Indicators:

Physical indicators of psychological maltreatment may include:

  • Speech disorders

  • Lags in physical development

  • Failure to thrive (especially in infants)

  • Asthma, ulcers, severe allergies (when occurrence seems chronic and stress related).

 

Due to the nature of psychological maltreatment, most indicators are behavioral:

  • Anxiety disorders, such as sucking, biting, rocking, facial tics, enuresis (bed wetting), encopresis (fecal soiling) or eating disorders

  • Withdrawal, depression, anti-social behaviors (cruelty to animals, themselves, others, stealing, setting fires)

  • Sleep disorders, inhibition of play

  • Chronic verbalizations of illness, school phobic behaviors (irrational fear of school attendance)

  • Behavioral extremes: compliant, passive or aggressive, demanding

  • Overly adaptive behavior: inappropriately adult or infantile

  • Lags in emotional and intellectual development

  • Delinquent behaviors

  • Threatens or attempts self-harm or suicide

  • Drug/alcohol misuse

  • Shows diminished cognitive ability.

 

Parental behaviors for the five main types of psychological maltreatment are:

(1)   Ignoring

(a)    Pays no attention to the child

(b)   Doesn’t care whether the child is home for meals or at bedtime

(c)    Fails to report a runaway child as missing.

 

(2)   Isolating

(a)    Refuses to allow the child to go out to play

(b)   Refuses to allow the child to bring friends home

(c)    Refuses to allow the child to participate in extracurricular activities at school, church, etc.

(d)   Confines the child at home (usually to a bedroom)

(e)    Locks the child in a room or closet

(f)     Ties the child with ropes, chains or other restraints

(g)    Won’t let the child eat with the family or be involved in other family activities.

 

(3)   Terrorizing

(a)    Constant yelling and screaming at the child

(b)   Deliberately scaring the child

(c)    Telling the child that a pet, the child, or family member will be hurt if the child doesn’t behave a certain way

(d)   Repeatedly waking the child up during the night for no reason.

 

(4)   Rejecting

(a)    Blames and belittles the child constantly

(b)   Compares the child unfavorably to others on a consistent basis

(c)    Will not listen to the child

(d)    Pushes the child away frequently

(e)    Makes verbal statements which undermine the child’s self-esteem:

“I hate you!”

“You’re no good!”

“I wish you were never born!”

 

(5)   Corrupting

(a)    Allows the child to be used for (VIDEO CLIP)

(b)   Allows or encourages the child to use alcohol or drugs

(c)    Uses a child for other illegal purposes (such as to sell drugs, burglarize homes).

 

Family Characteristics:

(1)   Parents blame the child for all of the family’s problems (or ignore the child’s problem)

(2)   Parents refuse all offers of help or referrals for help

(3)   Parents seem unconcerned about the child’s welfare

(4)   Parents verbalize abrasive and rejecting descriptions of the child on a consistent basis.

 
Home :: Psychological Maltreatment Indicators