Emotional Abuse

Isolation

-adult refusing child the opportunity for social interactions -also affects adult victims of domestic violence -some families who are involved in criminal activity isolate their kids

Emotions

-all have certain characteristics in common -each is triggered by external events that send signals to brain and CNS -as a result, your body responds with physiological changes

Property Destruction

-destruction of kid's personal property or pets -devastating to kid, especially when done in their view -more common by siblings -indication of power and control over their kid

Corruption

-engaging kid in destructive and sometimes criminal behaviors, such as theft -cops may get involved -includes providing kid alcohol/drugs -reasons include the individual wanting pleasure or economic gain

Warning Signs of Emotional Abuse

-excessive withdrawn, fearful, or anxious behaviors about doing something wrong -shows extremes in behavior (compliant or demanding) -doesn't seem to be attached to parent/caretaker

Physical and Behavioral Indicators

-low weight, limited growth, stress-related ailments -sleep, speech, eating disorders -anxious towards new experiences, fearful of loud noises, confused by actions of others -feelings of guilt -avoid eye contact -crying, can't trust adults

Why?

-mental illness, personality, family upbringing, current family environment

Who are the abusers?

-most involve a parent or caretaker -most involve a mother between ages 20-35 -siblings (normally perceived as sibling rivalry, can have long term effects, generally from older to younger sibling)

Domestic Violence

-privacy of home and fear of retaliation/exposure make identifying maltreated juveniles difficult -intentional violence committed, attempted, or threatened -can lead to child maltreatment and neglect -high divorce rates, more step-parents, more abused kids -divorce is targeted as largest cause of child depression

Types of Emotional Abuse

-rejection, isolation, terrorizing, ignoring, corrupting, destroying personal property

Ignoring

-telling the kid you don't care about them -kid deprived of social stimulation and responsiveness -results in self-perception of worthlessness -parents don't provide kids with social interactions for healthy development -kids may be ignored as result of a mental illness

Self-Esteem

-what an adult says to a kid can deeply affect the kid's ideas of who they are and might become -adult words have special power that shouldn't be underestimated -most powerful sign of communication about attitude from adult to kid is how you talk to them -kids quickly learn that their ideas, thoughts, and concerns aren't valued -kids characterize negative verbal environments that make them feel inadequate and less than

How do we prosecute emotional abuse?

-where's the evidence? -how do we prove it? -very difficult

Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs

1) self actualization 2) esteem 3) love/belonging 4) safety 5) physiological

Omissions

not doing something or saying something (like emotional neglect)

Essentials for Positive Adult-Child Relationships

warmth, acceptance, genuineness, empathy, respect

Rejection

many parents reject kids for many reasons -refusing love of child

Statistics

-about 250,000 kid victims/year -most common form of child abuse -difficult to document b/c many cases go unnoticed, undetected, and unaddressed -essentially always part of physical, sexual, and neglect -most difficult type to identify and define

Terrorizing (Verbal Abuse)

-abusers verbally assaults kid on regular basis to create a climate of fear -one of the few categories where cops can get involved (threatening death, etc) -terrorized by parents, siblings (siblings more common)

Emotional Abuse

-acts or omissions by parents/caretakers that have caused, or could cause, serious damage -includes verbal, destruction of kid's property -maybe most dangerous form for a child