Shouting at children can be as damaging as physical or sexual abuse,

study says
Level 2: Intermediate

1
  Warmer

a. Read the saying. Then, discuss the questions.

“Sticks and stones will break my bones, but words will never harm me.”

1. Have you heard this saying before? What do you think it means?

2. Do you agree with the saying? Why (not)?

3. Is there a similar saying in your language you know? If so, how is it similar or different?

2
  Key words

a. Write the correct words from the wordpool to match the definitions below. Then, find and
highlight them in the article to read them in context.

abuse ashamed childhood criticising development excluded

isolated mental health psychology threats trust verbal

1. treating someone in a cruel, violent, or unfair way

2. telling someone that you will punish or harm them, especially if they do not do what you want

3. the growth of something so it becomes bigger, stronger, etc.

4. the part of someone’s life when they are a child

5. using spoken words

6. saying that you think somebody/something is bad or say what you think is wrong about it

7. the condition and health of someone’s mind

8. the scientific study of the mind and how it affects behaviour

9. believing that somebody/something is good and honest and will not try to harm you

10. feeling guilty or embarrassed about something you have done

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 Shouting at children can be as damaging as physical or sexual abuse,
study says
Level 2: Intermediate
11. being far away while having little contact with others

12. deliberately not included in something people are doing or considering

b. Complete the sentences with words from the previous activity.

1. They had a agreement, but they never put it in writing.

2. Child is a serious issue which should be reported to the authorities.

3. During his , his family visited their relatives in Peru every summer.

4. Little children automatically their parents.

5. It is essential to care for your as much as you care for your

physical health.

6. She wants to study because she is interested in why people react

to things differently.

7. If you live in a small village, in the winter you may feel very .

8. They spent so much time each other that they never talked about
the good things.

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 Shouting at children can be as damaging as physical or sexual abuse,
study says
Level 2: Intermediate
Denis Campbell 9 Concern among experts in children’s
01 October, 2023 development and mental health about adults’
verbal abuse has also led to a new charity,
1 Parents who shout at their children or call them Words Matter. It aims to raise awareness and
“stupid” are leaving them at greater risk of end the problem.
hurting themselves, drug use and ending up in 10 Prof Peter Fonagy, a co-author of the paper,
jail, new research claims. the head of the division of Psychology and
2 Shouting at children should be recognised as a Language Sciences at University College
form of abuse because of the huge damage it London (UCL) and the Chief Executive of
does, experts say. the Anna Freud Centre, said: “Children are
genetically prepared to trust what adults say.
3 Shouting, yelling, and using threats can be “as They take us grown-ups seriously. If we betray
damaging to a child’s development as other, that trust by using words to abuse rather than
more recognized, types of mistreatment such teach, this can leave children not just ashamed,
as childhood physical and sexual abuse,” the isolated and excluded but also unable to
academics say. engage with their community and draw the full
benefit of social learning.”
4 More children experience childhood verbal
abuse than physical or sexual abuse, and 11 He added: “Exposure to verbal abuse
about 40 per cent encounter it and that profoundly affects children and is associated
percentage is growing, it is claimed. with psychological pain, complex emotional and
relational difficulties, physical as well as mental
5 Prof Shanta R Dube, a US expert in child disorders. They are also more likely to have
abuse and a co-author of the study, said: “Often abusive situations in their lives, for example,
adults are unaware of how their shouting and finding a partner who is abusive to them, as
criticising words, such as ‘stupid’ and ‘lazy’, can well as finding themselves repeating the abuse
negatively affect children, particularly if that is with others.”
how they experienced being parented.”
12 World Health Organization research found
6 The study examined evidence of childhood that 36.1 per cent of children worldwide had
verbal abuse. One recent paper involved experienced emotional abuse, including verbal
20,556 UK residents and found that those who abuse. That was many more than the 25 per
had been verbally abused were almost twice cent who had suffered sexual abuse and the
as likely (19.9 per cent) as those who had not 22 per cent who had suffered physical abuse.
(10.8 per cent) to use cannabis and at almost 13 A recent study in the US by the Centers for
double the risk of ending up in jail (4.4 per cent) Disease Control and Prevention found that
than those who had not (2.4 per cent). 55 per cent of older school students had
7 One recent UK survey of 1,000 11- to experienced verbal abuse in the family home.
17-year-olds found that 41 per cent said that 14 Dube said that childhood verbal abuse is hard
adults frequently used hurtful and upsetting to prevent because few adults are aware that it
words. Half (51 per cent) said this happened is a common and harmful problem.
weekly and one in 10 said it happened daily.
15 Parents need to understand that how they talk
8 Asked what the most hurtful words were, to their children matters, why they do so and
children cited “you’re useless”, “you’re stupid” start speaking more positively, she added.
and “you can’t do anything right”. The most
© Guardian News and Media 2023
positive things they heard adults say were, First published in The Guardian, 01/10/2023
“I am proud of you”, “you can do it” and
“I believe in you.”
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 Shouting at children can be as damaging as physical or sexual abuse,
study says
Level 2: Intermediate

3
  Comprehension check

a. Answer the questions using information from the article.

1. According to the research, what are children at a greater risk of when parents shout at them?

2. Why do the experts say that shouting at children should be recognised as a form of abuse?

3. What three types of verbal abuse can be damaging to a child’s development?

4. According to the research, how damaging is verbal abuse compared to other types?

5. What percentage of children experience childhood verbal abuse?

6. What did Prof Dube say about adults’ awareness?

7. How frequently do children in a recent UK survey report experiencing hurtful words from adults?

8. What were some of the most hurtful words cited by children, and what were some of the most
positive things they heard from adults?

9. What is the aim of the charity Words Matter?

10. According to Prof Dube, why is verbal abuse so hard to prevent?

4
  Key language

a. Complete the sentences. Change the verbs to adjectives ending in -ed or -ing.

1. The (trust) child held her grandmother’s hand the whole time.

2. This is a support group for (abuse) children.

3. While she was in the hospital, she was often alone and felt (isolate).

4. She wanted feedback but received (criticise) remarks instead.

5. The way you were (parent) shows in how you raise your children.

5
  Discussion

a. Discuss these statements.

• “Adults don’t understand childhood verbal abuse.”

• “Speaking positively to children helps their mental health.”

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 Shouting at children can be as damaging as physical or sexual abuse,
study says
Level 2: Intermediate

6
  In your own words

a. Do some research about positive communication techniques, such as active listening.

• What are some of the things you can say?

• What kind of body language is helpful?

• How can you tell there’s a positive effect?

• How can you address negative behaviour?

b. Report your findings to the class and share your opinion. Here are some phrases to help you
when you describe the technique.

According to the experts, …

One example is …

The steps are …

A way to do/show this is …

Another idea is …

Here are some phrases to use when stating your opinion.

I think (that) …

I want to understand why …

From my perspective, …

In my understanding/opinion, …

I (dis)agree with …
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