Status: 02/17/2023 11:23 a.m
When it comes to violence against children, many people first think of beatings or sexual abuse. But the most common form is emotional abuse – which can have serious consequences, as a study shows.
At the entrance to a doctor’s office, he threw kisses on the hands of the staff, and after just a few treatments he sat on the doctor’s lap without being asked – the six-year-old Lasse was noticed early on by his unusual behavior. However, what some may perceive as particularly warm or childishly sweet worries the psychiatrist Lars Otto White from the University of Leipzig.
“In this case we diagnosed an attachment disorder as a result of chronic emotional abuse.” In Lasse’s case, it was triggered by various problems: the father, who after separating from the mother, neglected contact with the son. And also because of the repeated threats from the overwhelmed mother that she would “put her son in a home” if he went too far.
Widespread, elusive
Lasse’s example is not unique. According to a funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research study, in which White was involved, emotional violence is the most common form of child abuse. “Our two most important findings are that not only was emotional abuse the most common in our sample, but it also had the most severe impact on children’s mental health.”
For the study, White and his colleagues questioned almost 800 children and young people in detailed interviews. The contact came about, among other things, through youth welfare offices. More than 300 of them reported abuse, almost 250 of them emotional violence.
High number of unreported cases
How many people are affected in Germany is difficult to say, as the number of unreported cases is high. UNICEF, the United Nations Children’s Fund, estimates that emotional abuse or neglect is the most common form, affecting one in three children worldwide. Psychiatrist Udo Dannlowski from the clinic for psychiatry and psychotherapy at the University Hospital in Münster believes that this is also realistic in Germany, also based on his professional experience: “A lot of the patients we treat come because of problems that were partly caused by emotional abuse.”
However, White and other experts consider this figure to be too high for Germany. He assumes that in Germany up to ten percent of all people will be victims of psychological violence at some point. Iris-Tatjana Kolassa from the University of Ulm points out that physical violence usually also involves psychological violence. “Therefore, the influence of the different forms of violence cannot always be clearly distinguished. But one should not underestimate emotional violence.”
Examples of emotional abuse
But where does psychological violence begin? While beatings or sexual abuse are quite clearly defined – also in legal terms – the border to psychological violence is often blurred. White therefore prefers to give examples rather than abstract definitions: “A classic case is a role reversal, for example when the children have to make sure that breakfast is on the table or that they are at school on time. Or when children are single parents as substitute partners have to serve.”
Another example is threats from parents to “give away” the child if it does not behave as desired. But White also counts “insults aimed at the self-esteem of the child” as emotional violence. Neglect is given when the child’s elementary needs, for example for closeness or recognition, are permanently ignored.
Trauma adds up
“In general, it always becomes problematic with children and adolescents when the parents, who are supposed to be a source of comfort and security, can no longer perform this function and instead become a source of fear and threat,” explains White. Time also plays a role and how often such abuse is experienced.
Research speaks of the so-called trauma load: “Traumatic experiences can add up over the course of life,” says psychologist Kolassa. If abusive behavior occurs repeatedly or permanently, the likelihood of mental illness increases – especially in children.
Far-reaching consequences
According to the Leipzig study, the consequences can be serious and, according to White, have just as bad or even worse consequences than physical violence. In younger children between the ages of three and eight, emotional abuse primarily led to a disruption in social behavior (behavioural problems), while in the older children it tended to lead to depression and anxiety disorders.
Post-traumatic stress disorders – such as those that soldiers develop after a war – can also be the result. These problems can accompany those affected for the rest of their lives and negatively affect, for example, self-esteem or the ability to enter into relationships.
Dannlowski also points out that psychological violence can also damage brain structures – especially in children. “The hippocampus – which is important for our emotion regulation and memory formation – has a particularly large number of receptors for the stress hormone cortisol. And if children experience constant stress, this can have toxic consequences for this brain area.” It could then be the case, for example, that the hippocampus no longer grows well and remains smaller. An increased reactivity of the amygdala, the fear or alarm center in the brain, could also be the result.
Create more awareness
In view of the study results, White would like one thing above all: more attention to the topic. On the one hand, this applies to the general public: Because while beatings and sexual abuse are very often discussed and there are numerous offers of help, psychological or emotional violence receives little public attention, for example in media reports or advice centers for parents.
Dannlowski would also like more initiative from politicians. For example, there could be more education in schools or in birth preparation courses by midwives. Because many underestimate the damage that emotional abuse can do. “We just need a lot more awareness of what is and isn’t good handling of children.”