EMOTIONAL ABUSE

Emotional Injury hurts a child's mental development. It occurs when attitudes or actions repeatedly happen in a family that negatively effect the way a child feels about him/herself. This can impair a youngster's behavior and ability to function. Emotional abuse happens in all kinds of ways. A lack of love and support can be devastating. This can take the form of emotional detachment or a severe lack of affection. Extremely harsh, critical treatment of a child can cause emotional injury, too. This can include severe punishment, verbal assaults that may include belittling or scapegoating and rejection.
Children need love and nurturing so they can develop a good sense of self-esteem and grow up to be happy, emotionally healthy, stable adults. Threatening, belittling, snubbing, shaming, constantly criticizing, withholding praise and affection, and calling a child names can damage a child's spirit.

Emotionally abused children can be sad and withdrawn, or angry and violent. They may believe that no one cares about them because they are not worth caring about and engage in self-destructive behavior. Their bad behavior or actions often exacerbates the problem, because they will not get positive feedback from family, peers, or other adults in their lives.

"Sticks and stones may break my bones" but names really hurt.

Neglect is the failure to provide for a child's basic needs. This can include the failure to supervise a child properly, placing the child with inappropriate caretakers, dressing a child in clothing inappropriate for the weather, failure to provide medical or dental care, or the denial of love and affection.

Neglect is also exposing a child to domestic violence and substance abuse.