But verbal abuse, along with other forms of childhood maltreatment, can blunt the brain’s reward system. The brain becomes less responsive to positive experiences.

In a new study, researchers in the U.S. and the U.K. reviewed 166 earlier studies and found that yelling at, denigrating, or verbally threatening children by parents, teachers, or coaches can be ...

The study, published in Child Abuse & Neglect, informed people of the implications of verbally threatening children. Researchers found verbal threats may be as detrimental as sexual or physical ...

The review article, published in the journal Child Abuse & Neglect by scholars from England and the U.S., reviewed 166 studies that quantified the effects of verbal abuse on children.