Khaberni - Researchers in BMJ Open indicated that verbal abuse during childhood can cause as much damage to a person’s future mental health as physical abuse does.
The researchers found that verbal abuse increases the likelihood of mental health impairments in adulthood by 64 percent, while physical abuse increases these probabilities by 52 percent.
The findings showed that individuals who were exposed to both verbal and physical abuse were more likely to suffer from mental health issues compared to other adults.
The research team, led by Mark Bellis, Professor of Public Health and Behavioural Sciences at Liverpool John Moores University in the UK, wrote:
"The immediate consequences of physical abuse of children are often shocking, with immediate and long-term effects on the victims' health."
Verbal abuse often doesn’t manifest in ways that attract the attention of parents, doctors, or other service providers responsible for child protection, the researchers continued.
"However, as indicated here, some of its effects may be no less harmful or shorter-lived."
The researchers in their background notes said that about one in six children worldwide are subjected to physical abuse by family members or caregivers, which is associated with depression, anxiety, drug addiction, violence, and serious health problems in adulthood.
But the researchers pointed out that verbal abuse is also a source of toxic stress that can affect children's brain development, and it is more common; it is estimated that one out of every three children is exposed to it.
To see how this abuse might affect children's mental health in the future, the researchers tracked more than 20,600 children born in England and Wales since the 1950s.
The results show that instances of physical abuse decreased from about 20% among children born between 1950 and 1979 to 10% among those born in 2000 or later.
Increase in Verbal Abuse
However, the percentage of verbal abuse rose from about 12% among children born before 1950 to nearly 20% among those born in 2000 or after.
The researchers also found that verbal abuse inflicts the same damage to the psyche as physical abuse does.
The study showed that about 24% of children who were subjected to verbal abuse suffered from impaired mental health in adulthood, compared to about 23% who were subjected to physical abuse, and 29% who were exposed to both verbal and physical abuse.
By comparison, only 16% of children who were not exposed to any abuse ended up with mental health impairments in adulthood.
The researchers said that adults who suffer from mental health impairments were less inclined to feel optimistic or relaxed, or to communicate with others. They also faced difficulties in dealing with problems, thinking clearly, or making their own decisions.
In most cases, verbal abuse affected these individual well-being indicators more dramatically than physical abuse, according to the findings.
For example, physical abuse in childhood increased the likelihood of adults not feeling close to others by 33%, while verbal abuse increased these probabilities by 90%, according to the study. Adults were 2.7 times more likely to never or rarely feel close to others if they experienced verbal or physical abuse.
Despite the general focus on physical violence and child abuse, the findings indicate that verbal abuse in childhood could have similarly severe consequences on mental health. The researchers concluded that even when physical abuse is part of childhood experiences, those who also experience verbal abuse are more at risk.
