What constitutes emotional child abuse?
Isolated emotional abuse is the least frequently reported form of child abuse (7% of all cases). This form is felt to be markedly underreported since it can be difficult to detect and document. However, since it is a component of all forms of child abuse, it is the most pervasive of all the previously listed forms of child abuse. There are several categories of emotional abuse and they may occur as unique experiences or together in the same child. They include • rejecting (for example, refusing to acknowledge the child’s worth and emotional needs), • isolation (denying the child social experiences: locking child in the closet is an extreme example), • terrorizing (verbal assault with or without weapons), • ignoring (refusing to show affection), • corrupting (reinforcing destructive, antisocial, or sexually exploitative behaviors), • verbal assault (extreme sarcasm, name calling, public humiliation), and • over-pressuring (criticism of age-appropriate behaviors/skills as inadequate). Em
