Emotional Abuse Flashcards
What emotional abuse may involve?
Conveying to children that they are worthless, inadequate, unloved or valued only insofar as they meet the needs of another person.
Seeing or hearing the ill- treatment of another.
Serious bullying causing children frequently to feel frightened or in danger or the exploitation or corruption of children
Not giving the child opportunities to express their views, deliberately silencing them or making fun of what they say or how they communicate.
Types of emotional abuse
All abuse involves some emotional ill treatment
Components of emotional abuse
Rejecting the child: carer refuses to acknowledge the child’s worth and their needs. Ex: carer regularly stating to the child ‘I wish you had never been born’
Isolating the child: adult cutting the child off from normal social experiences and contacts and prevents them from making friends thus making them believe they are alone in the world.
Terrorising the child: verbally abuse of the child, creating a climate of fear. The child is bullied and frightened by the adult or other young persons and made to believe that the world is hostile and dangerous. Child is never sure what the adult carers response will be to something they do or say.
Ignoring the child: adult deprives the child if essential stimulation and responsiveness, stifling emotional growth and intellectual development
Corrupting the child: adult makes or encourage the child to engage in anti-social behaviour such as stealing, vandalism or any other illegal or harmful activity.
Inappropriate expectations based in age development: ex a 10years old expected to care for younger siblings.
Seeing/hearing ill treatment of another: child witnessing domestic abuse or other traumatic violent scenes between adults, young adults or other children.
What is emotional abuse?
Persistent emotional ill- treatment of a child such as to cause severe and persistent adverse effects on the child’s emotional development.
