Yelling at children equal to sexual and physical abuse, says study
Not everything that seems harmless is...
In recent years, the discourse surrounding disciplining children has become more and more debated.
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Whether it's the methods used by teachers, parents or guardians, there have been many changes with regard to this topic.
While no one can tell a parent how to raise their child, there is important research and professional advice that can prove helpful.
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In a recent study looking into childhood verbal abuse (CVA), there have been some very interesting and concerning discoveries.
The research has been published in the Child Abuse and Neglect journal and reviewed 166 different studies before stating that shouting at children could be as harmful as sexual and physical abuse.
Childhood verbal abuse desperately needs to be acknowledged as an abuse subtype because of the lifelong negative consequences.
The study argues that CVA should be recognised as its own form of maltreatment as they found that it could severely impact a child's development.
CVA is characterised as "shouting, yelling, denigrating the child, and verbal threats."
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The researchers studied the impact of adults such as parents, teachers, and coaches and cited several papers that indicate that CVA can lead to detrimental physiological effects (depression, anxiety, low self-esteem), external symptoms (substance abuse, committing crimes), and physical health outcomes such as developing lung disease or obesity.
Finally, the paper added that around 40% of children experience this form of abuse and a further 10% said they experience daily verbal occurrence.
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If a parent, teacher, coach, guardian or any other adult feels stressed out and on the verge of yelling, it is more important than ever to remember: don't take it out on the children.
It might be better to handle the situation with more care in the future.
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Main image courtesy of iStock/Zinkevych