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Emotional Abuse Literature Review

Decent Essays

Introduction
The issue of child emotional abuse is often a difficult topic to discuss as well as treat. Emotional abuse can be very difficult to recognize since it is generally a relationship between a child and a caretaker and not a specific incident or series of events that can be pointed to as abuse. In fact, emotional and psychological maltreatment have no definition that is universally agreed upon, therefore, the two terms are often used interchangeably. Emotional abuse is the most common form of child abuse. While emotional abuse can be present absent any other type of abuse, such as physical or sexual abuse, there is almost certainly emotional abuse present with all other forms of abuse. Emotional abuse may not leave physical scars but it does appear to leave long lasting psychological scars. While there is evidence of psychological damage due to emotional abuse, it is not clear exactly how deep and lasting the damage may be. There is a great need to research the effects, treatment, and interventions for emotional abuse.
Literature Review
Hibbard, Barlow …show more content…

Emotional abuse can cause serious burdens on society. Emotional abuse has a significant cost in educational and societal failures, crime, and health care costs (Hibbard, Barlow, & MacMillan, 2012) Pediatricians need to be alert and trained in recognizing emotional maltreatment of children. This can be a very difficult task for pediatricians. Learning to interview children when they are developmentally ready is an important skill which can be critical in detecting emotional abuse. Children who have been emotionally abused have higher rates of psychological disorders such as depression, anxiety, suicidal thoughts and behaviors, and aggression. Providers need to be cognizant of risk factors that may indicate a greater risk for emotional abuse. Some of the risk factors were parental psychiatric illness, depression, and substance

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