Economic stress, like many are dealing with as gas prices rise, can be a trigger in child abuse.
Stephens Center Executive Director Dawn Tidwell said the number of child abuse cases throughout the Upper Cumberland has continued to rise since the COVID pandemic. Tidwell said one of the biggest contributing factors to child abuse is financial stress.
“When people are financially stressed and having trouble providing, whether it be food, gas, money for the kids to play sports, or go places, you know, when you have more stress, you have more occurrences of child abuse,” Tidwell said.
While stress is a major contributor, Tidwell said child abuse is often the result of multiple, complex factors, including the lack of support and stress coping skills. Tidwell said other factors that lead to child abuse are domestic violence and a generational pattern of parenting.
April is Child Abuse Prevention Month.
“You know, we tend to parent as we’ve been parented,” Tidwell said. “Some have good examples, some have bad examples, and it’s hard to parent in a way that you’re not familiar with. So that can be a big factor of just not knowing what to do.”
Tidwell said there are warning signs that friends, neighbors, and teachers can look for, including changes in a child’s appearance or behavior and signs of stress in parents.
“Bruises, burns, children not having adequate food or adequate sleep,” Tidwell said. “Sometimes just being that person that says, ‘Hey, do you need some help?’”
Tidwell said she encourages community members to step in with support when they notice a family struggling, even in small ways. For parents dealing with stress, Tidwell said self-care and finding healthy coping strategies are critical.
“We all deal with stress differently, of course, but find something you enjoy,” Tidwell said. “It may be taking a walk at the end of the day, you know, even including your kids in that walk. It may be taking a bubble bath after the kids go to bed, reading a book, but doing something for yourself. Self-care is so important in parenting because if you don’t take care of you, you can’t take care of somebody else.
And as a parent, we tend to leave ourselves out.”
Tidwell said the Stephens Center offers several programs aimed at supporting families, including home visitation services for new and experienced parents, as well as parenting classes throughout the region.
“We start prenatally, and we can serve them up until the child goes to school,” Tidwell said. “It’s somebody in your life that’s a constant support.”
Tidwell also said the organization provides resources, referrals, and evidence-based parenting education designed to help families build stronger relationships and better cope with challenges.
As Child Abuse Prevention Month continues, Tidwell said the responsibility to protect children extends beyond parents and caregivers to the entire community.
“They are a partner in prevention,” Tidwell said. “It takes everybody to be a part of that… to keep expanding.”
Tidwell said she encourages anyone in need of support or more information to contact the Stephens Center directly.