The age-old belief that verbal punishments make kids soft and that they will not understand authority without physical punishments is not true. Even though your harsh words may not leave physical bruises on your child, the verbal whiplash from it is enough to affect your child for a lifetime. According to a new study published in the journal BMJ Open. The research found that verbal abuse in childhood can harm a person's mental health in adulthood just as much as physical abuse. Are Kids Affected By Verbal Abuse? The study showed that verbal abuse increased a child's likelihood of having low mental well-being as an adult by 64%, while physical abuse increased the odds by 52%. For those who experienced both types of abuse, the risk of low mental well-being was doubled. Researchers noted that while the harm of physical abuse is often immediately obvious, the damage from verbal abuse can be just as serious and long-lasting, even if it's not as easy to spot. While physical abuse has become less common, verbal abuse is on the rise. The study, which tracked over 20,600 children in England and Wales, found that physical abuse cases dropped from 20% in children born between 1950 and 1979 to 10% in those born after 2000. However, verbal abuse increased from 12% to almost 20% during the same time. The study found that verbal abuse was just as damaging to a person's mental health as physical abuse. About 24% of adults who were verbally abused as children had low mental well-being, compared to 23% of those who were physically abused. This number jumped to 29% for those who suffered both. In comparison, only 16% of adults who were not abused had low mental well-being. How Do Harsh Words From Parents Impact Children? Adults with low mental well-being struggled with feeling optimistic, useful, or close to others. They also had a harder time dealing with problems and thinking clearly. In most cases, verbal abuse had a greater impact on these specific aspects of mental health than physical abuse did. For instance, verbal abuse increased an adult's odds of not feeling close to others by 90%, while physical abuse increased the odds by 33%. These findings highlight that even when a person has been physically abused, adding verbal abuse can bring an additional and significant risk to their mental health. How You Reprimand Your Child Also Matters A 2021 study from the University of Michigan looked at how different types of discipline affect children around the world. The study found that while spanking is always harmful, even some non-physical types of punishment can have mixed results. The research suggests that the best way to raise well-behaved children may not be through punishment at all. Researchers believed that the most positive effects come from long-term investments in a child's life, such as: Spending quality time with themShowing them that they are lovedListening to them and their feelingsThe study also found that when parents took away privileges, children were more likely to be aggressive and have trouble getting along with other children. They recommends that parents use discipline that is appropriate for the child's age, keep communication open, and provide a stable routine.