Emotional abuse: Invisible danger to children's mental health

Emotional abuse: Invisible danger to children's mental health

Latest research results from the TU Dresden and the FU Berlin show alarming connections between emotional child abuse and interoception - the ability to perceive internal body signals such as heartbeat and breathing. This study, published in the journal Nature Mental Health, suggests that emotional abuse and neglect can severely impact confidence in one's body image.

The comprehensive meta-analysis, which included 17 individual studies with a total of 3,705 participants, found that there was no consistent connection between interoception and experiences of abuse in childhood. Dr. Ilka Böhm from the research group points out that emotional abuse often receives less attention than physical or sexual abuse. She emphasizes the urgency of placing greater focus on children's emotional needs.

The impact of emotional abuse

The risk of mental disorders such as anxiety, depression and eating disorders is significantly increased in people who were emotionally abused in childhood. Younger children point loudly Research at the University Medical Center Leipzig often behavioral problems, while young people tend to suffer more from anxiety and depression.

The study, which is based on complex interviews and evaluations of youth welfare office files, examined 306 children and young people who had experienced maltreatment and 472 in a control group. The results show that emotional abuse, also known as psychological abuse, is the most common form of child abuse and has the greatest psychological impact.

Need for early interventions

A particularly alarming finding of the study is that 80 percent of the 778 children and adolescents examined who reported abuse also suffered from emotional abuse. Emotional abuse includes extreme humiliation, threats and blaming, which can have far-reaching consequences for the mental health of those affected.

The AMIS project aims to analyze the developmental paths from child abuse to psychiatric symptoms and is planning a second funding phase that includes a new survey of families and an analysis of behavioral problems in adolescence. The planned therapy study, which examines the effectiveness of newly developed psychotherapy approaches for affected children between the ages of 3 and 8, is particularly important.

These encouraging steps highlight the need to address emotional abuse early. Only through comprehensive research approaches and preventive measures can the circular influence of child maltreatment on mental health be broken.