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Cited by 167Child Abuse and TraumaChild and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional DevelopmentChild Welfare and Adoption

Is emotional abuse as harmful as physical and/or sexual abuse?

Open access
Dye, Heather L.·2020·Journal of Child & Adolescent Trauma
DOI 10.1007/s40653-019-00292-yPMC PMC7683637
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Abstract

This article discusses risk factors for adults who have suffered early childhood trauma, specifically focusing on emotional abuse, and discusses the negative long-term consequences from childhood trauma such as depression, anxiety, stress, and neuroticism personality. This research study predicts that those who report emotional abuse will have higher sores for depression, anxiety, stress, and neuroticism personality compared to those who reported only physical, only sexual, or combined physical and sexual abuse. Using the NEO Five-Factor Inventory, Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale, and Childhood Trauma Questionnaire, 748 college students participated in an on-line survey at a Southeastern university. As predicted, this study found those who reported emotional abuse had higher scores for depression, anxiety, stress, and neuroticism personality compared to those who reported only physical, only sexual, or combined physical and sexual abuse. Studies show emotional abuse may be the most damaging form of maltreatment causing adverse developmental consequences equivalent to, or more severe than, those of other forms of abuse (Hart et al. 1996). Therefore, this article discusses the need for public awareness campaigns to raise public and community awareness and evidenced based treatments that help with the psychological consequences resulting from emotional abuse.

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Crossref · 10.1007/s40653-019-00292-y

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41 of 41 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

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  • Persistent exposure to unpredictable and invalidating environments can lead to heightened emotional reactivity, difficulty identifying and expressing emotions, and reliance on maladaptive coping strategies.

    “Persistent exposure to unpredictable and invalidating environments can lead to heightened emotional reactivity, difficulty identifying and expressing emotions, and reliance on maladaptive coping strategies (Dye, 2019).”

    From From use to abuse: psychological, neurobiological, and spiritual pathways in relational harm and recovery (2026) · cites this paper as Dye, 2019

  • Individuals subjected to ongoing psychological harm often internalize negative messages conveyed by the perpetrator, leading to distorted self-perceptions characterized by inadequacy, guilt, and self-blame.

    “Individuals subjected to ongoing psychological harm often internalize negative messages conveyed by the perpetrator, leading to distorted self-perceptions characterized by inadequacy, guilt, and self-blame (Dye, 2019).”

    From From use to abuse: psychological, neurobiological, and spiritual pathways in relational harm and recovery (2026) · cites this paper as Dye, 2019

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Authors
Dye, H. L.
Affiliations
East Tennessee State University (US)
Corresponding author
Dye, Heather L.
ORCID
Dye, Heather L.
Venue
Journal of Child & Adolescent Trauma
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Published
2019-12-10
Volume
13
Issue
4
Pages
399-407
ISSN
  • 1936-1521 (ISSN-L)
  • 1936-153X
DOI
10.1007/s40653-019-00292-y
PMC
PMC7683637
OpenAlex
W2993879478
Cited by
167
References
41
Citations by year
2026: 44 · 2025: 51 · 2024: 35 · 2023: 17 · 2022: 16 · 2021: 3 · 2020: 1
FWCI
5.84
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • Journal of Child & Adolescent Trauma (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Digital Commons - East Tennessee State University (East Tennessee State University) (submittedVersion)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Child Abuse and Trauma
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development
  • Social Sciences › Safety Research › Child Welfare and Adoption
Keywords
emotional abuse, childhood trauma, physical abuse, sexual abuse, depression, anxiety, stress, neuroticism, personality traits, long-term psychological effects, university students, public awareness campaigns, evidence-based treatment

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