India, Aug. 7 -- Parents who mock, threaten, or humiliate their children increase the risk of their children developing poor mental health later in life by 64 percent, according to a new study published in BMJ Open.
"Our study reveals that degrading, humiliating and abusive language directed at children can have long-term mental health impacts at least as severe as those associated with physical abuse," said lead author Prof Mark Bellis of Liverpool John Moores University.
"Equally concerning is the trend observed over the study period where physical abuse declined but verbal abuse increased . potentially offsetting the mental health gains we might expect from reduced exposure to physical harm."
The research analyzed data from over 20,00...