Abandonment affects children in individual ways with distinctive psychological effects. "Abandonment" is a term frequently used interchangeably with "child neglect" or "child abuse" by state family agencies and legislation. According to the Oregon Department of Human Services, the term "abandonment" means behavior by a parent "showing an intent to permanently give up all rights and claims to a child." Neglect of children may also involve temporary abandonment by one or both parents.
Fear of Loss
Children that are abandoned, and occasionally children put up for adoption, harbor a deep-seated sense of loss. Young babies, from birth through the first year, develop a sense of trust and attachment including "the capacity to 'bond' to ensure their survival," according to FindLaw. Abandonment, according to the U.S. Administration for Children and Families, may involve lack of care by a parent or caretaker responsible for the child's care. Seventeen U.S. states include abandonment in a definition of "child neglect" and include circumstances where the parent fails to "maintain contact with the child" or where a child "has been left by the parent in circumstances in which the child suffers serious harm," according to the children and families agency. Parents leaving children without reasonable support over time also may be charged under neglect laws in these states.
Mental Injury
The Oregon Department of Human Services reports that mental injury may result when a child is rejected or abandoned. This injury can manifest itself as an "substantial impairment of the child's psychological, cognitive, emotional and/or social well-being and functioning," according to the department. The U.S. National Institute of Mental Health reports that one severe result of mental injury is development of a "borderline personality disorder," also known as BPD. The institute defines borderline personality disorder as "a serious mental illness characterized by pervasive instability in moods, interpersonal relationships, self-image and behavior." The institute notes the link between BPD and "a history of abuse, neglect, or separation as young children."
Feelings of Shame
Shame about the incident of abandonment transfers to the child's self-appraisal of worth. Claudia Black, M.S.W., Ph.D., author and family service provider for the Las Vegas Recovery Center, reports that abandonment of children at a time when they are "developing their sense of worth, is the foundation for the belief in their own inadequacy and the central cause of their shame." These feelings of shame and inadequacy "become a driving force in their adult lives," according to Black.
Problems With Intimacy
When a child trusts a caretaker to provide security and support and then suffers harm, perhaps minor injuries, this impacts the child's future ability to trust and later may translate to difficulties with intimacy. Children experiencing abandonment and neglect may develop problems with peer relationships, according to a study done at the University of Nebraska at Lincoln by researchers Constance L. Chapple, Ph.D., Kimberly A. Tyler, Ph.D. and Bianca E. Bersani, M.A. and reported in 2005 in University of Nebraska-Lincoln Sociology Department, Faculty Publications in 2005.
References
- FindLaw: Adoption & Early Stages of a Child's Development
- U.S. Department of Health & Human Services: Administration for Children & Families: Definition of Child Abuse
- University of Nebraska-Lincoln Sociology Department, Faculty Publications; Child Neglect and Adolescent Violence; Constance L. Chapple; 2005
- National Institute of Mental Health: Borderline Personality Disorder
- U.S. Department of Health & Human Services: Administration for Children & Families; Impact of Adoption on Adopted Persons
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