Experiencing Violence among Children and Adolescents with Depression in the Aspect of Polish Law

Abstract

Violence is not uncommon in the contemporary world. The consequences of harmful experiences in childhood are often educational problems, difficult behavior, failure to cope in adulthood, duplication of learned, negative behavior patterns and disorders in various spheres/areas of life. The experience of childhood violence is associated with the occurrence of about half of mental disorders with onset in childhood and one third of disorders that appear later in life. Various emotional and behavioral disorders are mentioned among the psychological effects of violence against a child, including depressive disorders. Regarding experiences of violence, there is strong evidence that exposure to sexual or physical violence is a predictor of depressive episodes and depressive symptoms in adolescents. Among adolescents, the impact of violence on depression has been shown to be sustained. Accordingly, evidence suggests that elevated depressive symptoms and episodes of depression may even persist for up to two years after experiencing cases of violence. Due to the destructive consequences of such behavior, international and national law devote much attention to the protection of children’s rights. Under Polish law, there are regulations describing measures of reaction within the family, as well as provisions sanctioning violent behavior. Therefore, the study discusses the family and criminal law aspects of violence against minors. The whole study is imbued with considerations of the so-called the obligation to denounce, i.e., to notify about the disclosure of a prohibited act committed to the detriment of minors. This issue was presented in the context of medical secrets and its type—psychiatric discretion.