What is Emotional abuse?

Emotional abuse is the persistent emotional maltreatment of a child such as to cause severe and persistent adverse effects on the child’s emotional development. It may involve conveying to children that they are worthless or unloved, inadequate, or valued only insofar as they meet the needs of another person. It may include not giving the child opportunities to express their views, deliberately silencing them or ‘making fun’ of what they say or how they communicate.

It may feature age or developmentally inappropriate expectations being imposed on children. These may include interactions that are beyond the child’s developmental capability, as well as overprotection and limitation of exploration and learning, or preventing the child participating in normal social interaction. It may involve seeing or hearing the ill-treatment of another.

It may involve serious bullying (including cyber bullying), causing children frequently to feel frightened or in danger, or the exploitation or corruption of children.

Some level of emotional abuse is involved in all types of maltreatment of a child, though it may also occur alone.

Emotional abuse happens when a child is repeatedly made to feel worthless, unloved, alone or scared.

It is also known as psychological or verbal abuse, it is the most common form of child abuse.

It can include constant rejection, hostility, teasing, bullying, yelling, criticism and exposure to family violence

The impacts of emotional abuse are just as harmful as physical abuse.

Statistics

  • Most child abuse includes an element of emotional abuse, but it is recorded as a specific concern for just over 1 in 3 children who are the subject of a child protection plan or on a child protection register in the UK.
  • There were over 11,000 contacts to the NSPCC’s helpline and almost 5,000 Childline counselling sessions in 2020/21 about emotional abuse.
  • There were over 34,000 police-recorded offences related to emotional abuse in England, Wales and Northern Ireland in 2019/20.

Examples of Emotional Abuse

Emotional abuse symptoms vary but can invade any part of a person's life. Signs of emotional abuse include:

  • Yelling or swearing  
  • Name calling or insults; mocking
  • Threats and intimidation
  • Ignoring or excluding
  • Isolating
  • Humiliating
  • Denial of the abuse and blaming of the victim

Signs of emotional abuse

There might not be any obvious physical signs of emotional abuse or neglect. And a child might not tell anyone what's happening until they reach a 'crisis point'. That's why it's important to look out for signs in how a child is acting.

As children grow up, their emotions change. This means it can be difficult to tell if they're being emotionally abused. But children who are being emotionally abused might:

  • seem unconfident or lack self-assurance
  • struggle to control their emotions
  • have difficulty making or maintaining relationships
  • act in a way that's inappropriate for their age.

Children can be emotionally abused by anyone/anywhere:

  • parents or carers
  • family members
  • other adults
  • other children
  • anywhere including online

What to do when Emotional Abuse is suspected.

A child who is being emotionally abused might not realise what's happening is wrong. And they might even blame themselves. If a child talks to you about emotional abuse it's important to:

  • listen carefully to what they're saying
  • let them know they've done the right thing by telling you
  • tell them it's not their fault
  • say you'll take them seriously
  • don't confront the alleged abuser
  • explain what you'll do next
  • report what the child has told you as soon as possible.