Emotional abuse statistics are notoriously difficult to obtain.

Relatively few cases are

reported, leaving only the most severely traumatized children and youth protected
and treated. As a child, I was among the unreported cases. Check out my story

Gathering emotional abuse statistics is a challenge, because emotional abuse is often

concealed in secrets and behaviours that are tied to other problems. Another
challenge is the lack of a standard definition worldwide.

Even in Canada, though the provinces and territories have mandated protection
guidelines, statistics are compiled using a variety of gauges. No set points of
recognition are in place.

That said, below are some international statistics:

In a Canadian study of 135,000 investigations by child welfare agencies over a

three month period, 60% were emotional maltreatment and neglect, while 10% were
for sexual abuse, and 31% for physical harm severe enough to require treatment
(Health Canada, 20011).

Of the emotional abuse statistics available, and depending on the definition

adopted, estimates of the prevalence of "psychological maltreatment" vary from
between 1 to 26% of children (Fortin & Chamberland, 19952).

In a 1997 U.S. study, emotional maltreatment was reported in 15% of 817,665 or

in 122,650 cases across 43 states (National Center of Child Abuse and Neglect,
19973).

Emotional child abuse accounts for approximately 7% of all reported cases of child
maltreatment across the United States. However, the absence of operational
definitions and true standards of severity means that the true occurrence of the
extent of emotional child abuse is unknown (National Research Council, 19934).

The most recent national Australian emotional abuse statistics, produced by the
Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, indicate that in 1995-96, emotional abuse
cases accounted for 31% of substantiated child maltreatment cases (Broadbent &
Bentley, 19975).

In 1996, 15% of all registrations of maltreatment in England were for psychological

maltreatment (Doyle, 19976).

In one emotional abuse statistics survey in Ontario, 40.8% of adolescent

respondents had experienced emotional abuse (Manion & Wilson, 1995, pp.13-147).

In a study of 1,000 women 15 years of age or older, 36% had experienced

emotional abuse while growing up; 43% had experienced some form of abuse as
children or adolescents; 39% reported experiencing emotional abuse in a relationship
in the past five years (Women's College Hospital, 19958).