Emotional abuse is the ongoing emotional maltreatment of a child. It’s sometimes called psychological abuse and can seriously damage a child’s emotional health and development.
Emotional abuse can involve deliberately trying to scare or humiliate a child or isolating or ignoring them.
Children who are emotionally abused are often suffering another type of abuse or neglect at the same time
Emotional abuse includes:
Emotional and behavioural states consider child maltreatment if:
a child or young person displays or is reported to display a marked change in behaviour or emotional state that is a departure from what would be expected for their age and developmental stage and is not explained by a known stressful situation that is not part of child maltreatment (for example, bereavement or parental separation) or medical cause. Examples include:
a child’s behaviour or emotional state is not consistent with their age and developmental stage or cannot be explained by medical causes,
neurodevelopmental disorders (for example, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism spectrum disorders) or other stressful situation that is not part of child maltreatment (for example, bereavement or parental separation). Examples of behaviour or emotional states that may fit this description include:
a child shows repeated, extreme or sustained emotional responses that are out of proportion to a situation and are not expected for the child’s age or developmental stage or explained by a medical cause, neurodevelopmental disorder (for example, ADHD, autism spectrum disorders) or bipolar disorder and the effects of any known past maltreatment have been explored. Examples of these emotional responses include:
a child shows dissociation (transient episodes of detachment that are outside the child’s control and that are distinguished from daydreaming, seizures or
deliberate avoidance of interaction) that is not explained by a known traumatic event unrelated to maltreatment.
a child or young person regularly has responsibilities that interfere with essential normal daily activities (for example, school attendance).
a child responds to a health examination or assessment in an unusual, unexpected or developmentally inappropriate way (for example, extreme passivity, resistance or refusal).
is concern that parent– or carer–child interactions may be harmful. Examples include:
when persistent harmful parent– or carer–child interactions are observed or reported.
if parents or carers are seen or reported to punish a child for wetting despite professional advice that the symptom is involuntary.
if there is emotional unavailability and unresponsiveness from the parent or carer towards a child and in particular towards an infant.
if there is persistent emotional unavailability and unresponsiveness from the parent or carer towards a child and in particular towards an infant.
Further information:
NSPCC and Cardiff University Department of Child Health. (2014b). Core Info: Neglect or Emotional Abuse in Children Aged 5-14. London: NSPCC, (Accessed 29/7/2019)
NSPCC and Cardiff University Department of Child Health. (2014c). Core Info: Neglect or Emotional Abuse in Teenagers Aged 13-18. London: NSPCC, (Accessed 29/7/2019)
NSPCC Emotional abuse: signs, indicators and effects, (Accessed 29/7/2019)