Intro
Reporting Requirements
Types
Talking to
a Youth
Making the
Report
Conclusion
Emotional Abuse
Define
Recognize
Practice
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Emotional abuse is defined as emotional damage for which the youth’s parent, guardian or legal custodian has neglected, refused, or been unable for reasons other than poverty to obtain the necessary treatment or to take steps to ameliorate the symptoms. In a facility setting, staff may be the perpetrators of emotional abuse because they have control over a youth’s ability to obtain treatment.
The statutes define "emotional damage" as harm to a youth’s psychological or intellectual functioning that is demonstrated by one of the following exhibited to a severe degree:
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Withdrawal
- Outward aggressive behavior
- Substantial change in behavior, emotional response, or mental functioning that is outside the normal range for the youth’s age and stage of development
As in physical abuse, there must be harm to the youth, and who caused the harm is irrelevant. As in neglect, there is a failure to provide necessary care: facility staff, or the parent, guardian or legal custodian has to neglect, refuse to or be unable to obtain necessary treatment or take steps to ameliorate the symptoms. This implies that facility staff or the parent, guardian or legal custodian is aware of the condition and still does not act to provide necessary care for the youth. Also as in cases of neglect, in the home setting the failure to act must be for reasons other than poverty.
- A parent’s decision to not use medication to control a youth’s behavior, unless the medication is necessary treatment for emotional damage as defined in the statutes and the parents can afford it.
- Facility staff taking points away from a youth because she failed to follow rules.
Emotional Abuse Scenarios
1) You’ve been concerned about a 13-year-old boy who is in an art class that you teach at his group home — Lorenzo. He has little energy and just seems depressed to you. He goes along with your instructions but doesn’t engage with the other kids. One day you notice that Lorenzo has slash marks on his forearms — old healing ones as well as fresh ones. You speak with the staff member at the group home who supervises Lorenzo’s unit. You explain what you’ve seen and your concern for Lorenzo, but the staff member replies, “Oh, just ignore him. He’s just trying to get attention.” You suggest that maybe Lorenzo should get an evaluation from a mental health professional, and the staff member replies, “Are you kidding? Then he’ll know he’s won. Just ignore him.”
Are you required to report?
Correct: You are required to report.
Lorenzo is demonstrating severe behaviors that are injurious to him. You do not need to determine which type of behavior it is (for example, whether it’s a sign of severe depression as opposed to severe anxiety, etc.) to suspect emotional damage. The staff member has indicated to you that she is unwilling to assist Lorenzo in obtaining necessary treatment. Therefore, both parts of the emotional abuse definition are present.
Incorrect: You are required to report.
Lorenzo is demonstrating severe behaviors that are injurious to him. You do not need to determine which type of behavior it is (for example, whether it’s a sign of severe depression as opposed to severe anxiety, etc.) to suspect emotional damage. The staff member has indicated to you that she is unwilling to assist Lorenzo in obtaining necessary treatment. Therefore, both parts of the emotional abuse definition are present.
2) You are accompanying 13-year-old Audrey back from the visiting area in the facility where you work. She has just had a visit with her mother and seems upset. You ask her about it and she says that her parents are going through a divorce and that her mother has just shared a lot of information with her that made her feel sad. She says she is getting really tired of her parents bad-mouthing each other and pressuring her to choose one parent over the other. She’s sick of hearing it, wishes they would stop, and sometimes wants to just scream. When you ask, she says she is already in intensive psychotherapy at the facility and that she likes her psychologist and feels like she can talk to her. By the time you reach Audrey’s room she has cheered up and is telling you about a book that her mother brought her that she is excited about to read.
Are you required to report?
Correct: You are not required to report.
Although Audrey is clearly sad about her parents’ divorce she is not demonstrating any severe psychological or emotional behaviors as described in the statutory definition of emotional damage. In addition, she is already in intensive psychotherapy so the facility has not failed to provide treatment for her.
Incorrect: You are not required to report.
Although Audrey is clearly sad about her parents’ divorce she is not demonstrating any severe psychological or emotional behaviors as described in the statutory definition of emotional damage. In addition, she is already in intensive psychotherapy so the facility has not failed to provide treatment for her.
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