Title

Child Abuse: Perception is Reality

Authors

Chyla Wilson
Tyra Ricks - Emanuel

Files

Description

Chyla Wilson, Tyra Ricks-Emanuel, CWP102: Argumentation and Research
Faculty Mentor(s): Professor Jane Sullivan, College Writing Program, Professor Susan Mary Paige, Academic Success

Child abuse is a well-researched subject. The effects of childhood traumas last long into adulthood. Psychologists and psychiatrists spend months studying the effects of childhood abuse linking it to outcomes such as being homeless, incarcerated, unemployed, divorced, and in counseling for a variety of issues including drug and alcohol addiction. Often those abused become abusers themselves. This negative perception is dominant in any conversation about child abuse. But what about the people who have overcome the abuse and have become successful in life? Would a public awareness campaign to change the perceptions about individuals who have been abused from victim to survivor facilitate a positive perspective? Some people can face traumatic and abusive experiences and gain the strength to become role models to others and help them heal from their past abuse. After obtaining IRB approval, we collected data from students at an urban four-year college about their perceptions of individuals who were in abusive situations, using a Likert scale survey to measure these perceptions.

Publication Date

2021

Recommended Citation

Wilson, Chyla and Ricks - Emanuel, Tyra, "Child Abuse: Perception is Reality" (2021). Psychology and Social Sciences. 16.
https://digitalcommons.buffalostate.edu/srcc-sp21-psychsocsci/16