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

About 40% of children encounter verbal abuse, say the authors of a new study. Photograph: PeopleImages/Getty Images/iStockphoto

Parents who shout at their children or call them “stupid” are leaving their offspring at greater risk of self-harm, drug use and ending up in jail, new research claims.

Talking harshly to children should be recognised as a form of abuse because of the huge damage it does, experts say.