Child Abuse Awareness and Prevention

Emotional and Verbal Abuse

Emotional and verbal abuse can severely damage a child’s mental health or social development, leaving lifelong psychological scars.

Emotional abuse is maltreatment, which results in impaired pyschological growth and development. This type of abuse may involve words, actions, and indifference. Abusers often tend to reject, ignore, dominate, belittle, and criticize the victims. Emotional and verbal abuse tends to be an overlap of physical abuse, but does not necessarily mean physical abuse is involved.


Warning signs of emotional abuse in children
  • Excessively withdrawn, fearful, or anxious about doing something wrong.
  • Shows extremes in behavior (extremely compliant or extremely demanding; extremely passive or extremely aggressive).
  • Doesn’t seem to be attached to the parent or caregiver.
  • Acts either inappropriately adult (taking care of other children) or inappropriately infantile (rocking, thumb-sucking, tantruming).
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Source:
"Child Abuse & Neglect: Recognizing and Preventing Child Abuse." Helpguide.org: Expert, Ad-free Articles Help Empower You with Knowledge, Support & Hope. Web. 20 Mar. 2011.
http://www.helpguide.org/mental/child_abuse_physical_emotional_sexual_neglect.htm