Recent research conducted in the United States and London has shed light on the harmful effects of shouting at children.

The study suggests that it can be as detrimental to them as sexual or physical abuse.

The study was commissioned by the UK charity Words Matter and published in the journal Child Abuse & Neglect.

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What is Child Verbal Abuse?

The study advocates for the recognition of childhood verbal abuse (CVA) as a distinct form of mistreatement.

Additionally, to arrive at this conclusion, researchers examined 149 quantitative and 17 qualitative studies on CVA.

In a shocker, they identified common themes of abuse in CVA, such as negative speech volume, tone, and content, along with their immediate impact.

The study highlights that parents, mothers, and teachers are among the most common perpetrators of shouting at kids.

The consequences of childhood verbal abuse can recur throughout a child’s life.

It is these outbursts that lead to underlying emotional and psychological repercussions.

These repercussions may manifest as issues like obesity, increased risks of anger, substance abuse, depression, and self-harm.

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Do researchers agree?

However, researchers argue that there is a pressing need for a more precise definition of childhood verbal abuse.

Currently, childhood maltreatment is categorized into four main types: physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, and neglect.

In addition, the study points out that childhood emotional abuse has been on the rise in recent years.

Acknowledging CVA as a form of maltreatment is seen as a crucial starting point for addressing and preventing it.

Researchers recommend adult training that emphasises on safety, support, and nurturing during verbal communication with children.

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The researchers also stressed that preventing child maltreatment, including childhood verbal abuse, is essential.

In addition it is crucial in reducing the prevalence of child mental health problems.

In brief  the researchers also emphasized the urgent need for acknowledging childhood verbal abuse as unique.

Their reasoning was because its effects are long lasting, negative with very serious consequences to the future of a child in adulthood.

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