Emotional abuse “She is a master of disguise, see that smile it has hidden sorrow” By Raghib Clitso  

Created by : Muila Mongo Lei Zhang Xue Lian Li Melissa Lin Soo Young Park

What is Emotional Abuse

Verbal attacks or demeaning actions that impact on a child’s self esteem and self worth

Types of Emotional Abuse

Rejecting: Putting down a child or youth’s worth or

putting down their needs

Isolating: Keeping a child away from family and

friends

Ignoring: Failing to give any response to or interact

with a child or youth at all

Corrupting: Encouraging a child or youth to do

things that are illegal or harmful to themselves

Types of Emotional Abuse

Exploiting: Giving a child or youth responsibilities

that are far greater than a child/youth that age can

handle

Terrorizing: Causing a child or youth to be terrified

by the constant use of threats and /or intimidating

behaviour

Witnessing Family Violence: When children and

youth are exposed to family violence frequently

Signs and Symptoms

Feeling of depression

Withdrawal from social interaction

Low self-esteem

Fearfulness

Increased anxiety

Guilty feeling

Feeling of shame

Signs and Symptoms

Mood changes

Nervous feeling

Not trusting others

Extreme attention seeking

Avoiding eye-contact

Telling lies

Aggressive behavior

Impact

The effect of emotional abuse are often silent. Verbal

and psychological wounds leave a child forever

changed.

Emotional child abuse attacks a child’s self-concept.

Emotional abuse is the most difficult form of child

maltreatment to identify and stop.

Prevalence emotional Abuse Canada

Children experience high levels of emotional abuseAccording to “The 2003 Canadian Incidence Study of Reported Child Abuse and Neglect”

Exposure to domestic violence is the second most likely of all cases to be substantiated. Emotional harm is associated to various degrees with all forms of child maltreatment. Emotional maltreatment is the lease likely forms of child maltreatment to be investigated by police.

Prevalence of emotional abuse Globally

The United States National Incidence Study of Child Abuse and

Neglect reports an overall rate of child maltreatment of 1.5 million children

204,500 of these children are

recorded for emotional abuse 212,800 of the 1.5 million children

are recorded under the category

of emotional neglect

(Sedlak & Broadhurst, 1996)

http://www.factscourtwatch.org/Emotional-Psychological%20Abuse%20Fact%20Sheet.htm

Emotional abuse

Myths

Relatively few cases are reported, leaving only the most severely traumatized children and youth protected and treated.

The emotional abuse statistics are depending on the definition adopted, estimates of the prevalence of "psychological maltreatment“

Child molesters look sleazy, unusual or creepy

Facts

Emotional abuse is often concealed in secrets and behaviours that are tied to other problems

In a Canadian study of 135,000 investigations by child welfare agencies over a three month period, 60% were emotional maltreatment and neglect.

Child abusers look like anyone else, in fact they often present an appearance of respectability, hold jobs, function well in the community and have the respect of their peers. The emotional illness affecting an abuser is rarely obvious

Casual Factors in Childhood Emotional Abuse

Abuser’s childhood

Substance abuse

Untreated Mental Illness

Stress

Inappropriate Expectation

Absence of parenting skills

http://www.livestrong.com/article/273802-what-are- the-causes-of-emotional-child-abuse

References

http://www.factscourtwatch.org/Emotional-Psychological%20Abuse%20Fact%20Sheet.htm

http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/ncfv-cnivf/pdfs/fv-psych-abus-eng.pdf http://www.flicker.com http://www.child-abuse-effects.com/types-of-emotional-abuse.html http://www.buzzle.com/articles/emotional-abuse-signs-and-symptoms.html http://

www.livestrong.com/article/273802-what-are-the-causes-of-emotional-child-abuse ECEP-237-Class Notes