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Name-calling, bullying of kids as bad as a kick
London: Bullying and calling
names can be as damaging to a young child’s physical, mental and
emotional health as a slap, punch or kick, a new study has found.
The
study looked at the effects of verbal abuse and found it can be just as
harmful to a child’s development as a physical attack.
According
to an American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) report on psychological
maltreatment in journal ‘Pediatrics’, psychological abuse may be the
most challenging and prevalent form of child abuse and neglect.
“Yelling
at a child every day and giving the message that the child is a
terrible person, and that the parent regrets bringing the child into
this world, is an example of a potentially very harmful interaction,”
said Dr Harriet MacMillan, McMaster University’s Michael G De-Groote
School of Medicine and the Offord Centre for Child Studies.
“We
are talking about extremes and the likelihood of harm, or risk of harm,
resulting from the kinds of behaviour that make a child feel worthless,
unloved or unwanted,” MacMillan said.
Psychological abuse was described in the
scientific literature more than 25 years ago, but it has been under-recognized
and under-reported, MacMillan said, adding that its effects “can be as
harmful as other types of maltreatment”.
The
report says that because psychological maltreatment interferes with a
child’s development path, the abuse has been linked with disorders of
attachment, developmental and educational problems, socialisation
problems and disruptive behaviour.
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