Emotional Child Abuse

Not all child abuse is physical. Children can suffer emotional abuse based on words and behavior. Emotional abuse can cause severe mental distress. It can lead to anxiety, depression, and other mental health problems. It’s important to recognize warning signs of emotional abuse to protect young people from harm.

This article provides an overview of emotional child abuse. Child abuse reporting laws differ in every state. For answers to your legal questions, talk to an experienced child abuse lawyer experienced in emotional abuse cases.

What Is Emotional Child Abuse?

Child abuse is any act or failure to act by a parent or caretaker which results in death, physical harm, exploitation, or emotional harm. Emotional child abuse can take many forms, including isolation, humiliation, or neglect. Children can suffer mental distress along with other forms of abuse.

Emotional mistreatment can cause mental disorders in children. Mental health issues include cognitive, affective, and other behavioral disorders. Signs of child abuse can be difficult to identify. Emotional forms of child abuse often go unreported. Signs of possible child psychological abuse include:

• Eating disorders
• Self-harm
• A low sense of self-worth
• Withdrawal from friends or social activities
• Suicidal thoughts
• Sudden changes in behavior
• Difficulties in school
• Anxiety or depression
• Difficulty sleeping
• Drug or alcohol use

The signs of childhood trauma can be different, depending on the type of abuse and the age of the child. In young children, abuse can present as the child being overly affectionate to people they don’t know. Other children could be aggressive to other children or cruel to animals.

What Are Examples of Emotional Abuse?

Mental abuse of children can occur with other types of abuse, including physical abuse, sexual abuse, and neglect. The most common perpetrators of emotional abuse are parents. Other mistreatment can involve another family member, a parent’s abusive partner, or caregivers. Some forms of abuse and examples of abusive behavior include:

• Verbal abuse or verbal aggression
• Psychological aggression
• Physical aggression
• Constant criticism
• Belittling the child and name-calling
• Undermining the child’s ideas or feelings
• Humiliating or insulting a child
• Making threats of physical violence or destruction of the child’s property
• Isolating the child to keep them from socializing with others
• Tolerating inappropriate behavior
• Neglecting the child’s emotional and social needs
• Abandonment

Major Risk Factors for Emotional Abuse

Some factors in a child’s or caregiver’s life can increase the risk of emotional child abuse. Risk factors for physiological and emotional abuse include:

• Substance abuse
• Domestic violence
• Abused caregiver
• Social isolation
• Family crisis
• Mental illness like depression or PTSD
• Children with developmental disabilities

Who Are Mandatory Reporters for Abuse?

Anyone who suspects child abuse, even emotional abuse, can report it to the police or child welfare. However, state law requires some people to report suspected abuse. These people are called “mandatory reporters.” They are generally people in positions with regular contact with children.

Mandatory reporting laws differ in each state. Professional mandatory reporters often include:

• Teachers
• Health care workers
• Counselors and therapists
• Child care providers
• Law enforcement
• Social workers

Confidentiality protects mandatory reporters when they come forward with reports of abuse. Reporters can use toll-free phone numbers to report suspected abuse anonymously. If you suspect possible abuse, contact the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-CHILD (1-800-422-4453).

What Happens During Child Emotional Abuse Investigations?

The local Child Protective Services (CPS) agency evaluates child abuse reports. If a CPS worker determines they need to investigate, they can contact the family, child, or others. The investigation can determine if the child is suffering from emotional abuse or is in danger.

A CPS worker can help parents and caregivers get the necessary services to keep the child safe. If necessary, children can go into temporary protective custody until it is safe to return home. Permanent removal is generally the last resort for cases of severe abuse and failed rehabilitation.

The Long-Term Consequences of Child Maltreatment

Emotional abuse can have long-term health consequences, including physical and psychological complications. Some examples of adverse health outcomes include developmental disabilities, stunted growth, and other health problems. Victims of abuse often turn to alcohol or drugs and develop substance abuse problems.

Child abuse often leads to mental health consequences and behavioral problems as well, including violent behavior, domestic violence, criminal activity, attempted suicide, high-risk sexual activity, failure to finish school, an inability to maintain healthy relationships, problems at work, or difficulty finding employment. The emotional trauma of abuse can result in low self-esteem, difficulty in relationships, and an inability to cope with stress.

How a Family Lawyer Can Help With Child Abuse Claims

Parents and caregivers need to protect a child’s health and safety. Dealing with emotional child abuse is difficult for families. It’s hard to know who is telling the truth and if someone is making false accusations. If you have questions about emotional child abuse, an experienced family law attorney can help.