Whenever we talk about child abuse, the image that comes to our heads is that of a father or mother beating his son, however there is another type of abuse that leaves no physical but psychological imprint, the so-called psychological abuse.
A recent study carried out by scientists from the Simmons School of Social Work in Boston (USA) shows that it is not necessary to hit a child to leave signs for life in his personality, but just shout at him.
The scientists revealed that they did not expect the results. As the study director commented: "We expected exposure to physical violence to leave lasting scars, but we didn't think we were going to find that exposure to screaming and insults among family members had effects on adult life." As they said the consequences include mental health problems, specifically depression and alcohol and substance abuse. They are more dissatisfied with their lives and suffer even a higher unemployment rate.
For the study they collected data from 346 people through several informants (parents, teachers ...) and inquired about the existence of verbal and / or physical violence in their homes at very specific ages.
They analyzed how both types of aggressions influenced people's lives when they reached adulthood (30 years) and assessed mental health, psychological status, job position, physical health and family history.
Of the subjects studied, 55% acknowledged that they had experienced verbal conflicts and 12% said they had suffered physical violence (which is not a small case in either case).
The results say that people who lived under insults have a three times greater risk of suffering from a psychiatric disorder at age 30 than those who lived in stable families.
If the aggression is physical, the risk of psychological problems and job and personal dissatisfaction is much greater.
According to the director of the study “It is necessary to create early preventive programs for children, as well as encourage good communication between parents and children”.
To be honest, I believe that a study was not necessary to conclude that shouting is part of a violent expression that can be intimidating and can affect children's personality.
Personally, I would add other factors to the screams that surely also make a dent (perhaps even more) in the children's personality, since it is not necessary, in fact, to shout to belittle a person. Ignore her (ignore requests, cries, calls, ...), make her feel inferior, laugh at her, etc. They are part of the wide range of resources that many parents use to "educate" their children.
I don't want to accuse anyone. Whoever is free will throw the first stone. I have also yelled at my son at some point and I am sure that most parents do.
It is normal, it is part of the educational heritage that came from our parents and our teachers. It is too hard to part with what I have learned since childhood.
I repeat, it is usual to shout at children, but that does not mean that it is ok, we must learn not to do it (and count to ten) because they deserve to be treated as the people they are. A "I'm sorry I yelled at you" shows that dad and mom are also human.
