Verbal abuse includes insulting comments and behavior, threats of physical abuse, and negative statements like 'you're worthless' or 'you're stupid'. Parents who verbally abuse their children often have a psychiatric or personality disorder or may have learned this way of parenting from their own parents. Children who are verbally abused by their parents often believe the negative statements, creating a pattern of self-criticism. Now research reports that verbally abused children are more likely to grow up to be self-critical adults suffering from depression or other mood disorders.
The study, published in the Journal of Affective Disorders, examined the association of childhood verbal abuse, as well as sexual and physical abuse, on adult self-criticism and depression and anxiety symptoms. Researchers at Florida State University compared the data of 5,614 people, ages 15 to 54, participating in the National Comorbidity Survey.
The researchers found that nearly 30 percent of participants reported they were verbally abused by a parent. The verbally abused participants had 1.6 times as many symptoms of depression and anxiety than those who had not been verbally abused. Furthermore, verbally abused participants were twice as likely to have suffered a mood or anxiety disorder over their lifetime.
Findings also revealed that 6.6 percent of participants reported parental physical abuse and 4.5 percent of participants suffered sexual abuse by a relative. However, self-criticism may not have played as important a role in the development of depression and anxiety for physically and sexually abused participants.
"We must try to educate parents about the long-term effects of verbal abuse on their children," says study author Natalie Sachs-Ericsson, PhD, professor of psychology at Florida State University, in a news release. "The old saying about sticks and stones was wrong. Names will forever hurt you."
The researchers suggest that self-critical individuals can benefit from cognitive-behavioral therapy.
REFERENCES:
1. Sachs-Ericsson N et al. Parental verbal abuse and the mediating role of self-criticism in adult internalizing disorders. J Affect Disord 2006 Jul;93(1-3):71-8. Epub 2006 Mar 20.
2. Ellish J. Invisible scars: Verbal abuse triggers adult anxiety, depression. Eureakalert, News Release, May 22, 2006.
Posted by Elaine Gavalas on August 26, 2006 12:39 PM
