New research from the US and London shows that the shouts at the children they can be just as harmful as sexual or physical abuse. The study, commissioned by UK charity Words Matter, was published this month in the journal Child Abuse & Neglect. It calls for childhood verbal abuse (CVA) to be formally recognized as a “form of abuse”.
Researchers from Wingate University in North Carolina and University College London (UCL) analyzed 149 quantitative and 17 qualitative studies examining CVA, and the study authors found that definitive themes of abuse included “negative intensity, tone and content speech and their direct impact”.
The most common perpetrators of CVA are parents, mothers and teachers, according to the study. Some of the effects of verbal abuse can last a child’s entire life. Abuse can create “underlying emotional and psychological effects”, which include obesity, increased risks of anger, substance misuse, depression and self-harm, UCL said.
Researchers say there must be a better way to define verbal abuse. Currently, four counts include child abuse: physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse and neglect, reports the New York Post.
The study observed that over the years, emotional abuse in childhood “has increased in frequency”.
“The prevention of child abuse it’s the most effective way we can reduce the proliferation of children’s mental health problems,” said study co-author and Professor Peter Fonagy, head of the Department of Psychology and Language Sciences at UCL. “A sharp focus on the verbal abuse of children by adults around them from the new charity Words Matter and this review will help make important changes and support and direct our efforts to identify and respond to this risk in an efficient and timely manner,” he added. The researchers concluded that recognizing CVA as a type of abuse is a “starting point” for identifying and her prevention. The study authors also recommend educating adults about “the importance of safety, support and care during verbal communication with children.”
“Childhood verbal abuse desperately needs to be recognized as a form of abuse because of the lifelong negative consequences,” the study’s lead author, Wingate Professor Shanta Dube, said in a statement.
Source: News Beast
With 6 years of experience, I bring to the table captivating and informative writing in the world news category. My expertise covers a range of industries, including tourism, technology, forex and stocks. From brief social media posts to in-depth articles, I am dedicated to creating compelling content for various platforms.
