Emotional Abuse

Emotional abuse is any mental or emotional injury to a child that results in an observable and material impairment in the child's growth, development or psychological functioning. Other names for emotional abuse are verbal abuse, mental abuse or psychological maltreatment.

Emotional abuse includes causing or permitting the child to be in a situation in which the child sustains a mental or emotional injury that results in an observable and material impairment in the child's growth, development or psychological functioning as may be evidenced by "anxiety, depression, withdrawal or aggressive behavior".

Examples: repeated statements to a child such as "You're stupid", "You'll never amount to anything", and "You're no good."

Emotional abuse is a pattern of behavior that impairs a child's emotional development or sense of self-worth. This loss of self worth is one of the heaviest burdens a child who manages to survive the actual abuse will carry with them throughout their life, typically interfering with their ability to feel joy, contentment and happiness. Emotional abuse may consist of such things as constant criticism, belittling, insulting, threats or rejection, as well as withholding love, support or guidance.

Emotional abuse can range from a simple verbal insult to an extreme form of punishment. Other examples of emotional abuse consist of lack of praise, positive reinforcement or saying "I love you", yelling or screaming, threatening or frightening, negative comparison to others, shaming or humiliating, or habitual scapegoating or blaming.

Using extreme or bizarre forms of punishment, such as confinement to a closet or dark room, tying to a chair for long periods of time or terrorizing a child are also manifestations of emotional abuse and sometimes also overlap into physical abuse.

Emotional abuse is often difficult to prove and, therefore, organizations and advocates may not be able to intervene without evidence of harm to the child. Emotional abuse is almost always present when other forms of abuse have occurred.