Does My Child Suffer From Psychological Abuse?

Do you or another caregiver berate, disparage, or humiliate your child?

Are you or another caregiver threatening your child?

Do you or another caregiver harm/abandon your child—or indicating that you will harm/abandon people or things that the child cares about?

Do you or another caregiver confine your child (as by tying a child's arms or legs together or binding a child to furniture or another object, or confining a child to a small enclosed area [e.g., a closet])?

Do you or another caregiver engage in egregious scapegoating of your child?

Do you or another caregiver coerce your child to inflict pain on himself or herself?

Do you or another caregiver engage in disciplining the child excessively (i.e., at an extremely high frequency or duration, even if not at a level of physical abuse) through physical or nonphysical means?

Based on your answers, it is unlikely that your child is suffering from psychological abuse.

Unfortunately, you or another caregiver are displaying the symptoms typically seen among individuals who psychologically abuse their child. Child psychological abuse can be described as deliberate behavior or acts by a child’s caregiver that may result in psychological harm to the child. Even good parents may yell at their children sometimes, and that is not necessarily abusive. Being a parent is a hard, but very important job. Make sure to do this job the best way possible and change bad habits that may negatively affect parenting. If you are worried about your behavior or about the behavior of your partner towards your child, it may be important to consult a doctor.