ABC of child abuse. Emotional abuse and neglect.

Emotional abuse and neglect ofchildren may take many forms from a lack of care for their physical needs, through a failure to provide consistent love and nurture, to overt hostility and rejection. Deleterious effects upon developing children are correspondingly diverse and tend to vary with age. In infancy neglect of physical care is likely to produce the most obvious consequences and developmental delays are also found. Preschool children may additionally present with disorders of social and emotional adjustment. Older children are likely to show behavioural problems at school, which are often accompanied by extensive learning difficulties. Emotional abuse is rarely the sole reason for seeking child protection through legal action, yet evidence is accumulating that its long term consequences upon social, emotional, and cognitive development may be far reaching and profound.