Abstract

SAUCEDA GARCIA, Juan Manuel  and  MALDONADO DURAN, Jesús Martín. The psychological abuse of children in the family. Rev. Fac. Med. (Méx.) [online]. 2016, vol.59, n.5, pp.15-25. ISSN 2448-4865.

It is still not unusual that the parents or caregivers of children in many families use violent measures to control the behavior of their offspring, even when these measures violate human rights. The psychological abuse involves non-accidental actions, either verbal or symbolic, by a parent or guardian that in all likelihood may cause psychological harm to the child. Other names for psychological abuse are: emotional maltreatment, psychological maltreatment, emotional abuse and verbal abuse. Its epidemiology has been difficult to determine because of the lack of consensus on its definition and because its impact on the mental health of the victims has been underestimated.

However, the psychosocial consequences of psychological abuse are as damaging, or even more harmful, that the consequences of other types of abuse (such as physical, sexual or neglect). It is important for physicians and other clinicians to keep an eye on the occurrence of psychological abuse, to teach parents functional rearing technics and refer families to psychological treatment if necessary.

Keywords : psychological abuse; emotional mistreatment.

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