It may be unfortunately stated that child abuse, neglect or other damaging exposures technically termed as Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) is a reality and leads to depression. The ACE study reveals that short and long term effects incorporate a large number of health or social difficulties. It demonstrates that exposure to abusive experiences leads to premature beginning of smoking, sexual doings and illegitimate drug use, teenage pregnancies, and self-destructive attempts. It shows that depression has a close linkage with such events. Such negative experiences cause depression in the child during adolescence or in adulthood. However the numbers of females who are affected are far more than the numbers of males. (Hyde, 2008).
Female children are to some extent more prone to experience depressing life events and, in particular during adolescence, bear a significantly more pessimistic view of those events. Among the severest of harmful life experiences is child sexual abuse. It is also more probable that a girl would experience it as compared to boys at some point in childhood or near the beginning of adolescence. Peer sexual harassment, which increases during the onset of the teens, is an added stressful occurrence. Twice the numbers of girls than boys testify to have been subject to sexual abuse during childhood or adolescence. Maximum intensification in sexual abuse for girl sufferers is during the early teenage period. An important national survey concluded that a person has made 27% of females and 16% of males victims of sexual contact in his youth or a grown-up. (Felitti, 2008) These results indicate that girls are more likely to face the consequences of this ACE than boys are and thus results of more women affected by depression can be explained.
In order to reach out to those who are affected by this particular ACE, the article follows a theoretical framework substantiated by practical data to understand an entity’s psychological development and conduct across his/her life span. The significance of a client’s expectation for premium, proficient, principled, skillful and professional approach is realized. Various relevant aspects undergo in-depth analysis and their effects on the victim’s mental health are evaluated. Analysis is based on purely empirical facts, which are the outcome of extensive surveys, carried out by professionals using updated technological advances and are integrated into their everyday practices. (Felitti, 2008).
Evidence based practices are much more logical and competent. The article provides a lot of data based on periodic evaluation of factors on the basis of questioning various sects of people. It also makes use of clinical evidence to come to a conclusion. Implementing an Evidence Based practice should be phased and planned. The steps involved are as follows:
- questioning
- searching
- analyzing
- executing and evaluating.
The practice commences by a thorough questioning of a client who is faced with a social predicament. This is done in order to achieve practice efficiency and acquire proper evidences, which would help in further investigation of the case. (Anda, 2006) In the second phase, key issues are identified based on the practice of effective questioning. Relevant information is collected and a log of searching methods is maintained. This generates specific data relating to the problems, requirements, indicators and other issues faced by the client.
In the third phase the data from the previous phase is analyzed and examined carefully keeping in mind the individuality of the client to form the evidence required to act upon the situation.
In the final phase a course of action is decided upon based on evidence formed by careful analysis. The consent of the client is sought and if acquired the practice is implemented and constantly evaluated. Based on progress descriptions the approach is adopted, customized or altered.
References
Anda, Robert F, Vincent J. Felitti, Douglas Bremner, John D.Walker, Charles Whitfield, Bruce D. Perry, Shanta R.Dube, Wayne H. Giles; The enduring effects of abuse and related adverse experiences in childhood: A convergence of evidence from neurobiology and epidemiology; Eur Arch Psychiatry Clin Neurosci (2006) 256 : 174–186.
Felitti, Vincent J, Robert F. Anda, Dale Nordenberg, David F. Williamson, Alison M. Spitz, Valerie Edwards, Mary P. Koss, & James S. Marks; 2008; Relationship of Childhood Abuse and Household Dysfunction to Many of the Leading Causes of Death in Adults: The Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) Study.
Hyde, Janet Shibley, Amy H. Mezulis, and Lyn Y. Abramson; The ABCs of Depression: Integrating Affective, Biological, and Cognitive: Models to Explain the Emergence of the Gender Difference in Depression; Psychological Review; American Psychological Association; 2008, Vol. 115, No. 2, 291–313; University of Wisconsin—Madison.