Hey there and welcome to Life Noggin.
In today’s video, we discuss the psychological trauma that parents
can inflict on their children. Topics like emotional abuse and neglect will be discussed.
Please do not continue watching if you are triggered by any of these topics.
Abuse can come in many forms, all of which can have dire consequences. While
it is less acknowledged than others, the most common form of abuse experienced by children
is emotional abuse and neglect, occurring in 36% and 52% of child maltreatment cases.,
These fall under the category of psychological maltreatment, which the American Academy of
Pediatrics has called, “the most challenging and prevalent form of child abuse and neglect.”
Psychological maltreatment can appear in many different ways,
some more subtle than others. But overall, they cause the same effect, robbing the child
of their basic psychological needs of safety, socialization, support, stimulation, and respect.
The American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children (APSAC) has identified
five ways in which caregivers cause this type of harm:
Through spurning caregivers reject or degrade the child by saying mean things or shaming
them. This can be done verbally or non-verbally. Terrorizing includes any
behavior that threatens to harm the child or the child’s loved ones or possessions.
Caregivers can also exploit or corrupt the child by encouraging inappropriate behaviors
such as criminal acts or being anti-social. They can also be emotionally unresponsive by
not showing affection or love for the child, or isolate them consistently and unreasonably
not letting them interact with other people, either inside or outside their home. This can
also include limiting the child’s movement within the home, like confining them to their room.
They can also neglect the child’s mental health,
medical, and educational needs by either refusing or failing to provide necessary treatments.
Because it directly impacts a child’s development, psychological maltreatment
can cause a broad array of harmful effects that can last throughout life.,, If it occurs during
the first 3 years of life, these effects could be even worse because of how much and how fast the
brain and other biological systems grow during this time. It’s consequences are seen in their
mental and emotional health, socialization, education, and even physical health.,,
One major impact is on relationships. Because of the harmful behavior the receive from their
caregivers, children become untrusting of others and have difficulty forming healthy attachments,
which can continue into adulthood.,
Their stress response system may also not develop properly because they were constantly under
stress throughout childhood., This can cause them to have a big, overblown response--like
rapid breathing or shutting down--to what most would consider only a minor stressor.
If you or someone you know has experienced emotional abuse or neglect
you should seek help right away. If you live in the U.S. or Canada, call or text the National
Child Abuse Hotline anytime at 1-800-4-A-CHILD (1-800-422-4453) for information on free help
in your area or visit their website here: https://www.childhelp.org/childhelp-hotline/.
Nobody should be treating you badly, especially the people who should be taking care of you.
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As always, my name is blocko, this has been life noggin, don't forget to keep on thinking