Emotional Abuse

What is Emotional Abuse? Emotional abuse is defined as the systematic tearing down of another human being It is a pattern of behaviour that can seriously interfere with a child’s positive development It is the most common, cruellest and most destructive of all types of abuse It attacks the child’s psyche and self-concept; the victim sees themselves as unworthy of love and affection An infant who is being severely deprived of basic nurturing can fail to thrive and can eventually die Making fun of a child, name calling, always finding fault, and showing no respect can damage a child’s self-esteem When emotional abuse occurs often and over a long period of time, it can have a lifetime impact It can affect a child’s happiness, relationships, and success

Types of Emotional Abuse 1. Rejecting – parents who lack the ability to bond will often display rejecting behaviour toward a child; tells the child they are unwanted, worthless, may not talk to or hold the child as they grow, child may be used as the family scapegoat and blamed for all the family problems

2. Ignoring – adults who have had a few of their emotional needs met are often unable to respond to the needs of their children, they may not show attachment to the child or provide nurturing, may show no interest in the child, express affection or even recognize the child’s presence, often the parent is physically there but emotionally unavailable

3. Terrorizing – parents may single out one child to criticize and punish, they may ridicule for displaying normal emotions and have expectations far beyond their normal abilities, the child may be threatened with death, mutilation or abandanment

4. Isolation – a parent who abuses a child through isolation may not allow the child to engage in appropriate activities with peers, may keep a baby in their room, not exposing them to stimulation, prevent teenagers from participating in extracurricular activities, may required the child to stay in their room from the time school lets out until the next morning, or restrict eating to isolation or seclusion

5. Corrupting – parents permit children to use drugs or alcohol, to watch cruel behaviour toward animals, to watch pornographic materials and adult sex acts, or to witness or participate in criminal activities such as stealing, assault, prostitution, and gambling

Signs of Emotional Abuse The child... ◦ May find it hard to make friends ◦ May avoid doing things with other children and being places where he’s expected to be loving ◦ May tend to be pushy and hostile ◦ Might have a hard time learning, be overly active, or have problems such as bed-wetting or soiling ◦ Might act falsely grown up, having to care for adults or others far beyond what should be expected for the child’s age ◦ May become gloomy and depressed, unable to enjoy themselves, might do things that work against themselves ◦ Could become self-destructive, injuring themselves, or even attempting suicide

Emotional abuse is hard to diagnose or to define. In some instances, an emotionally abused child will show no signs of abuse. For this reason, emotional abuse is the most difficult form of child maltreatment to identify and stop. This type of abuse leaves hidden scars that manifest themselves in numerous ways. Insecurity, poor self-esteem, destructive behaviour, angry acts (such as fire starting or cruelty to animals), withdrawal, poor development of basic skills, alcohol and drug abuse, suicide and difficulty forming relationships can be possible results of emotional abuse.

Support Visit your doctor, priest/pastor/minister Consult a mental health expert Community agencies