Verbal Abuse Against Children

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Verbal Abuse against Children

Verbal abuse is increasingly being recognized for its negative effects (Visaing , Straus , Gelles Harrop ,

. 223-238 . Subjecting children to the victimization of their mothers is a severe form of psychological maltreatment . Despite the parents ' attempts to shield the children from adult violence , most children witness some violence against their mothers and are likely to at least hear the violence (Phillips , Lukens Casriel ,

. 111-121 . Hiding in their bedrooms out of fear , the children may hear repeated threats of injury

, verbal assaults on their mother 's character , objects hurled across the room , suicide attempts beatings , and threats to kill (Rosenberg ,

. 85-89 . Such exposure arouses a mixture of intense feelings in the children that include fear that the mother will be killed , guilt that they could not stop the violence , divided loyalties , and anger at the mother for not leaving (James Madison University , Center for Child Abuse Education ,

. 114 Even a single episode of violence can produce posttraumatic stress dis in the children (Stullman , Schoenenberger Hanks ,

. 32 Thus , the father who batters is at risk for emotionally traumatizing the children because he already has a history of doing so

The immediate problems of the children can be divided into two broad categories (1 ) internalized problems such as withdrawn or anxious behavior and (2 ) externalized problems such as aggressive and delinquent behaviors . Some children show both types . In one study three-fourths of the children of battered women exhibited clinically significant behavioral problems , compared with only 13 percent of those in a control group (Jaffe , Wolfe , Wilson Zak ,

. 142-146 . The impact on behavior may be greatest for children who are exposed to the most conflict between the parents and are treated punitively . The effects may differ by gender , but the findings are not consistent (for example , Davis Carlson ,

. 278-291 . The children may also develop hearing , speech , and learning difficulties (Penfold ,

. 108-114 . Teenage children may turn to alcohol and drug use

The ability of the children to solve social problems is also impaired The children tend to do poorly on measures testing their understanding of social situations and the thoughts and feelings of others and are less able to deal with an emergency (Jaffe et al ,

. 45 . Exposure to violence is likely to teach male children how to be abusive throughout their lives , thus contributing to the intergenerational transmission of violence

Factors That May Affect Risk of Abuse

Besides knowing which parent is most at risk for physically or emotionally abusing their children , there may be important factors that raise or lower the level of risk , including parental separation and parents ' traumas , psychological pros , and participation in treatment

Parental Separation

Many men who batter cling to the marital relationship after separation and continue to harass and physically abuse their partners . Some wives are killed during separation in the context of custody disputes or visitation (Saunders Browne ,

. 379-402 . An abuser may try to control his partner...