Please write a paragraph with your opinion based on the text bellow. Please include citations and references in case you need to used for the question.

Child abuse is widespread with 3million cases reported annually in the United states and 1million of these cases are found substantiated proving that child abuse is the top reported form of maltreatment (Center of Child Protection and Family Support, 2018). The most common types of maltreatment seen in school age children are physical, emotional, and sexual abuse and neglect. Physical and emotional assessment findings a nurse may see that could indicate abuse are repeated injuries that are unexplainable that evidence does not support including bruises, breaks, or cuts, poor hygiene, showing interest in sex that is not age appropriate or acting out sexual behaviors, sleep disturbances or nightmares, and showing aggressive actions toward adults, other children, or pets (Center of Child Protection and Family Support, 2018). Some western cultures use harsh initiation rituals including genial operations, facial scarring, beatings, and hazing by older members of the group and have food withheld or are forced to vomit. In other western cultures practices such as allowing an infant to cry themselves out, putting children in their room and night alone to sleep, or forcing them to sit in a classroom all day would be considered abusive (Feldman, n.d). It is important to recognize cultural diversity when assessing for abuse because misinterpretation can lead to unnecessary reporting and interventions by authorities. In the state of Arizona, a nurse is required to report suspected child abuse immediately to the Department of Children Services and to Law enforcement (Arizona Department of Child Safety, 2018). A nurse in the state of Arizona is required by law to report any reasonable belief of child abuse defined as disclosure of information by a child describing a sexual act, unexplainable injuries or injuries that are inconsistent with explanation, or a third party that discloses information that leads the nurse to suspect abuse (Southern Arizona Children’s Advocacy Center, 2018).

References

Arizona Department of Child Safety. (2018). Report Child Abuse or Neglect. Retrieved from https://dcs.az.gov/report-child-abuse

Center of Child Protection and Family Support. (2018). Recognizing Abuse & Neglect FAQs. Retrieved from http://www.centerchildprotection.org/report_abuse….

Families and Their Children. Retrieved from http://www.hunter.cuny.edu/socwork/nrcfcpp/downloa…

Southern Arizona Children’s Advocacy Center. (2018). MANDATORY REPORTING OF CHILD ABUSE. Retrieved from https://www.sacacenter.org/mandatory-reporter-trai…