavior can be changed... it must be changed, or
there can be no hope for a more socially civilized society in the
future. To do nothing but complain about "kids today" will surely
leave them unprepared to respond to the challenges the future will
bring.

The failure of society, teaching institutions and government
leadership to aggressively address the "root" cause of adult and youth
violence will assure the "runaway train" will continue on its journey,
leaving a trail of death, disfigurement and emotional scars lasting a
life-time.

Pre-teens on a shooting spree kill classmates and a teacher. A 12 year-
old is charged with sexually assaulting an 11 year-old girl in school.
Children are threatening to report their parent(s) as child abusers
when the parents attempt to appropriately discipline them. Time is
running out.

It is foreseeable that violence by children on other children, teenage
violence on their parents, teachers, schoolmates and even strangers
will continue like the runaway train in reporting child abuse, failing
to heed the children's cry for help. Societys leadership has failed
Americas children. Society will pay a staggering price for its
"failure to lead" in teaching children that bad behavior has
consequences. It seems that no one today wants to take responsibility
for their acts and/or omission of acts but blames the "system" or
someone else for their indiscretions.

Anger Management programs, which offer assistance for habitually angry
adults, are becoming a growing resource for adults who need treatment
for aggressive personality traits. Road rage drivers, male and female
alike, may receive tickets for being overly aggressive with their
vehicles. Instead of fines they will have to attend Anger Management
programs. This is only a beginning but it focuses on adults already
addicted to bad behavior. Unfortunately, we are a crisis response
society and fall short on innovation solutions of preventative
methodologies to teach children in schools, churches and in the home
that bad anger is an unacceptable trait in a civilized society.

©1998 by The American Academy of Experts in Traumatic Stress, Inc.

Professor Harry J. Gaynor, Ph.D.
President, National Burn Victim Foundation
Member, The American Academy of Experts in Traumatic Stress'
Board of Scientific and Professional Advisors

©Copyright 2006 The American Academy of Experts in Traumatic Stress
All Rights Reserved