Emotional abuse involves the ongoing and persistent emotional mistreatment of a child. In adults, this is described as psychological abuse. Emotional abuse undermines the child’s sense of worth, safety, value, identity and being loved.

Emotional abuse is always present when any of the other forms of abuse are experienced but can occur on its own. It can be difficult to identify and respond to.

Emotional abuse includes:

• Humiliating, constantly criticising, ridiculing or undermining
• Threatening, shouting, or calling them names
• Making them the subject of jokes, or using sarcasm to hurt a child
• Blaming and scapegoating
• Making a child perform degrading or demeaning acts
• Not recognising a child’s own individuality or trying to control their lives
• Pushing a child too hard or not recognising their limitations
• Exposing a child to upsetting events or situations, like domestic abuse or drug taking
• Failing to promote a child’s development
• Not allowing them to have friends or to engage in activities that would allow them to make friends
• persistently ignoring them
• Being emotionally or mentally absent
• Manipulating them, including using them as “pawns” or weapons against one or other parent or other family members
• Constant negative comparison (e.g. Why can’t you be more like…)
• Expressing resentment of their presence
• Withholding praise, kindness, and the expression of positive feelings or congratulating a child on successes
• Withholding emotional warmth and affection
• Expression of excessive negative emotions towards, or in interactions with the child
• Overprotectiveness and preventing the child from exploring and developing new skills