<p>The topic of child abuse and how children are directly impacted by it has long been studied, but not much has gone specifically into resiliency and how it can interfere with development at certain stages of life.&nbsp; Resilience is a common outcome of surviving abuse, but it takes on different forms at different ages, and those same ages also bring difficulties depending on when intervention occurred with the abuse, specifically.&nbsp;</p> <p>The main stages of childhood<br /> As far as the role of abuse and how a child&rsquo;s development is impacted, childhood has been split into three sections, and these have been matched with characteristics in those sectors: early childhood, middle childhood and adolescent childhood.&nbsp; Each stage of childhood, and treatment needs, revealed something a little different both in strength of the survivor and the specific needs of that survivor.&nbsp;</p> <ul> <li><strong>Early-middle childhood:</strong> Resilience from child abuse in this stage often took the form of adaptability in social and education situations.&nbsp; It also meant less symptoms of the abuse taking place.&nbsp; Forming healthy attachments was another focus point and children who had support during this early stage of development were able to form healthy relationships and understand their importance.&nbsp;</li> </ul> <ul> <li><strong>Middle to adolescent childhood:</strong> At this stage, children would start to learn how to be resourceful and express themselves in social situations, learning from those around them.&nbsp; They start to learn who they are as individuals within that social situation, too.&nbsp; Understanding and differentiating a healthy relationship from an unhealthy one can be a challenge during this age for some due to abnormal behaviors at home.</li> </ul> <ul> <li><strong>Adolescence and onward:</strong> There is a lot of development and resiliency here as far as understanding themselves as being separate from the abuse.&nbsp; Their strength comes in the form of using their own voice to speak up and advocate for themselves.&nbsp; This could be about their abuse, but also about life in general.&nbsp; Children at this age group often struggled with control issues and feeling powerless, and this will help them advocate for themselves.</li> </ul> <p><strong>What does this mean for abuse?</strong></p> <p>At any age, abuse of children causes damage to self-development.&nbsp; The earlier intervention and counseling can occur, the better the results when it comes to a child&rsquo;s resilience in life.&nbsp; There is research suggesting that the ability to be resilient as a characteristic drastically reduces with age.&nbsp; The younger a child is, the more likelihood that they will be resilient at all stages in life, both in terms of overcoming their mistreatment and in general.</p> <p>At any stage, abuse can help a child or adolescent bounce back into daily life and cope well with their lives, but their ability to be stronger because of it will decrease the olde that they are without treatment and support.</p> <p>When understanding the needs of abused children and how they differ from one age group to another, more research is needed specifically relating to understanding what clinical needs should be met.&nbsp; This will help each child learn how to reach their full potential with proper support at each stage.</p>