Researchers from North Carolina and the UK found that yelling at children could have the same negative impact as physical abuse.
By examining 160 studies on verbal abuse, researchers linked yelling to depression, substance abuse, obesity, and even engaging in criminal acts.
Overall, rates of physical and sexual abuse have seen a decline, but rates of emotional abuse appear to be on the rise.
“Childhood verbal abuse desperately needs to be acknowledged as an abuse subtype because of the lifelong negative consequences,” Dr. Shanta Dube said. “Breaking the intergenerational cycles starts with the adults.”
