ABSTRACT
DEFINITION Emotional development in infancy and later childhood largely depends on ‘good enough parenting’, and this determines the quality of the attachment between parent and child. Emotional abuse describes a relationship that is characterised by harmful interactions, which impair a child’s psychological and emotional health and development: no physical contact is required. The abusing adult is nearly always the primary carer and attachment figure for the child. Different forms of emotional abuse affect children differently according to age and shape the development of psychological function at the time of their occurrence. Often children who are maltreated experience emotional abuse from an early age, frequently as a precursor to other abuse. Working Together to Safeguard Children describes emotional abuse as:
the persistent emotional maltreatment of a child such as to cause severe and persistent adverse effects on the child’s emotional development. It may involve conveying to children that they are worthless or unloved, inadequate, or valued only insofar as they meet the needs of another person. It may feature age or developmentally inappropriate expectations being imposed on children. These may include interactions that are beyond the child’s developmental capability, as well as overprotection and limitation of exploration and learning, or preventing the child participating in normal social interaction. It may involve seeing or hearing the ill-treatment of another. It may involve serious bullying causing children frequently to feel frightened or in danger, or the exploitation or corruption of children. Some level of emotional abuse is involved in all types of maltreatment of a child, though it may occur alone.
