The effects of child abuse will impact each individual differently over the course of the individual’s lifetime. Immediate effects can include physical injury and emotional and psychological problems (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)). A child who has experienced abuse is also at an increased risk of further injury, “repeated victimization, delayed brain development and reproductive health problems, involvement in sex trafficking, non-communicable diseases, and lower educational attainment.” (CDC)

According to The National Centre for Victims of Crime, short-term effects may include disturbed sleeping patterns, irregular behavior, difficulties with authority and/or specific adults, difficulties eating, and an unwillingness to participate in school or community activities. Long-term effects may present themselves in various ways, such as anxiety, insomnia, alcoholism, and/or drug abuse. Chronic abuse may lead to stress, post-traumatic stress disorder, and memory and attention difficulties (CDC).