Study Reveals That Childhood Verbal Abuse Has a Similar Impact to Physical Abuse on Adult Mental Health
- Aug 6
- 3 min read
Recent extensive intergenerational research has revealed that verbal abuse experienced in childhood has a comparable impact on adult mental health to that of physical abuse. Published in the open access journal BMJ Open, the study suggests that, while often not immediately obvious, the effects of verbal abuse can be equally damaging and protracted.
The study, which analyzed data from over 20,000 adults in England and Wales from seven relevant studies conducted between 2012 and 2024, found that exposure to any type of childhood abuse was associated with a significant increase in the likelihood of experiencing low mental well-being in adulthood. Specifically, childhood physical abuse was linked to a 52% increase in the likelihood of low mental well-being, while verbal abuse, on its own, showed a 64% increase. The experience of both types of abuse more than doubled this likelihood compared to no exposure to either. Even when physical abuse was part of a person's experiences, those who had also experienced verbal abuse faced an additional risk, increasing the prevalence of low mental well-being from 16% without abuse to 29% with both types of abuse. Adults who were verbally abused as children were prone to feeling disconnected, pessimistic, and emotionally unwell in later life.
The findings also indicate that verbal abuse acts as a source of toxic stress, which may affect the neurobiological development of children, similar to physical abuse. This can manifest in adulthood as higher levels of anxiety and depression, problematic alcohol and drug use, other 'risky' behaviors, and serious health issues such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes.
The research highlighted a worrying trend: while the prevalence of childhood physical abuse halved (from 20% to 10%) between birth cohorts from 1950-1979 and those born in 2000 or later, the prevalence of verbal abuse has increased, rising from 12% among those born before 1950 to approximately 20% in those born in 2000 or later. This suggests that efforts to reduce physical punishment might be "simply swapping one type of harmful abuse for another, with equally long-term consequences".
Despite its high prevalence (an estimated one in three children globally are subjected to it), policies and initiatives to prevent violence against children have tended to focus on physical abuse, often overlooking the impact of verbal abuse. Experts like Dr. Mark Bellis, the lead study author, emphasize that verbal abuse can leave scars as deep and lasting as those caused by physical abuse. Dr. Bellis added that verbal abuse "may be eroding the mental health benefits we should expect from successful efforts to reduce physical abuse".
Verbal abuse can include blaming, insulting, scolding, criticizing, or threatening children. Comments like "Johnny can do it, why can't you?", "You always make mistakes," "You're stupid," or "You're worthless" are examples of derogatory language that children, being concrete thinkers, can take literally. Dr. Shanta Dube notes that this type of abuse is often lost or confused with emotional abuse. Dr. Andrea Danese adds that children depend on the language of adults in their immediate environment to learn about themselves and the world, which makes the way they are spoken to very powerful.
Although the study is observational and relies on retrospective recall, which prevents establishing a definitive cause and effect and may introduce inaccuracies, its large sample size and robustness contribute to the existing evidence. Researchers and experts call for greater public awareness of the harms caused by childhood verbal abuse. It is crucial to offer advisory advice and support on appropriate parenting, discipline, and child control. It is not about shaming adults, but about fostering a cultural shift towards greater mindfulness in the language used with children, recognizing the power of words to shape a child's understanding of themselves and the world. More information and support are needed for parents and caregivers to create better home environments, building emotional regulation skills and fostering emotional attachment and communication skills.
Jessica Bondy, founder of Words Matter, emphasizes that "any gains made in reducing physical abuse risk being undone by rising rates of verbal abuse".
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