Child abuse is the way a parent or carer harms a child, be it – emotionally, physically or sexually. To be precise, any type of neglect including lack of love, nurture and safety is a form of abuse. Addiction is a condition commonly known as being dependent on an activity or a substance. Addiction simply underlines the act of needing to take a substance or do an activity repeatedly to the point that it has a huge impact on your life. To most people, addiction is most commonly associated with drugs and alcohol but in reality, we can be addicted to most things. For example, in recent years with the increasing demand of technology many teenagers find themselves so addicted to the use of technology that they substitute this in place of important routine activities. Addiction is treatable and there are many ways of getting help – GP’s and treatment services in your area.
The basic argument and outline is that parents and guardians serve as an important guiding light and stepping stone for their children as they shape them into adults. Child abuse is a major epidemic in the nation, especially in the way it impacts a child’s mind and influences the actions they take in their future. This interlocks with the wider implications that can arise from this issue; early child abuse can potentially lead to things like unemployment and depression. In 2014, 15% of pupils admitted to ever having taken drugs; 10% had taken drugs in the last year and 6% had taken drugs in the last month. I will be looking at a retrospective cohort study, reports and reviews of findings associated with the causation of addiction.
This issue is so important because since we know that addiction is a global issue we can investigate the links between the correlation and causation of sociocultural factors and addiction and perhaps prevent or help treat this issue. Sociocultural factors might include the way you were brought up and the things you believe in – triggering your outview on life and the things you depend on.
The sociocultural approach to behaviour underlines the ways in which culture influences on individual attitudes, identities and behaviour. A way of understanding routes that can lead a young adult to addiction should be explored through the sociocultural factors that come with living in specific types of households. It is evident that when a parental role figure consumes and abuses certain substances like alcohol or drugs, they are found in a much more vulnerable, irrational state. During this irrational state it is evident and recognised that risk factors for abuse increases; this could mean abuse in the forms – physical, sexual, emotional or even neglect. More often than not, these children will experience trauma in which they suffer at the cause of the external or mental abuse served to them; this source of trauma, most of the time, is the reason later on in their life, they decide to turn to addiction as a place of comfort.
Several studies have proved the claim of early childhood abuse leading to the formation of addiction over the course of their later life. Long term studies showed that physical abuse in early stages of life (around the first 5 years) predicts the subsequent substance abuse later on in life (for example at the age of 24). The concept of parental substance abuse has increasingly made an impact on the well being of children. It is estimated that 1 in 8 children in the United States (8.7 million) live with at least one parent who abuses alcohol or a type of drug. With this increasingly growing number, it is evident that this issue can progressively divert young adults onto wrong [paths without the right help. When parents tend to fall under the category of ‘addiction’, they are perceived as less likely to obtain the parental role. Going through addiction with substances like alcohol or drugs can cause mental and physical impairment to the point that it is impossible for them to regulate emotions and control impulsivity and anger towards situations. This dependence on alcohol can also lead to lack of resources the parent can provide for the development of the child and also financial availability for necessities could come into risk.
A specific view of the effect of sociocultural positions on the lead up to addiction can be the sense of relief from stress.In a home where parents are the main cause of depression and stress, sometimes this typical, yet harmful, plea of persistent intoxication is most commonly the reason why people become so addicted so easily. These people typically feel alone and look for a way of escaping reality. The sense of loneliness also plays a huge factor in the sense that people tend to feel comfort in the feeling of belonging. The issue with neglect from parents at such an early age means the chances of the child needed to belong and needing security will increase dramatically. This neglect acts as a sociocultural factor that has an effect on the way the person’s life differs. If they see this method brings joy to others with similar issues, then this is the oplan that they’ll resort to. Another social factor that contributes to the essence of addiction is the proneness for substances that cause addiction to be the main thing promoting solidarity and feelings of community – a sense of community boosts self confidence and esteem.
When living with role models at such a young age that abuse alcohol, drugs etc, it can formulate and shape the way the child envisions and marks her ‘ideal life’ to be. It is most common that children will want to imitate the actions that their role models perform. This fits in nicely with the social cognitive theory. Social Cognitive theory is concerned with how people learn when they observe others. Like the behaviourist approach, this emphasises the importance of the environment and the people around you. This theory simply underlines that human learning is explained through observational learning or modelling, which involves identification, imitation and reinforcement. Therefore in this sense, sometimes it is possible that the child may view the role models actions (of taking illicit drugs) and find this lifestyle of the substance abuser appealing. The people involved in this chain most commonly won’t understand or realise the negative aspects of what they are doing.
