Denial of affection and required attention, neglect and derision are equally hazardous for the personality development of the children as is physical torture or abuse.
While talking to APP on Tuesday, psychiatrists said that child abuse can be manifested as physical, verbal or emotional harm caused to a child by an adult.
“In a nutshell, it is an injury inflicted by non-accidental means upon a child by an adult that holds long-term impact on the personality development of the victim,” said psychiatrist Dr Ali Nisar.
He said that poor communication, indifference, lack of confidence or trust among parents for their kids or vice-versa often enhances the vulnerability of the child victims. “This has also frustrated possibilities for needed intervention or support, in particular context of psychological rehabilitation.”
Another psychiatrist, Dr Wajahat Raza, said that physical abuse is not limited to bruises, bleeding, fractures, kicking, beating, burning or cutting up the person and at times can cause irreversible neurological damage to the child. “Belittling the child, calling them with negative names, comparing kids, habitual blaming, lack of appreciation, failure to hug, praise or express love may appear to be benign but they do affect the entire personality of the concerned children.”
The two psychiatrists warned that extreme punishments or actions that isolate or terrorise the child cast a negative impact on his or her personality.
“Neglect, one of the often overlooked abuses that a child may be exposed to, is a pattern of failing to provide for a child’s basic needs, to the extent that their physical and psychological wellbeing are damaged or endangered,” elaborated Dr Raza.
Enumerating various manifestations of neglect, ranging from physical, emotional and educational, the psychiatrist said that failure to enrol a child in a school; permitting or causing a child to miss too many days of school; failure to provide proper food and clothing; refusal to provide or delay in acquiring proper healthcare services for a sick child; disregard for child’s safety; and failure to intervene when a child demonstrates anti-social behaviour are manifestations of neglect and abuse.
The consultant psychiatrist was of the view that people in general and parents and teachers as well as family physicians need to understand that neglect and abuse, in any form, do lead to physical and mental health problems, the most common being depression and anxiety. Stress, lack of nurturing qualities, immaturity and difficulty in controlling anger were cited to be some of the other traits noticed among the victims.
