The solution to this enormous problem is for the child to encase themself within a thick psychological cocoon of denial and fantasy that creates a false reality in which they believe that they are living in a loving and caring family. The first way that the child protects themself is by using the greatest reality-altering defense that humans have at their disposal, which is the defense of dissociation. The dissociative defense mechanism is seen in adults who have suffered a life-threatening trauma, and dissociation prevents them from fully realizing what has happened. In children, the same defense protects the child by forcing intolerable memories of neglect, abuse, or total indifference that they suffered at the hands of their parents into their unconscious, where these memories will not disturb the childs illusion that they live in a safe and loving family. The dissociative defense is the basis of what is commonly called denial. The more frequent the abuse, the more frequently dissociation is required and the larger and larger the number of intolerable memories are forced into the unconscious. Once lodged in their unconscious, the child cannot remember the horrifying incidents that they previously experienced. Splitting defense
The child not only dissociates memories of the abusive parent, but also memories of themselves in those anxiety-filled encounters with the rejecting parent. Their memory of themselves in these situations is one of being a frightened, impotent, and vulnerable child who is overwhelmed and deeply ashamed because they are unable to protect themselves when confronted by the aggressive parent.
It was noted that in this case, however, the police were perceived to have acted with little care for the hostages safety, providing an alternative reason for their unwillingness to testify. Stockholm syndrome is paradoxical because the sympathetic sentiments that captives feel towards their captors are the opposite of the fear and disdain which an onlooker might feel towards the captors. There are four key components that characterize Stockholm syndrome: 

A hostages development of positive feelings towards the captor
No previous relationship between hostage and captor
A refusal by hostages to cooperate with police and other government authorities
A hostages belief in the humanity of the captor, ceasing to perceive them as a threat, when the victim holds the same values as the aggressor.The term "Stockholm syndrome" has also been used to describe the reactions of some abuse victims beyond the context of kidnappings or hostage-taking. Actions and attitudes similar to those with Stockholm syndrome have also been found in victims of sexual abuse, human trafficking, extremism, terrorism, economic oppression, financial repression,  political repression and religious persecution. This is because Stockholm syndrome can be argued as "another method of coping with the stress and danger...similar to some forms of coping in that the participants do not directly address the problem but find a way to cope with the situation by identifying with the aggressor. Coping mechanisms such as these can have a large impact on PTSD. "Helsinki syndrome is a term sometimes used incorrectly instead of Stockholm syndrome. The confusion is often deliberate and used for ironic effect.