The Effects of Verbal Abuse

Growing up in a household with a verbally abusive parent can have negative short term and long term effects on a child. Verbal abuse does not leave any direct physical scars on a child, but it leaves the child mentally and emotionally scarred forever. “In fact, current research shows that verbal abuse of children can be just as destructive emotionally as physical and sexual abuse and puts them in as much risk for depression and anxiety” (Health Day). Verbal abuse includes yelling, insulting, swearing, criticizing, threatening, name-calling, and ridiculing. A study of over 5,600 people between the ages of 15 and 54 showed that nearly 30% had been often or at one point verbally abused by their parent. The child of a verbally abusive parent suffers from both immediate and long term effects. Effects of verbal abuse can be very immediate and are difficult for any child to cope with. A child suffering from verbal abuse by a parent can have immediate distrust in its parent. The child will begin to fear the abuser and obtain the desire to flee from the abuser. It is possible that the child will begin to defy all authoritative figures as a sign of total distrust and as a symptom of post-traumatic stress disorder from the abuse by their own parent. The child may feel as though they are “walking on eggshells” around the abuser and may become stressed from constantly having to watch out for anything that might set of their verbally abusive parent. A loss of sense safety around the abuser damages the vital bond between the child and the parent that is needed for the child to develop properly.

Verbal abuse can stunt emotional and mental development and make it difficult for a child to function properly in society. Verbal abuse from a parent to a child can make it difficult for the child to relate to peers who do not suffer from verbal abuse. Form of verbal abuse such as name-calling, ridiculing, and threatening with abandonment can cause low self-esteem and can cause the child to create a negative self-image. “A new study by Florida State University researchers has found that people who were verbally abused as children grow up to be self-critical adults prone to depression and anxiety” (Florida State University). This negative self-image and low self-esteem can lead to self-destructive behavior such as cutting, starving, or overeating. It can also cause anxiety and depression. “In an article published by Florida State University, Jill Elish cited Natalie Sachs-Ericsson, psychology professor at FSU, as saying that verbally abused people had 1.6 times as many symptoms of depression and anxiety as those who had not been verbally abused and also had double the chance to have suffered a mood or anxiety disorder” (Everyday Life). Not only can verbal abuse by a parent cause the child to have a lack of confidence, it can destroy the child’s ability to feel good about itself.

Along with verbal abuse comes multiple long-term effects. The child could turn out to be verbally abusive toward younger siblings in order to feel the slightest sense of power. Also, once the child is old enough to have the courage to do so, he or she could turn on the parent and verbally abuse them in retaliation. Verbal abuse is a learned behavior and is often a cycle. If not treated with therapy, the child of a verbally abusive parent may grow up to be a verbally abusive parent himself or herself. This is why the cycle of verbal abuse requires professional help to avoid it being continued.

The effects effects of verbal abuse, both short term and long term, are devastating. Immediate effects of verbal abuse can become long term issues if not resolved in time. Verbal abuse by a parent is extremely hard for a child to cope with, especially since the abuse is coming from a parent, who is supposed to be the one to always care for the child. It leaves a child with invisible scars, both mental and emotional. Too often is verbal abuse seen as simple discipline when in reality, it goes way beyond the line of normal discipline and into a range of abuse that can affect a child for the rest of his or her life. The world must open its eyes to the effects of verbal abuse from a parent to a child and do all it can to discontinue the cycle of abuse and allow the abused child to live a full and happy life. Works Cited

"Invisible Scars." Florida State University. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 June 2014.
Loftis, Chris, and Catherine Gallagher. The Words Hurt. Far Hills, NJ: New Horizon, 1995. Print.
"Verbal Abuse in Relationships Between Parents and Children." Everyday Life. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 May 2014.
"Yelling at Children (Verbal Abuse)." Health Day. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 May 2014.