What are the Effects of Yelling at a Child?
Various studies have shown that yelling at children is emotionally and physically hurtful. Learn more today.
Shouting at a child while raising a child is by no means the best option. As unbelievable as it may sound, yelling is also another form of violence that can cause long-term damage to a child’s personality and brain.
I‘ll explain why it’s better to raise your child in a respectful way, and why you should avoid yelling at your child. Read on to see how you can use love and empathy to discipline your child.
Parents’ Shouts
Have you ever looked back on the time you screamed? Such sounds show that the screamer has lost control. Therefore, they only scream when they want to be heard and are forced to think. Now, do you really think raising your voice helps you communicate?
Psychiatrist Dr. Joseph Shland has written a book called The Art of Relieving Anger, 7 Strategies for Relieving Most of Our Dangerous Emotions. According to the content, when you begin to raise your voice, your child’s limbic system is activated. Such systems are responsible for the instinctive ‘fight or flight’ response.
So instead of getting your child to listen and pay attention when you yell, you actually do the opposite. It makes them want to respond by screaming, or if they can’t, they want to avoid and hide.
Also, yelling is not good for you and your children. Let’s take a look at the consequences of screaming in a young child’s mind.
What are the Effects of Yelling at a Child?
1. It causes changes in the brain of infants
A study conducted in 2011 found that exposure to the stress caused by early and persistent shouting can change the way the brain processes information it receives through language.
Shouting at a child can change the way an infant’s brain develops. Children may begin to process negative information and events more thoroughly and quickly than positive ones.
2. May Cause Depression and Low Self-Esteem
Do you remember how you felt when your mom, dad, or teacher yelled at you? Shouting at your child causes fear, frustration, and sadness. But beyond these temporary feelings, they can affect the mind of the child.
When the voice is raised, your child will hear the loud, clear message you are sending. “Kids aren’t good enough to do things right, as you’d expect them to.” A lack of patience and tolerance can make children feel that they have not lived up to expectations. This in turn damages the child’s self-esteem.
Additionally, some studies have suggested that verbal abuse can cause psychological problems in adulthood. In fact, the screaming has been linked to depression and anxiety. It has also been linked to self-destructive behaviors such as alcohol and drug abuse or risky sexual behavior.
3. Emotional Abuse Can Exacerbate Problem Behavior
As explained earlier, yelling at a child triggers a response from the limbic system. This reaction is either fight or flight. In many cases, raising your voice to a child only makes matters worse. In fact, it can further reinforce their rebellion and stubbornness and put the child at risk.
Researchers observed that 13-year-olds who experienced stressful situations caused by their parents yelling were more likely to engage in negative behaviors in the medium term. So, if you want to avoid even more complicated situations, you should avoid yelling at children.
4. Shouting is Teaching the Wicked Way
Parents are the mirrors of their children. What can we expect of our children if we don’t know how to control our emotions? Losing self-control is teaching your child to behave like this. By yelling, we are showing our child how to get what they want.
Why not try talking instead of yelling? How about teaching your child to deal with frustration in a positive way? Set an example so that future children will become confident, empathetic, and respectful adults.
5. May Affect Your Child’s Physical Health
As you have read, some studies have concluded that stressed children who experience their parents yelling at them can lead to chronic illness. These diseases are caused by endocrine secretions caused by stress. Physical problems that may arise include:
· Migraine or Severe Headache
· Back and Neck problems
· Other chronic problems
In conclusion, if we want our children to grow up to be happy, emotionally empathetic, resilient, and healthy adults, we must first learn to manage our emotions. Shouting at a child is not the answer to the problem.
Starting today, stop yelling at your child and try some positive techniques. If you feel like you’re about to explode, take a deep breath and calm yourself down. Talk with respect at the child’s level. Remember that parents are the mirrors their children see and the way children think about themselves in the future has a lot to do with what parents do.